Shopping Cart Comparison: Magento, BigCommerce, Shopify, Zencart

Updated guide posted here for 2012: BigCommerce vs Magento vs Shopify vs Volusion

A guide to the best shopping carts available

Magento, BigCommerce, Shopify and Zencart are big names that you would have definitely heard of if you were a member of the world of e-commerce.  Each of these applications has gathered a huge list of clients and tremendous success within a short span. Of course that is because each of these has a set of features which makes them popular among owners of online retail shops.

Boost your business with Magento

Are you the owner of a small business, and wish to develop themes and templates for your online store? You don’t have to worry anymore as Magento can give an outstanding boost to your online store. Customization is one of this software’s key features, and that gives you freedom to be creative in what you make. This allows you to update your inventory and product categories whenever you feel like expanding your online shop.

With a customized page, your user has a guaranteed access to your store. He can have an easy access to all the products. Thus, he can search through all the categories and get a good idea about the prices of the product he wishes to buy.

BigCommerce: a competent web-based application

BigCommerce is among the most competent software services that are available online. It’s the software that most business owners prefer for their website, and that for a good reason too. One of the best features of this e-commerce software package is its Search Engine Optimization feature. With this, you will be able to drive a lot of traffic to your website. Plus, search engines will be able to catch and display your website in their results list.

BigCommerce has also numerous marketing tools through which you can offer coupon codes and provide discounts and redeemable gift certificates. Through these you will be able to increase the credibility of your store. You also have the advantage of developing other promotional activities by which you can grant features like live chat, unlimited free call support along with some advance search features.

This web-based application allows you to customize your page according to your own will. It provides multiple options from which you can design according to your own needs. You can develop a very professional look for all your web pages. The software can also help you keep a good record of your inventory. You only have to decide on one feature, and that is the parameters involved in inventory control. With BigCommerce, you can also get some of the most useful assistance on comprehending matters like your basic inventory requirements.

This software gives you access to the latest updates, as well as small tips along the way on means to increase your profits. In total, BigCommerce can provide more then 25 business reports that are designed to help you analyze your sales and profit increase. This will automatically facilitate effective decisions on your end. This would eventually show up as you start to get more profits from your business.

Shopify offers best designs ever

The most prominent feature of the Shopify shopping cart is that it offers designs with a convenient setup and usability. Customization in this e-commerce solution helps create an interface that is quite feasible for the user. The product management options in Shopify are unique among all e-commerce software. These options are quite simple, and users have a vast opportunity to select, sort and order according to their choice. The buying process is so simplified, thus it provides benefits to both the customer and the store.

Zencart: the strong open source program

Zencart is one of the few online shopping carts which can give a very sophisticated look to your website. With Zencart, you can arrange various products according to different categories (thus your catalog is all set to go). Zencart is not just a shopping cart,  but a software that can provide users complete access to various products and their categories. The option to include pictures and detailed information about the product can be your valuable asset. This is because your potential client is looking for the precise and accurate information.

This is of primary importance as every store owner wants to provide convenience for the visitors. The latter should not find the buying procedure complicated. Another advantage of this system is that it is capable of handling six product pricing levels at the same time. It can also assign the minimum and maximum number of products available and to be ordered. Plus, it allows the allocation of lower pricing levels to some key customers.

Conclusion

When comparing all these shopping cart services, you might that each is important in its own way. Magento, for instance, is less complicated and doesn’t need the store owner to have any prior programming experience. It’s a simplistic yet a powerful tool in e-commerce, whereas Shopify is software that provides a complete professional appearance to your webpage. You can make sure of this only after trying this facility. The software can also mark the items that the customer might consider for buying in future. With BigCommerce, you can mark the products that the customer wishes to consider for buying in future. Yet there is so much more that the software can offer aside from that.  As for Zencart, this software provides the best means to compile a product list into your catalogue.