What Is A "Shopping Cart"

A "Shopping Cart" is software that offers the online
customer the convenience of collecting the items they
want to purchase in one location.

After they have browsed through the online merchant"s
store, they may or may not want to delete some items
before checking out and making payment.

This is very much like the physical "shopping cart"
you will find at the super markets around the world.
You walk around "browsing" through the isles and
adding things you want to purchase to the cart. Then
when you check out and make payments at the counter
you may decide you do not want some of the items, you
just leave them at the counter and pay for the rest.

An online merchant account will have a similar
"shopping cart" you can use while browsing for goods
online. You add the items to the shopping cart by
clicking on an "Add to Cart" button. Then you can
delete items from the cart if you want to.

As you proceed with your online shopping at the portal
the "shopping cart" software will automatically add up
the amount you have to pay, this way you can keep a
track of your budget.

When you are done, you must choose to pay for the
goods in the shopping cart. This is a payment link on
the portal that when clicked will take you to the
payment gateway.

This gateway will offer you many payment choices such
as, paying by credit card, online bank transfer, debit
card or some other online payment processor such as
PayPal etc.

When you choose one of these the online merchant
payment software will guide you through the entire
process and then returns you to the portal from where
you can download the goods you have bought or the
portal will issue you a receipt and mail the physical
goods to your address.