BasicCart Shopping Cart

BasicCart is included with Gold, Platinum and Platinum Plus web hosting plans.

BasicCart is an easy-to-use shopping cart system that provides a secure environment for placing orders and collecting payment information.

BasicCart includes the following features:

• Supports multiple categories and products
• Allows customization of the storefront interface
• Automatically calculates tax and shipping costs
• Accepts orders by credit card and check
• Accepts alternate payment and shipping information

BasicCart does not provide:

• Automated (real-time) payment processing
• Product customization (colors, sizes, etc.)
• Inventory, up selling, or order fulfillment
• Customization of checkout pages (headers and footers only)
• Microsoft FrontPage integration

Those interested in features that BasicCart does not provide should consider Miva Merchant, a fully-featured storefront system included with Platinum and Platinum Plus hosting plans.

Before You Begin

Before you begin developing your storefront, it's a good idea to organize your products into relevant categories. You should also create a .gif or .jpeg image for your categories, and for each of your products.

Storefront Overview

Storefronts are created by selecting the "Shopping Cart" link from the "Hosting" area of your account control panel. The BasicCart system needs to be activated before you can start developing your storefront. This can be requested directly from the "Shopping Cart" page.

This page also provides access to detailed documentation. It is advisable to read through this before you start developing your first storefront.

Multiple storefronts are supported. You can add, change, and delete products and categories. You can also change the appearance, shipping and payment methods, and notification options for your storefronts.

All changes need to be applied before they affect your live storefront. You should always remember to click "Regenerate Storefront" following changes, otherwise your changes will be discarded.

Once created, your live storefront will be accessible via the following URL:

https://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-t/cart.cgi?cart={cartname}/

Viewing Your Orders

You can view orders by visiting the following URL:

https://www.yourdomain.com/cgi-t/cart.cgi?cart={cartname}/admin.html

Access to this area requires authentication. You will be prompted for the password you specified when you configured your storefront.

Functional Overview

Follow these simple steps to create and configure an new storefront:

• Create your storefront
• Add categories for your products
• Add your products
• Customize your storefront appearance
• Configure payment, shipping, and notification options

Remember to click "Regenerate Storefront" following changes, otherwise your changes will be discarded.

Create Your Storefront

1. Access the "Shopping Cart" page from the "Hosting" area of your account control panel. If this will be your first storefront, use the link provided to request activation of your shopping cart system.
2. Once activated, select the "BasicCart" link to access the storefront administration system. Enter a name for your new storefront and click "Create a New Storefront".
3. Select the "Main Menu" to start configuring your new storefront.

Add Categories for Your Products

To enable easy navigation of your storefront, products age grouped into categories. Each category also has its own identifying image, which is displayed in the main category listing, and in the product listing for that category.

1. Select "Product Categories" from the main menu and enter a name for your category.
2. As your storefront will be secure, any images used in your storefront pages should also be called securely. Enter the secure URL for the image to be used for this category (i.e. https://www.yourdomain.com/images/category1.gif), and click "Add Category".

Continue adding other categories and their related images as required.

Add Your Products

If you followed the instructions in the "Before You Begin" section of this guide, you should already have an idea of how your products will be categorized, and how your pages will be laid out. To ensure the appearance of your storefront remains consistent, product names and descriptions should be similarly worded, and your product codes should follow a logical pattern.

1. Select "Add a Product" from the main menu and enter the name for your product.
2. As your storefront will be secure, any images used in your storefront pages should also be called securely. Enter the secure URL for the image to be used for this product (i.e. https://www.yourdomain.com/images/product1.gif), complete the remaining fields, and and click "Make these Changes".

Continue adding other products and their related images as required.

Customize Your Storefront Appearance

You can easily customize your storefront appearance to match your site by providing your own headers, footers, colors, and images.

Simply select "Look and Feel" from the main menu, and configure the options as per your requirements.

You can provide separate headers and footers for the different sections of your storefront, including the main storefront page, product listings, cart, and checkout pages. You can also customize the entire thank you page, that is displayed when a visitor completes their order. You can also provide your own images for the buttons used throughout the store.

When you have finished, click "Regenerate Storefront" to apply your changes.

Configure Payment, Shipping and Notification Options

BasicCart enables you to specify available shipping methods, configure prices per pound, define a minimum a shipping price, and receive email notifications each time an order is placed.

To configure payment, shipping and notification options, select "Shipping" from the main menu. For products that are sold by item rather than weight, simply enter the item price into the "Price Per Pound" field, and enter "1" as the weight unit.

Select "Notification" from the main menu to configure notification options. This determines who receives email notification whenever an order is placed. You can also specify the message subject, as well as additional text to include in the message body.

The BasicCart shopping cart system, in conjunction with the secure server, enables you to obtain payment information, including credit card details, securely. It does not enable you to verify funds, process payments, or transfer money. Obtaining payments, either through a merchant account, or via a payment service provider, is entirely your responsibility.

Creating a Custom Storefront Interface (Advanced)

If you haven't created a storefront before, it would be best to create a standard storefront before following these instructions, as this will ensure you are familiar with the functionality of the system.

Create a new storefront as above, and add at least one category. Add your products as required, making sure you enter product names, codes, prices, weight, and whether tax should be applied. This information is required, and your shopping cart will not function correctly if any of these options are omitted.

The only options that need to be configured in the "Look and Feel" section are the cart, confirmation, and thank you pages. The remaining options, including images, are not relevant, as you will provide your own custom content.

Once you have finished, click "Regenerate Storefront" to apply your changes.

Now you can develop your own custom HTML pages for your storefront, only linking to the storefront system when users need to add items to their cart, view their order, or checkout. Your pages should link to the shopping cart system as follows:

Add item:
https://www.yourdomain.com/cart.cgi?item={item_code}&cart={cartid}

View order:
https://www.yourdomain.com/cart.cgi?viewcart=1&cart={cartid}

Checkout:
https://www.yourdomain.com/cart.cgi?checkout=1&cart={cartid}

Note: The {cartid} is the name you specified when you created your shopping cart.

Once your pages are ready, simply link to your custom storefront entry page, as opposed to the storefront system directly. You should also remember to update the "Continue Shopping URL" in the "Look and Feel" area, so this points back to your custom storefront entry page.