Applications to Run E-commerce Websites

E-commerce, also called electronic commerce or internet commerce, refers to the process of selling and purchasing goods or services via the World Wide Web. It enables customers to explore and buy products from online retailers and marketplaces. E-commerce has proven beneficial for independent freelancers, small businesses, and large corporations, as it provides access to a vast market on a scale that surpasses traditional offline markets or retail. At WebHostingPeople, we offer specialized E-commerce Hosting services that streamline the process of creating an E-commerce website.

There are various models involved in eCommerce, including business-to-consumer (B2C), business-to-business (B2B), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), consumer-to-business (C2B), business-to-administration (B2A), and consumer-to-administration (C2A). E-commerce platforms facilitate the exchange of different object types, ranging from subscriptions, physical and digital products, to services, crowdfunding, dropshipping, and retail or wholesale product sales.

E-commerce hosting is a service provided by web hosting service providers, which assists customers in building their business websites. They offer website development and maintenance services, along with providing webspace for hosting the site, an email server, and other standard web hosting features. E-commerce hosting empowers clients to effectively manage all the technical aspects of website development and maintenance.

Shopping Cart

A shopping cart is an application utilized by eCommerce websites to facilitate online transactions for purchases. It serves as an essential tool for customers to add multiple items to their cart and continue shopping. The shopping cart comprises of a collection of scripts that establish a connection between the client and the payment system, enabling order selection and tracking.

Through the software, the website owner can set parameters such as tax percentage, shipping charges, and product costs. When a user checks out on an eCommerce site, the software calculates the total order value based on the set parameters. Having the best shopping cart integrated into an eCommerce website is critical for its success.

Some commonly used eCommerce shopping cart software provided by web hosting providers include:

1. Magento
2. WooCommerce
3. Prestashop
4. X-Cart

Magento

Magento is a widely used content management system (CMS) within the eCommerce platform. Launched officially in 2008, it is an open-source platform written in PHP. With over 20% usage worldwide, Magento offers a flexible and extensive architecture that allows users to manage multiple stores from a single admin panel. Creating an eCommerce website using Magento can be accomplished in just a few hours.

Magento provides various technical features and modules that facilitate the management and customization of online stores. It caters to the needs of small, medium, and large E-commerce websites. With the help of Magento, clients can automatically update their eCommerce websites. One of its prominent features is the ability to enable searching and sorting of products in multiple ways.

Main Features of Magento

1. Support for multiple payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, cheques, money orders, and Google checkouts.
2. Ability to ship products to multiple addresses.
3. Email and RSS feed support, along with order status tracking and history.
4. Global transaction capability, supporting multiple languages, currencies, and tax rates.
5. Display options for products in grid and list formats.
6. Incorporated Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features.
7. User-friendly interface with compatibility across smartphones, tablets, and other devices.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is an open-source shopping cart plugin that empowers clients to create virtual stores directly on WordPress. It serves as a modular kit for building an online store, offering features such as shopping carts, inventory management, statistics, payment gateways, and more. Although WooCommerce supports PayPal, users have the flexibility to add other payment methods through free and paid extensions.

WooCommerce is known for its user-friendly interface, allowing clients with limited coding and programming knowledge to easily create an eCommerce website on WordPress. The WooCommerce dashboard offers plugin options for customization. It is an ideal choice for clients familiar with WordPress and seeking to establish a single online store. Furthermore, WooCommerce provides extensive customization options, making it a highly adaptable eCommerce platform.

Main Features of WooCommerce

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features to optimize website performance.
2. Guest checkout option for users who prefer not to register.
3. Inventory management capabilities, such as order tracking, low and out-of-stock item notifications, and hiding out-of-stock items.
4. Order management features, including customer notes, fulfillment process management, and manual stock editing.
5. Flexibility and customization options.
6. Analytical tools for tracking and measuring store performance.

PrestaShop

PrestaShop is an open-source software that powers over 100,000 online stores worldwide. It offers a user-friendly management interface with several features to effectively manage product listings, payments, shipping, manufacturers, and suppliers. Clients can customize their store themes and add new features using PrestaShop add-on modules.

PrestaShop’s add-on marketplace enables third-party developers to sell their modules and items to customers. It supports various payment methods and unlimited transactions, while also providing multilingual translation options based on the user’s country. Additionally, PrestaShop allows clients to set tax rules specific to their region.

Main Features of PrestaShop

1. Robust catalog and site management, facilitating the management of one or multiple products in a single transaction.
2. Flexible product display options, allowing customers to view desired outcomes in various formats.
3. Optimization features to enhance site performance and ensure search engines effectively index the store.
4. Single page checkout feature for a streamlined purchasing process.
5. Custom message options for customers, along with control over logistics such as fees, weight, and shipping restrictions.
6. Account creation functionality for customer loyalty and increased satisfaction.
7. Global community support with multi-language translation capabilities.

X-Cart

X-Cart is a commercial open-source PHP-based e-commerce shopping cart platform utilized by various web hosting providers for eCommerce solutions. Its compatibility with online transaction processing systems makes it a popular choice in the market. X-Cart enhances the online shopping experience for customers through personalized greetings, making them feel valued and appreciated. Using X-Cart enables businesses to automate many aspects of their sales process.

Main Features of X-Cart

1. Inventory tracking for item availability and variety management, regardless of scale.
2. Direct customer order management from the admin dashboard.
3. Robust security features to ensure store security during payment transactions.
4. Filtered search feature for narrowing down product searches based on attributes.
5. Extensive library of website templates for clients to choose from.
6. Integration with different shippers, automatically calculating shipping fees and displaying relevant currency details.
7. In addition to shopping cart software, X-Cart offers various services such as custom design creation and web development, including SEO audit and optimization.