If you have a product or service to sell, an e-commerce enabled site can increase your sales, expand your reach and lower your operating costs. However, integrating e-commerce into your existing site can be a confusing and daunting task.
Just as every business is different, e-commerce solutions are not one-size-fits-all. There are, however, three common elements to an e-commerce solution for your business:
Shopping Cart - We work with several different shopping carts including osCommerce,CubeCart, LiteCommerce, X-Cart and others. The shopping cart is essentially the "brains" behind your e-commerce solution. The functionality of the cart should be aligned closely to your business requirements (including your offline business).
Merchant Gateway - The merchant gateway is the interface between your shopping cart and your merchant account. Basically, the total charge from the shopping cart is transmitted to the merchant account using the merchant gateway. It is important that you select a merchant gateway that works with the shopping cart you need.
Merchant Account - The merchant account is the interface between your business and credit card companies like Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. The merchant account is not the same as your business bank account. Usually, your merchant account dictates which merchant gateway you will use.
