Cart of the Week: Flying Cart

At Sensible eCommerce, we’re conscious of greater than 350 on-line procuring carts. And every week we characteristic one, interviewing each the cart’s developer or administration and a buyer. “Cart of the Week” will not be a assessment or an analysis, however reasonably a possibility to find out about a procuring cart from the individuals who constructed it and use it.

This week, we’ll hear from Margo Baxter, founder and CTO of Flying Cart, a hosted procuring cart with places of work in Austin, Texas and Chicago, Ailing. The corporate has roughly 6,500 shops utilizing its cart software program. We’ll additionally hear the views of Sandra Miller, the proprietor of Graffiti Jewellery, a Flying Cart buyer.

PeC: How a lot does the cart price?

Margo Baxter

Baxter: “[The Standard plan is $14.99 a month and includes up to 50 products; the Pro version is $29.99 a month and includes up to 250 products as well as inventory management and the ability to send newsletters; the Super plan is $59.99 a month and includes up to 1000 products and all the features of the Pro version.] Advertising and marketing instruments and bank card processing are included. We even have a free plan with restricted options so folks can attempt it out. We don’t cost transaction charges.”

PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?

Baxter: “Flying Cart makes it very easy to arrange a retailer. You don’t need to have any particular technical data and might be prepared for gross sales in lower than 5 minutes. We automate as a lot of the net advertising as we will and we offer a number of details about advertising on our weblog. For instance, retailers can submit their merchandise to Google Product Search with one click on. We additionally supply social networking options so shops can join with each other to share prospects. Our customer support is quick and extra customized than every other service as a result of we wish to do every little thing we will to assist every enterprise succeed.”

PeC: What are a few of its weaknesses?

Baxter: “Our strategy is simplicity and to automate advertising. We don’t have all of the options you’ll find in costly ecommerce options as a result of we deal with merely promoting merchandise.”

PeC: What plans do you may have for future cart growth?

Baxter: “We wish to take our advertising instruments one step additional to make it straightforward to promote merchandise on-line. We’re at the moment engaged on integrating Google AdWords into our system.”

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

Baxter: “Our cart is sweet for small to medium measurement retailers that desire a easy resolution and don’t want all of the bells and whistles of extra sophisticated gross sales methods. We assist folks begin a enterprise step-by-step. Getting the procuring cart is an efficient begin however should you don’t know find out how to market your self, it’s laborious to get gross sales. We deal with that.”

PeC: Every other ideas for our readers, who’re ecommerce retailers?

Baxter: “Focus, focus, deal with promoting your product first. Don’t fear in regards to the retailer design or options that you just suppose you may want sooner or later. Simply get that first sale and go from there.”

A Buyer’s View

Sandra Miller is a Portland, Ore. artist and a Flying Cart buyer. She makes use of the cart on her web site, Graffiti Jewellery. Right here, Miller presents her opinions and feedback in regards to the cart.

PeC: What does your organization promote through the cart?

Sandra Miller

Miller: “Artisan glass jewellery, glass decor, pictures, and giclee prints.”

PeC: What’s your retailer’s approximate whole annual income?

Miller: “It varies from between $5,000-50,000 per 12 months.”

PeC: How lengthy have you ever been utilizing Flying Cart?

Miller: “Two years.”

PeC: What are the cart’s greatest strengths?

Miller: “Each my prospects and myself benefit from the straightforward interface and navigation. It’s clear and enticing and really customizable which is necessary to me. New choices are continuously being added by the event crew.”

“I additionally love the group side to Flying Cart and the distinctive weblog posts that educate Flying Cart retailers on find out how to construct their companies. We’re by no means not noted of the loop.”

PeC: How might the cart enhance?

Miller: “There aren’t many issues I might change in regards to the cart apart from I might like to see an choice for creating pages to elaborate on every product class. As an artist, I really feel the shopper wants extra particular details about every group of things than the ‘about me’ web page can present. I’ve been in a position to work round that with pop-up hyperlinks, however I would really like an entry web page choice included into the positioning.”

PeC: How would Flying Cart enhance one other service provider’s enterprise?

Miller: “The unbelievable ease of organising store, filling the shop, and managing the merchandise is what units Flying Cart other than the opposite ecommerce websites I’ve used. I’ve given dozens of paid and free websites a good attempt, and even developed my very own web site from the bottom up. As an artist, I spent extra time studying HTML than I did creating my product. Now that I’m with Flying Cart I really feel like an artist once more. I used to be shocked at how a lot time I freed up. [The Flying Cart team] reply to questions inside the day, and they’re so extremely useful, in addition to exhibiting a deep curiosity within the opinions and ideas of their shoppers.”

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

Miller: “Oh, sure. I really like my storefront. Don’t anybody take away my Flying Cart!”

PeC: Every other ideas for our readers regarding Flying Cart?

Miller: “That is really a group of storeowners working in tandem with the builders. I’m very proud to be part of this distinctive strategy to promoting on-line. From the second I signed up, I’ve stated this web site and the folks working it are a breath of contemporary air.”

Different Flying Cart Shops

• Rodriguez High quality Artwork
• Sassy Couture
• The Good Envelope Occasion
• Shamrock Rose Treasures
• The FashionBus