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Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet.

Understanding the new possibilities for software - and what principles are applied in creating it - is the foundation for understanding the future of eCommerce. It is also the foundation for taking advantage of eCommerce 2.0 principles and the new trends they drive. The Six Principles of eCommerce 2.0 Just as Web 2.0 is altering the software development landscape; the principles of eCommerce 2.0 will define how eTailers do business online. Below is an introduction to the Six Principles of eCommerce 2.0.

1. Be Seen and Be Shopped - Customer expectations for how and when they buy products have changed substantially over the past few years. With eCommerce 2.0, this has been expanded and refined to include various online channels.
2. Target Niche Markets - The Long Tail - eTailers who can connect with niche markets and provide a better online experience are capitalizing on new-found revenue.
3. Customers Rule – Build a Community of Raving Fans - The content buyers create through forums such as product reviews, blogs, and social networks influences other buyers as much or more than any promotion eTailers create.
4. Make It Fun to Shop and Easy to Buy - The best of these shopping tools takes into account that buyers want to be entertained and pleased. Buyers also - just as in the brick-and-mortar world - do not like long checkout processes.
5. Mash-ups – Integrate and Collaborate - Integration is nothing new, but what is new is how dynamically these integrations need to be initiated, modified, and used. The eCommerce 2.0 environment is built upon many interrelated systems and processes that require information to be exchanged dynamically.
6. Data is King – Collect a Wealth of Opportunities - eCommerce 2.0 is about collecting and managing data from all online channels to enable better business decisions.

AgoraCart

AgoraCart - The powerful "Free" Open Source ecommerce shopping cart software solution that offers a very wide range of "out-of-the-box" features that allow you to setup an online ecommerce solution ranging from a simple template based store to the integration of a complex visual design concept containing all the creative magic of your web designer.

Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software with limitless flexibility in many areas including full design controls through Cascading Style Sheets (css), template systems, customizable layouts, custom individual product category layouts and templates, customization of nearly all cart features for the code hobbyist, modular "drop in and go" code as well as AgoraScript, our own scripting language inside parsed HTML pages, that experienced programmers can appreciate.

AgoraCart can be used by virtually anyone, from a novice and beginner to an experienced web designer or programmer.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Linux based.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.agoracart.com

Freeway

Freeway is an advanced Open Source eCommerce platform which can sell using methods only previously available in enterprise class or niche bespoke systems. Without having to purchase a commercial system and then paying a developer to build a custom installation, Freeway does what you need out of the box.

Freeway is great for selling products but it also sells events AND services AND subscriptions. From appointments and time based bookings to event ticketing and subscriptions Freeway is the eCommerce platform for how we want to sell.

Freeway doesn't just sell products but extends to sell in some very fancy new ways and is very configurable. For example, you can just sell products if you are not interested in the other selling methods.

You will find Freeway has very strong CRM features as well as a useful and simple CMS as well.

Freeway is the continuation of osCommRes and is based on osCommerce.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.openfreeway.org

Interchange

Interchange is an Open Source commerce server and application server/component application, written in the Perl programming language. Interchanges are one of the most powerful tools available to automate and database-enable your website or build online applications.

At its core, Interchange is a flexible and high performance application server that handles state management, authentication, session maintenance, click trails, filtering, URL encoding, security policy, and much more.

Interchange is well suited for a variety of purposes, and has been set up to perform sales, order processing, content management, customer service, reporting and analysis, personalization, traditional retail sales, digital goods delivery, B2B parts re-ordering, non-commerce content management, auctions, order status checking, supply chain management, project management, online collaboration, and even an MP3 Jukebox.

Interchange is also geared towards security. With the thousands of Interchange catalogs out there, we know of no huge security incidents. Some of notable features are SQL-injection protection, configurable "secure" (HTTPS) pages, good credit card information handling policies, GPG/PGP support, cross-site scripting protections, configurable non-searchable databases, multiple database DSNs and system-defined filters for user input validation.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.icdevgroup.org/i/dev/index

osCommerce

osCommerce (for "Open Source Commerce") is an Open Source based online shop ecommerce solution that is available for free under the GNU General Public License. It features a rich set of out-of-the-box online shopping cart functionality that allows store owners to setup, run, and maintain their online stores with minimum effort and with no costs, fees, or limitations involved.

osCommerce has attracted a large growing ecommerce community that consists of over 191,100 store owners and developers who support each other and extend osCommerce Online Merchant with add-ons being contributed on a daily basis. To date there are over 5,000 add-ons that are available for free to customize osCommerce Online Merchant online stores and to help increase sales.

With over 8 years of operation, osCommerce has built a showcase of over 14,000 online shops that have been voluntarily added to the live shops section, and powers many thousands of more online shops worldwide.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.oscommerce.com http://www.oscommerce.info

Zen Cart™

Zen Cart™ truly is the art of ecommerce; free, user-friendly, open source shopping cart software. The ecommerce web site design program is being developed by group of like-minded shop owners, programmers, designers, and consultants that think ecommerce web design could be and should be done differently.

Some shopping cart solutions seem to be complicated programming exercises instead of responding to users' needs, Zen Cart™ puts the merchants and shoppers requirements first. Similarly, other shopping cart software programs are nearly impossible to install and use without an IT degree, Zen Cart™ can be installed and set-up by anyone with the most basic web site building and computer skills.

There is hundreds of shopping cart programs available, but none come close to offering the level of options, features and support available with Zen Cart™. Even the commercial programs have a hard time competing.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.zen-cart.com

VirtueMart

VirtueMart is the leading Online-Shop solution for Joomla! & Mambo (more than 1.5 Million downloads so far).

VirtueMart is no stand-alone script, but a Plug-in and requires the Content Management System Joomla! (or Mambo). So you must install Joomla first, then VirtueMart. The easiest way is to install the Joomla! eCommerce Edition: a ready-steady-go bundle of Joomla! & a pre-installed VirtueMart. A lot of translations are available: addtional language files can be found in the Language Pack.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://virtuemart.net

PHP Point Of Sale (POS)

PHP Point Of Sale (POS) is a web based point of sale system designed to help small businesses with keeping track of customers, items, and sales. This program works great for businesses that use cash, check, or account numbers for their sales.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Platform Independent.
Available Languages: English, French, Spanish.
http://www.phppointofsale.com

Digistore

Digistore Ecommerce is a fully featured open source ecommerce solution based on the popular osCommerce engine. Boasting improvements both to the administration and the end user experience - Digistore has quickly become a popular choice for people wishing to market products online.

Whether you are an established online retailer, or a new business venture, Digistore provides the foundation for successful online marketing. Pre-configured for New Zealand conditions, Digistore allows users to be live and selling only minutes after installation is complete.

Digistore is a full content management system that requires no HTML or programming knowledge to operate.

We have not tested Digistore yet but will do it in a near future. Digistore require a license code to be downloaded.

Development Status: Production/Stable.
License: GNU General Public License (GPL).
Operating System: Cross Platform.
Available Languages: English.
http://www.digistore.co.nz

The base of this text is researched from different sources. The facts that are presented are checked and double-checked to be as correct and accurate as possible. However, Success Webmasters makes no representations or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of the information.