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An electronic storefront is an e-commerce solution for merchants who want to host a website that advertises their products or services and for which consumer transactions are generated online. Various software applications are available to merchants, which range from electronic shopping carts to secure payment gateways. Merchants that lack e-commerce technical skills find that storefront vendors are especially helpful when starting out or maintaining their online stores.
Another name for an electronic storefront is an online storefront.
Techopedia Explains Electronic Storefront
Product display, online ordering software, inventory management applications, billing and online payment system, and payment processing software may all be included in an electronic storefront. Web analytics and secure socket layer (SSL) security are crucial aspects as well.A shopping cart interface is a key feature in most online storefronts; this interface operates in conjunction with customer check-out software. Some electronic storefronts include analytic interfaces for the purpose of growing online businesses as well as predictive analytics to anticipate future shopping trends.If a merchant needs it, websites can be custom designed, and technical support may be provided.
When obtaining a storefront account, users typically pay a one-time setup fee and then pay either annual or monthly fees. The fees might be relative to the number of product listings, which are typically predetermined.
The downside to hiring an electronic storefront service provider is that the merchant may have limited payment gateway options. In addition, websites that have higher-than-expected traffic may need to pay more hosting fees than they originally expected.
