Small Business Online Stores, Shopping Carts (ECommerce)

• Accept Credit Cards, Debit Cards, eChecks and PayPal^®
• Sell Your Products or Services 24 Hours a Day, 7 Days a Week
• Offer Event or Online Class Registration

If this sounds great, then it may be time to develop an eCommerce solution (online store, shopping cart) for your small business. Aldebaran Web Design uses the ECT online store.

Watch Video Tours of the ECT store: Experience the store as a customer. Explore the store owner administrative area. Is the ECT online store right for you? • Store features • Payment processors • Customizable settings and User Manual • Shipping methods

Examples of Online Stores:

Full Circle Studio: Handcrafted Home Embellishments	LCL Tattoo: Tattoo Furnishing, Supplies and Products	Natures's Backyard Pets: Wild Bird Supplies, Birdseed, Feeders, Houses & More
On This Day Designs: Handcrafted Catholic Jewelry	Pico's Worldwide: Recycled and Environmentally Friendly Products	Positive Approach Dog Training and Daycare in Tacoma
Katie Kay: Fashion Accessories for Home, Jewelry, Clothing	LCL Beauty Salon Outfitters: Furnishings, Equpiment and Supplies	Skintensify: Skin Furnishings, Equipment, Supplies and Products

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ECOMMERCE

What is a Payment Processor?

To accept payments online, you need a "payment processor". There are many to choose from. Here is a list of payment processors that are compatible with the ECT store I work with. My two favorite payment processors are PayPal^® and Authorize.net^®. You can click the referral buttons below to sign up.

Go here to read more about how to select a payment processor and a comparison of PayPal^® and Authorize.net.^®

Which eCommerce solution is best for my small business website?

• If you only sell one item at a time, then PayPal^®'s "buy now" buttons could be your most affordable eCommerce solution. Authorize.net^® also has a "Simple Checkout" solution.

• If you have a large number of products, have frequent product changes, want your online store integrated into your website, need to sell digital items like music or photos, or want an online registration system, then you need a customized online store. My favorite online store is eCommerceTemplates because of it's fantastic list of features and ease of use for the website designer and you, the online store administrator. It's the best ecommerce solution I've found if you want the shopping cart built around the look and feel of your website. Go here to experience a fully functioning demo of ECT's online store.

Do I Need to Have A Secure Website?

If you chose to have a custom shopping cart that processes credit card information on your website, you will need to provide your customers with a secure shopping environment. In order to provide this, you will need to purchase an SSL Certificate. An SSL Certificate does two things: it authenticates your website's identity to your customers (so they know that it's really your store they're on) and it encrypts all the information that is sent between your customer's computer and your payment provider. Many customers won't shop on a non-secure website. Go here to read my blog article on How To Choose An SSL For Your Online Store.

I Have An osCommerce/ZenCart Online Store - Can It Be Changed Into An ECT Store?

Yes! I've worked with osCommerce/ZenCart before and can sympathize with your wishes to switch to a easier to use, friendlier online store application. If you have an online that uses osCommerce or ZenCart, read this testimonial written by a client of mine who made the switch from osCommerce to ECT!

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