Cart of the Week: FatFreeCartPro by E-junkie

There are extra than 500 on-line buying carts. And every week we characteristic one, interviewing each the cart’s developer and a buyer. “Cart of the Week” just isn’t a evaluation or an analysis, however reasonably a possibility to find out about a buying cart from the individuals who construct it and use it.

This week, we’ll hear from Robin Kohli, founder and lead developer for E-junkie, the corporate behind FatFreeCartPro, a web-based buying cart. E-junkie is headquartered in New Delhi, India, with its help staff primarily based in Tucson, Ariz. In keeping with Kohli, there are roughly 9,000 retailers utilizing FatFreeCartPro, “In addition to a pair thousand different customers who’re within the trial interval or have free accounts on the standing of being non-profits.”

We’ll additionally hear from an E-junkie buyer, John T. Unger, an artist and designer primarily based in Mancelona, Mich. Unger makes use of E-junkie’s FatFreeCartPro to promote his paintings at John T. Unger Studio, processing roughly $188,000 annual gross income by means of the net cart.

Sensible eCommerce: Please present some basic background on the cart.

Robin Kohli

Robin Kohli: “E-junkie began as a easy script I’d written for myself to automate the supply of a software program I used to be promoting again in 2003. By 2004, it had develop into a service that could possibly be utilized by different sellers, too. On the time, it was just for supply of digital items and solely labored with PayPal.

“In 2006, we added help for Google Checkout, and we would have liked a cart that would help each checkout choices. We didn’t like the thought of opening a pop-up window, in order that’s after we created FatFreeCartPro, which was the primary cart to work contained in the retailers’ web sites. There have been three essential concerns:

• For retailers, the cart implementation needs to be no completely different than our ‘Purchase Now’ button implementation, i.e. ‘Copy-Paste.’
• For consumers, the checkout shouldn’t be greater than a click on away.
• It needs to be sturdy and versatile. Particularly, it ought to have the ability to deal with any platform (even IE 4), and work even when the customer doesn’t have JavaScript enabled, in order to not lose any gross sales in any respect.

“E-junkie didn’t begin with a grand imaginative and prescient. Like most innovations, it was created out of necessity and it’s what it’s now by always incorporating our retailers’ suggestions.”

ListenListen to Robin Kohli focus on the beginnings of E-junkie and the event of FatFreeCartPro.

PEC: Is it hosted, licensed, or each?

Kohli: “Hosted.”

PEC: How a lot does FatFreeCartPro price?

Kohli: “Plans begin at $5 monthly, after which go as much as $225 monthly, primarily based on the service provider’s catalog dimension. There aren’t any transaction charges or bandwidth limits for any of our plans.”

PEC: What’s your organization doing to develop into PCI compliant?

Kohli: “We’re PCI compliant. We use McAfee and ControlScan for routine audits.” [Editor’s Note: Neither FatFreeCartPro or E-junkie is currently named on Visa’s global list of PCI DSS validated service providers.]

PEC: What are the cart’s largest strengths?

Kohli: “FatFreeCartPro is simple to implement for retailers, and it’s straightforward to make use of for consumers.”

PEC: What are a few of its weaknesses?

Kohli: “Being a hosted cart, the person doesn’t have entry to the cart’s supply code. The first downside of that’s that customers can not add their very own checkout strategies and should depend on the checkout strategies we provide.”

PEC: What plans do you’ve gotten for future cart growth?

Kohli: “Among the many issues that I can share, crucial will probably be including help for computerized destination-based gross sales tax calculation and multi-language help.

“Nevertheless, the large change happening at E-junkie just isn’t technological however private. E-junkie know-how could possibly be reproduced by an skilled growth staff in 12 to18 months, nevertheless it’s the individuals who help that know-how that make our resolution stand out. Proper now, our focus is on getting extra like-minded folks concerned who can proceed listening to suggestions from hundreds of retailers, and proceed enhancing the product on the similar tempo as after we have been supporting only one service provider.”

PEC: How would your cart assist an ecommerce service provider, versus the cart she or he is utilizing now?

Kohli: “It will rely upon the customers’ enterprise necessities. Generally their necessities are too customized, and perhaps the cart they’re utilizing is certainly the most effective resolution for them. However, most often, the user-friendliness of our cart will increase conversion charges for the retailers.

“One benefit of utilizing E-Junkie’s FatFreeCartPro is that it has the extra functionality of promoting digital items (which most carts don’t). Additionally, the identical product may be offered utilizing the identical ‘Add to Cart’ button, which may be positioned wherever, from an internet site to a social community profile.”

PEC: Some other ideas for our readers, who’re primarily ecommerce retailers?

Kohli: “Hold it easy, and pay shut consideration to person suggestions.”

A Buyer’s View

John T. Unger is knowledgeable artist who makes use of FatFreeCartPro to promote his creations at John T. Unger Studio. “My main product is a line of artisan firebowls hand-cut from recycled metal,” stated Unger. “I additionally use E-junkie for commissions, wholesale, some one-of-a-kind items, and for promoting a digital journal I produce known as Artwork Heroes Evaluate.”

Unger supplies his feedback and opinions about FatFreeCartPro under.

PEC: How lengthy has your organization been utilizing FatFreeCartPro?

John T. Unger

John T. Unger: “I started utilizing the cart in July 2007. My main cause was that it was comparatively straightforward to combine with my TypePad-hosted website [a blogging service], and since the AJAX window for the buying cart can course of most transactions with out sending the customer off my website.”

PEC: What are the cart’s largest strengths?

Unger: “The very best characteristic is that when consumers click on the ‘Purchase Now’ button, the buying cart masses in an AJAX window inside your weblog. Patrons could make as many purchases as they want with out leaving the location.

“One other energy is that the cart is equally suited to digital downloads and bodily merchandise.”

PEC: How may the cart enhance?

Unger: “By including the flexibility to course of recurring funds or subscriptions. Additionally, I would like a non-Flash interface, particularly once I must edit a list through my iPhone.”

PEC: How would FatFreeCartPro enhance one other service provider’s enterprise?

Unger: “It supplies a easy, clear and purposeful cart interface. It’s easy to combine along with your website and simple for purchasers to grasp and use.”

PEC: Do you propose on persevering with to make use of the cart?

Unger: “Sure.”

PEC: Some other ideas for our readers in regards to the cart?

Unger: “My recommendation to retailers can be to make use of Authorize.Internet with E-junkie to course of bank cards immediately, reasonably than counting on PayPal or Google Checkout. After I arrange my service provider account, my gross sales jumped 500 % instantly, and have continued to develop.”

Different FatFreeCartPro Websites

• Bunk Mattress King
• Ban T-Shirts
• Stylish Knits
• Jonathon Coulton
• One Million Lights