Today they are many shopping carts out there to sell your products online. Deciding on which shopping cart solution is best for you depend on your needs. In this article I am going to write on the pros and cons buying your own shopping cart versus using an online shopping cart.
The pros of buying a shopping cart are that you own the source code. You can make any changes to the shopping cart to fit your needs. You can add or remove features that come with the shopping cart. You have full control of the customization of the shopping cart. You can move your shopping cart to any hosting service when ever you want to.
The cons of the buying a shopping cart are that you need to pay for upgrades to the shopping cart. Sometimes companies will only offer one year of support and upgrades. If you are not tech savvy then you will need to hire a techie to help you with installing the shopping cart and adding any additional features. Any security updates that are release by the company; you are responsible for installing them yourself or hire someone to install then for you. You also have to make sure the software is compatible with your hosting account. Sometimes if you make any changes to the shopping cart files, you will risk losing support from the company.
The pros of using an online shopping cart are that you usually don’t have to worry about finding a hosting service as they will provide it for you. Any updates or upgrades they do to the shopping cart your will get them for free as long as you are a member. You sometimes get a sale representative that will assist you in setting up your shopping cart and train you on use it. You don’t have to be tech savvy to maintain your shopping cart as they handle all the coding for you.
The cons of using an online shopping cart are that you don’t own the code. You cannot take the shopping cart to another hosting company. You have to start all over again if you are not satisfied with their service. You also have to work with the features they offer and cannot make changes to them. You are also limited to the customization of the website. You end up using a template offer by them or pay an additional fee to have your layout install on your shopping cart. Depending on the online shopping cart service you get, you will either pay a flat monthly fee for the used of the shopping cart with a limited number of products or pay a percent of the sales you make for each month.
In my opinion if you are tech savvy or have a dedicated team of IT personnel, and its within you budget, then I would suggest going with buying your shopping cart. You will be able to modify it and make it fit your needs. In the other hand, if you are not tech savvy or have a limited budget, then I would suggest going with the online shopping cart. The company you choose will take care of setting up the shopping cart for you. It’s also cheaper at the front end and you will have the support your need from the company’s representatives.
When choosing either to buy a shopping cart or use an online one. Security should also be your main concern. You want to make sure the hosting company whether using an online shopping cart or buying a shopping cart has all their server software and hardware firmware up to date and are PCI compliance. Always remember that you will need to have an SSL to take credit cards online.
