Hey Everyone, I’ve got a guest Blog today from Regina Baker of Wahmcart.com.
She’s got some awesome information on shopping carts . . .
Moms who stay at home are the biggest group of people who try to earn a living by working at home. They don’t have to worry about daycare costs and they can volunteer at school or easily care for a sick child because they have a flexible schedule.
Do a simple Google search for the term “work at home moms” and you’ll discover over 5,640,000 websites dedicated to this target market. There’s no doubt that this trend is growing!
But this work at home mom (or WAHM) market is also the one that gets hit with the most scams. Unscrupulous people prey on the moms who are starting out, who so desperately want to sell their own products that they will invest in a fraudulent program or who will be convinced they need to spend hundreds of dollars each month on a shopping cart with lots of bells and whistles.
Moms and small business owners also start their businesses on modest budgets and are generally very careful not to spend money they don’t have yet. They are the ones who rely on the free shopping carts and free autoresponder services which are very limiting because they’re not as secure and upgrading to the better paid services in the future can often be difficult when trying to export your current contacts from the free version.
Small businesses everywhere need to be smart with their money but also know when to invest in a program that can grow with their business. Even if you have just one product to sell, invest in a shopping cart that offers:
- Secure ordering – as mentioned earlier, customers will feel more at ease buying from a secure site, knowing their credit card information is encrypted and safe.
- Multiple payment options – don’t let your customer leave without purchasing just because you don’t accept the one credit card they carry. People who dislike credit cards might opt for PayPal so offering multiple options will increase your chances of making a sale.
- Multiple product and pricing options – don’t let the shopping cart manufacturer tell you how many products you can offer! Choose a cart that allows you to add as many of your products as you like and offer different pricing options, such as a flat fee, subscription, or installments.
- Autoresponder – how will you reconnect with your current customers in another 6 months? An autoresponder feature will automatically record your customers’ email addresses so you can keep them informed of new products or sales, which might make them a repeat customer.
- Excellent customer service – even if you know your way around the computer pretty well, inevitably you’ll have a question or experience some sort of problem. Rather than wondering if your support ticket is floating around in cyberworld, knowing your support team will help you quickly is comforting.
If you’re going to dream about working from home, you might as well dream big! Finding a shopping cart that offers features you can use in the near future is a smart move.
If you’re uncertain about which shopping cart to use or what features you want for your business, that’s alright, too. You can find more answers about shopping carts and ecommerce technology at http://ShoppingCartFaqNews.com and download our free report: “Why You Need a Shopping Cart”.
Regina has been an online and offline entrepreneur and internet marketer for over ten years. She is a Certified Business Coach at ReginaBaker.com. As Co-Founder of Wahmcart.com a web based ecommerce solution (secure shopping cart, affiliate software, tracking and the follow-up management system) for small businesses, Regina is also a Ecommerce Resident Expert and Founder of ShoppingCartFaq.com, a frequently asked questions website concerning shopping carts, autoresponders, tracking and affiliate management systems.