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Comparing the Free eCommerce Engines

How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Variety

As you all know there are several e-Commerce systems available on the Internet (OsCommerce, ZenCart and CreLoaded). For someone without an IT degree it can be way too hard to choose which one offers the best solutions for your e-Store.

Some of these will work better in some situations, some better in different situations. But it is difficult to test them all to find out the real differences between them. The thing that is most important in choosing the best one is just distinguishing them and their differences one from another.

This article is actually my own non-programmer’s experience in the choosing process. It could be called a report of my findings after several nights of studying other articles about e-Commerce solutions. Hopefully my study and experiences will help you to choose the best solution with much less work and expense.

OsCommerce

If you are not experienced with online stores that are based on a CMS system and you intend to start with something simple and convenient, then probably the OsCommerce engine is a good possibility for you. OsCommerce has a several standard and basic functions that are necessary for an online store. These are easy to manage and simple to use. The thing that is not very good about OsCommerce is that it doesn’t allow you to place any banner ads on your website - you can only place ads below the footer (which is not too good if you want exchange banners or advertise with others).

The default design provided by OsCommerce designers for free is not very sophisticated or attractive – which is why most users try to modify it in some way (either by themselves or by paying for a custom design). There are also companies on the Internet who offer readymade webpage templates for certain types of businesses. With a template you will get the design, complete several steps for installation and enter your list of products. This is the easiest way to start an e-Business. And OsCommerce is by far the most commonly used online store engine (even though it is simple and without many useful features).

ZenCart

If you need a flexible management interface and a more advanced instrument for online trade, then you should definitely think about the Zen Cart system. Like OsCommerce it has everything essential for running your online business. This engine will let you easily change its configuration via the admin panel. A built-in system of subpages allows you to easily add your info and images about the goods and services that you sell. There is also a set of Payment modules (more than in the OsCommerce engine) for processing with several of the most popular payment methods. ZenCart will also allow you to place as many banners as you wish if you want to partner or advertise – which could improve your website’s popularity and/or profitability.

While ZenCart design part is basically the same as in the OsCommerce system – so you may download the free ZenCart engine but once again it doesn’t look too attractive and you cannot guarantee much traffic or conversion rate (your e-Store’s visitors will not necessarily become your customers). And again it may be necessary to redesign or customize the default variant in some way (either by yourself or with the help of a professional design company).

CRELoaded

CRELoaded is the most advanced merchant system, and it has lots of tools for promoting your products. These tools may at first confuse you a bit at first, but they can provide you with everything you need in for any part of your business. CRELoaded has very many options for payment and shipping (much more than in OsCommerce and ZenCart). It has many options for affiliate systems, sales makers, subpages etc. The CRELoaded cart is stuffed with every possible function – making it easy to pursue the goals of any large online store.

CRELoaded is also the most comprehensive CMS for online trade, and it has the most popular modules with all functions fully implemented. On the other hand it is a little more difficult to manage because of all this variety of features – and not every online store may need them.

As for customizing, there will be fewer reasons with CRELoaded. Just as with any other e-Commerce engine there are several design options (using the default design, redesigning it yourself, or paying for someone’s services).

Conclusion

Internet today offers everything you may possibly imagine for your business. No matter what you sell the Internet can always help you. If it is a small business you may use an OsCommerce engine which would allow you to run your store without any significant problems. If you need more tools and options choose ZenCart technology, let’s consider this as the intermediate option - useful for medium size businesses. If you own a big business a lot of complex processing and you need lots of options - then a CRELoaded system would probably best suit your needs.

In other words there is something for you to choose from. All you have to do now is to figure out what your business really needs and to what extent each e-Commerce engine is suitable for you.

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

Hunter Edison is a CEO of a New York-based PoweredByZenCart.com, a powerful resource of ZenCart e-Commerce templates for any kind of business category. PoweredByZenCart.com is capable of giving you all you need to make your e-Business as successful as it can possibly be.

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