Setting up an e-commerce OpenCart system
Your Virtual Store
© Lead Image © Helder Almeida, 123rf.com
With OpenCart, a free, open source e-commerce system, you can put a store online in a matter of minutes.
If you have a brick and mortar store, it makes sense to expand your business and build some presence on the Internet, today's biggest marketplace.
Merchants have many options when it comes to selling their wares online. A popular option is to sell your products on a third-party platform, like Amazon or eBay. Another alternative is to use specialized hosting, which also involves a third party that sets up an e-commerce instance for you and maintains it for a monthly fee.
If you don't want to be dependent on a service provider, hosting your own e-commerce site might be an attractive option. Hosting your own site has the advantage of not binding you to a hosting provider. If your website is in a data center and they change their terms and conditions, you can migrate it somewhere else. If there is a feature you need, you can include it yourself – as long as you have the foresight to use a free and open source (FOSS) e-commerce system.
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