Ecommerce Solutions
History of Ecommerce Software

In the early days of ecommerce software, accepting credit cards online could be a difficult and even a dangerous operation.

If one even had the expertise to build shopping cart software using some type of CGI program, there was still the problem of connecting it to credit card processing services. Even worse was the problem of providing secure transactions to customers.

Then came companies like VeriSign and Thawte that offered the needed tools and accessories for providing secure credit card transactions. But, just the price of providing security was enough of a burden to keep many companies out of the internet business loop.

Potential merchants were required to buy merchant accounts or online bank accounts. They also needed digital certificates to be used in encrypting their data.

The cost of ecommerce solutions and software for developing a catalog type store was enormous, exceeding $10,000. And on top of everything else the merchant had to purchase web hosting at a monthly fee. Most software providers charged extra for setting up a website for SSL.

In recent years several companies have developed shopping carts that are included in many web hosting and website building packages. Most of these shopping carts have been developed to be integrated with PayPal. This is a free service that has allowed many companies to enter the online store market. The only problem with PayPal is that both the merchant and the customer have to be PayPal members before it will work.

Using this method also requires the merchant to have programming knowledge to integrate with the payment gateway.

Now there's Ecommerce Total Package which makes accepting credit cards on the internet a simple 8 step process. And it's only $34.95 a month.