Over the years we've tried and tested many different types of shopping cart software (in particular free shopping cart software) and we have found CubeCart™ to be the one with the most quality features whilst still being easy to use for the store owner. And best of all it's FREE*!
If you visit the CubeCart website - www.CubeCart.com - you can download the cubecart software within minutes and once it's installed you can immediately add products, set up shipping charges, tax etc. and of course add new skin designs from www.cubecartskinshop.com!
(* Applies to CubeCart version 3, not version 4 which has been released more recently) |
> Mysql
CubeCart requires 1 mysql database which should either already be available to you from your web host or can be purchased as part of your web hosting package. If you have not used mysql databases before this can seem daunting at first but once you are all set up with CubeCart you will see how easy it is to configure your database to work with your website.
An important thing to remember is to make frequent backups of the database onto your computer (using either phpmyadmin, which may be available from the control panel of your web hosting account, or a similar program). Then, if anything does happen to go wrong (although we've not yet had any mysql problems in the years we've been using them!) you have a complete backup of all your data which will include all of your product information, order information and customer information etc. from your CubeCart store.
These database backups can also be useful for creating spreadsheets and databases of your website information like product lists or customer databases. Obviously, if you dont have experience with phpMyAdmin, databases, spreadsheets and CSV files it is wise to read up on how to do this. The best places to check are the official CubeCart forum at forums.cubecart.com or the unofficial CubeCart forum at www.cubecartforums.org.
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> Images
When using a CubeCart skin that has an image based category layout instead of standard row with text, it can it can help to make your store look tidier by making all of your product images square. This way the text underneath each image will be inline. |
> Mods
Mods is short for 'modifications'. You may want to tweak your CubeCart store so it is more attuned to your needs. Many of the things you would like to change are likely to have been thought of by someone else before. Search over at www.cubecartforums.org or put the words 'cubecart mods' (you can also try adding a short description of whatever sort of mod you are looking for) into a search engine and you are sure to find a free solution or commercial mod available.
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