Cart of the Week: EC Specific by Mercantec
Sensible eCommerce counts over 300 completely different buying cart methods. On this ongoing “Cart of the Week” characteristic, we profile a particular cart, asking the cart’s house owners and customers about its strengths and weaknesses.
Right here we profile EC Specific by Mercantec, a Naperville, IL firm that first started providing ecommerce options in 1995. Launched in 2006, EC Specific is a free, hosted cart created with new ecommerce retailers in thoughts. We requested CEO and co-founder, Invoice Tait, to clarify the advantages of EC Specific. We then requested Beth Dell, a supervisor of a non-profit theatre at present utilizing the cart for ticket gross sales and program registration, for her views on the cart.
PeC: Please present some basic background on the cart.
Tait: “EC Specific is an on-demand ecommerce system. It makes use of the software program as a service [SaaS] supply mannequin, so there isn’t any software program to obtain or set up. This method permits Mercantec to roll out frequent updates with out our prospects needing to do something.”
“There are two implementation choices. The primary are Snippets [widgets] that carry out the key buying cart capabilities, reminiscent of “Add To Cart” and “View Cart.” These are code snippets that may be copied and pasted into internet pages, blogs, emails, MySpace, Fb, and different websites. This lets retailers drive gross sales from many sources, but nonetheless have a single admin interface and order supervisor.”
“The opposite implementation possibility is On the spot Storefront, a easy, hosted storefront that may be created in a single click on. Mercantec gives prospects with a alternative of domains to make use of, so a service provider can create an On the spot Storefront reminiscent of Customername.safestorefront.com.”
Greater than 12,000 EC Specific vendor accounts have been created during the last two years.
PeC: What are the cart’s largest strengths?
Tait: “We created EC Specific based mostly on the assumption that there have been loads of complicated, superior buying cart methods however not many easy methods that might enable mere mortals to get began rapidly and simply. Based mostly on that premise, EC Specific was developed to be accessible to non-technical DIY-ers.”
“EC Specific is obtainable as a very free service. It provides direct bank card processing for Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, and Uncover, in addition to the main different fee and checkout choices, together with Google Checkout, PayPal Specific, TrialPay, Checkout by Amazon, eLayaway, and others.”
“EC Specific vastly simplifies the PCI [payment card industry] compliance course of as a result of it’s designed to just accept funds whereas by no means storing, transmitting or processing cardholder information. It’s foolproof and can’t be incorrectly configured.”
“As soon as the storefront is constructed, we assist retailers deal with making gross sales by incorporating automated feeds to main marketplaces, together with Google Product Search and eBay. And, whether or not utilizing Snippets or On the spot Storefronts, EC Specific websites are very search engine pleasant.”
PeC: What are a few of its weaknesses?
Tait: “EC Specific lacks some superior options, reminiscent of stock management or digital obtain. Nonetheless, that’s largely due to our deal with simplicity and ease of use.”
PeC: What plans to you’ve for future cart improvement?
Tait: “One in all our future improvement plans is to supply non-obligatory premium tiers with extra superior options, whereas persevering with to supply a free degree of service.”
PeC: How particularly would utilizing EC Specific enhance a service provider’s enterprise?
Tait: “EC Specific gives retailers with a easy strategy to promote on-line with none studying curve. It additionally helps non-traditional sellers leverage the Web for commerce.”
PeC: Some other ideas for our readers?
Tait: “Mercantec launched the primary business buying cart system, SoftCart, in 1995. We helped most of the earliest on-line retailers to promote on-line and finally deployed over 50,000 retailers with SoftCart. After we started creating our subsequent era platform in 2006, we took over a decade of Web retail expertise and utilized it to EC Specific.”
The View of a Buyer
Beth Dell, managing director for the Beowulf Alley Theatre Firm in Tucson, AZ, provides her ideas on the cart.
PeC: What are EC Specific’s largest strengths?
Dell: “The benefit of arrange and of integration to our web site, a number of clearing homes, transactions from a number of sources multi functional place, and simple obtain for information assortment and monetary reporting. It’s free, safe and has glorious assist. They cost for a module that permits you to obtain reviews. We functioned fairly properly for over a yr with out utilizing the obtain functionality, and it is extremely fairly priced. I’ve been actually happy with this group.”
“Earlier than this, I had no ecommerce expertise in any respect. It was very easy for me to be taught and to indicate the volunteers who workers our field workplace. It’s a very good newbie cart. It’s important to use each out there useful resource, particularly while you’re in a nonprofit group with such restricted sources.”
PeC: What are some issues it might enhance?
Dell: “Establishing most stock amount per merchandise. In our theatre, we solely have a most variety of seats out there for every night time of a efficiency. The cart doesn’t set a purchase order restrict. so I monitor gross sales on-line and get notices by e mail to verify we don’t oversell. I don’t see that as a unfavorable or a significant inconvenience, simply as a rising alternative.”
PeC: How particularly would utilizing EC Specific enhance a service provider’s enterprise?
Dell: “EC Specific permits prospects flexibility to make purchases via numerous buying providers, reduces the necessity for labor via ease and pace of on-line buying, and gives reviews for all on-line buying in a single place.”
PeC: Do you propose to proceed utilizing EC Specific? Why or why not?
Dell: “Completely. We’ve such a progress functionality at our theatre, however I can see this persevering with on for a few years with out us outgrowing it. We’re doing lots of academic applications, and we discover the cart works simply as conveniently for program registrations. It takes me quarter-hour to take a phone registration, however with prospects registering on-line, I can use my time extra productively.”
PeC: Some other ideas on buying carts for our readers?
Dell: “Retailers needs to be in search of clear written directions in a cart’s assist base on-line, good web site search and solutions to their emails. Whenever you’re not so technologically sound, you want somebody who will perceive.”
“EC Specific has confirmed to be an efficient device for our small theatre, not solely to extend ticket buying capabilities but in addition to scale back or get rid of the quantity of telephone time per buyer. I see them as being a useful associate and useful resource.”
Different Retailers Utilizing EC Specific Cart
- Lengthy Island Candle Manufacturing unit
- One Village Espresso
- The Futurists
