Use this step by step guide to help you build your own online shopping cart
To get started, you must understand the types of solutions available for online
product catalog shopping carts and the options for each solution. Please review
my Solutions document for a high-level explanation
of the different types of solutions available in the marketplace and which ones
our company offers. Then, read the document below to assist you with all steps in
the process for setting up your e-commerce solution.
Decisions
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Step
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Description
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What is the best solution?
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The optimal solution depends on your needs. This guide assumes you have chosen to implement the XML Shopping Cart Solution using offsite PayPal integration.
Please review our Solutions page and our
System Requirements page to help you understand the features and requirements
for each system.
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5 Easy Steps
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STEP #1
Choose your domain, Internet Service Provider, and your web site design
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If you already have a web site that fulfills your business marketing goals, our
product cart can be customized to match your site's colors, logo, and footer information.
We have included instructions that will help you modify our preset default colors
yourself.
If you do not have a domain or current web site, you will need to purchase a domain name and
find a internet service provider to host your site. UIT recommends
Network Solutions for purchasing a domain
name and DiscountASP.Net for web site hosting.
If you would like to redesign your whole site or prefer a separate site for your
online catalog, you can select a predesigned web template to get you started. UIT
recommends using Theme Forest
Web Site Templates, a collection of modern professional web site templates
ready to use for any type of industry. For e-commerce sites specifically,
Theme Forest E-Commerce Templates can integrate any template you choose
with our shopping cart. Any integration work performed by UIT will require an evaluation
of the project and an estimate of proposed work.
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STEP #2
Purchase the Software
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Please review our Product Cart Pricing chart for a list of costs to purchase the
software. We have 3 options.
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STEP #3
Define you product catalog file and configure your web site
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Our shopping cart uses an XML file to define your product's price, description,
and product attributes.
Please review our Technical Documentation
on how to build and configure your product catalog price file and configure your online shopping cart.
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STEP #4
PayPal Account Setup
and Profile Settings
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There are several requirements at this step:
- Set up a PayPal Buiness Account. The
email address identified with this account will be used to integrate the XML Shopping Cart software
with PayPal Payment Solutions.
- Configure your PayPal Account Profile. The Account Profile
assists you in defining your Account, Financial, and Selling preferences relating to order confirmations, email notifications, taxes, shipping, etc. Spend some time reviewing all the options. You want
your customer to have the best checkout experience possible.
- For integrated USPS shipping, set up a USPS web tool integration account: USPS Web Tool Account
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STEP #5
Configure your cart software
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Follow the instructions closely in our Installation Guide to implement
and publish your new product cart software to the internet.
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UIT Support
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Successful publication
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The UIT Promise. We will assist you through the installation and testing of your new online product
catalog until a successful publication is achieved.
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Technical Documentation
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Please use our Technical Documentation to assist you in all phases of the product catalog setup.
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