Shopping cart options for SMBs, Part 2

"Businesspeople have precious little time to learn complex systems and then to use them, so it needs to be easy and accessible. Whenever possible I try to use the following guide when designing the systems: You shouldn't need to read a manual to know how to use it - it should be self-evident," said Daniel Vidoni, e-commerce software consultant and proprietor of Vidoniweb.com and Storefinder.com.

Ongoing rapid growth in e-commerce, the emergence of standardized Web 2.0 technology and open source software packages, shopping cart and e-tail e-commerce tools have become cheaper, more powerful, standardized and chock-full of all kinds of interactive, multichannel and multimedia features. However, perceptions of just how easy they are to use - and how easy and cheap it is to get online and start an e-tail business - often outrun the reality.

"There is such an enormous amount to consider when creating these systems that in my view it should be left to professionals. If not, a merchant can become disillusioned with Internet technology and determine - incorrectly - that it doesn't work and that it's all hype," said Vidoni.

Read the full article here.

Read Part 1 of the series here