Zen cart: The Definitive Guide by Intellect Outsource

Online shopping has gained popularity in recent years. More than 26 million eCommerce sites are live throughout the world, and many new ones are being built every single day. To make online shopping a delightful experience, retailers and companies are investing in technology and the ecosystem. This has led to the growth of eCommerce store management services and systems. Zen cart is one such popular online store management system. Read along to learn what is Zen Cart and what its features are.

Zen Cart: What is it?

Zen Cart is, without a doubt, the most suitable online store management system for those who do not wish to spend a substantial amount of money in order to manage their online stores. With Zen Cart, you will be able to sell practically anything from your online store to your customers.

Maintaining your website with Zen does not require any specialized knowledge. To be able to do this, you do not need to be a developer, be familiar with HTML, or have any other kind of specialized knowledge. The development of this PHP-based shopping cart, which uses PHP scripting language, is comprised of both an HTML component as well as a MySQL database, which is connected to an HTML component. A wide variety of currencies and languages are supported by this program thanks to the GNU General Public License that it is released under.

Having an easy-to-navigate website will make it easier for your visitors to spend time on your site. There are a variety of sizes in which users will be able to view the images. Adding a product to one's shopping cart is a very simple process that only takes a few steps.

How to Get Started?

Zen Cart requires a MySQL database for installation, so please keep this in mind.

• Log in to your dashboard.
• You can access My Panel by clicking on the link below. In case you have more than one domain associated with your HostPapa account, click on the appropriate domain link and enter your cPanel password if necessary
• In the Software section, make sure that Softaculous Apps Installer is selected.
• If you click on the eCommerce section of the left-hand menu, you will be able to select Zen Cart as a shopping cart.
• Click Install to begin installation
• In order to proceed, you will need to configure the Software Setup once it has been completed.
• You will then be able to configure the Store Settings.

Zen Cart Pricing Plans

Zen Cart's price revision team observes and responds to changes in price details, specifications, and weights in the store, accurately and promptly without error. These plans depend on the following:

• Costs associated with Zen Cart hosting
• Zen Cart's security costs can be quite high
• Costs associated with Zen Cart Extensions
• Cost of Zen Cart Themes and Templates

Zen Cart Requirements

The Zen Cart requirements are as follows:

• Zen Cart runs on a Linux server and uses the standard "LAMP" stack: PHP, Apache, MySQL.
• Check for information about version compatibility. You should always use a PCI-compliant version of each of the software components, including the Zen Cart version that is compatible with the required software components.

Installation

You are now ready to install and unzip the Zen Cart distribution file onto your local computer. These files will need to be sent to your web server (for specific instructions, you will need to contact your web hosting provider). In addition, you will also have to create the correct server configuration files and set the permissions on your folders so that they can be viewed by those who need access to them.

Prior to installation, Zen Cart initiates a system inspection to ensure that your server meets the technical requirements.

Setup or Configuration

Here are a few basics of Zen cart setup that you must know:

• Installing an SSL certificate is the first step.
• The second step is to open an account with a payment processor
• The third step is to create a database
• The fourth step is to download the Zen Cart software
• The fifth step is to install the software
• The sixth step is to remove the zc_install directory.

Zen Cart features:

Multiple features and Zen Cart reviews have made it a very popular choice among sellers. Amongst many, here are a few features of Zen Cart:

• Easy to install and quick to set up
• Tens of thousands of products are supported by their support team
• The ability to manage products in a wide range of ways
• The Zen Cart Plugins Library offers multiple language packs
• Having the ability to support multiple currencies
• Sales, specials, and discounts are available in a wide range of categories
• There are a variety of payment, shipping, and tax options available
• The platform provides an integrated marketing and communications strategy
• The template system allows you to customize the appearance of your online store in a number of ways

Understand Zen Cart inventory management from the experts. Schedule a free call with us now!

Pros of Zen cart

The open-source movement

In addition to being available for free under the GPL2 license, Zen Cart is an open-source shopping platform. Users can fully customize the system according to their preferences and needs, and it only requires basic IT and web development skills. The community constantly develops and maintains Zen Cart. By default, the platform is not the most attractive shopping cart. However, with some coding and PHP knowledge, users can transform not only its appearance but also the entire front end.

Integrating seamlessly

There are a number of widely used payment gateways that Zen Cart can integrate with. After a website has been configured, users can begin accepting payments immediately. Besides built-in integrations, custom modules are also possible. You can build your own payment module or use one contributed by the community. Almost any hosting company can run the platform.

Video training

Zen Cart offers video-based training for those wanting to learn more about the software. A presenter or trainer provides an overview of the software and eCommerce in general.

Cons of Zen cart

• The appearance of Zen Cart's website is not visually appealing. As soon as the software is installed, it lacks aesthetic appeal. Zen Cart can be customized to match your website's custom design or to give it its own distinctive look.
• Reports track viewable products, purchases, and orders. This feature could be improved to provide more specific product sales and profit information.
• Zen Cart eCommerce solutions are most challenging to upgrade or add extensions. It takes time to make modifications, and sometimes you have to start from scratch. Every upgrade and add-on costs money.

Is it easy to use Zen cart?

In addition to providing reliable service within its scope, Zen Cart provides clear instructions on how to start, develop, upgrade and customize your eCommerce store. It also has an interactive community forum that can help you learn and grow. However, all of it demands your focus and time.

Intellect Outsource uses its highly skilled and specialized team to ensure Zen Cart is done in the right way and to a high standard that is unparalleled. Regardless of the size of your eCommerce business, Intellect Outsource is confident that it will provide you with maximum uplift in your eCommerce business and exceed your expectations. It is only necessary for you to provide a list of SKUs and brands to Intellect Outsource, and the rest will be handled by Intellect Outsource as your administrator.

Product Performance

There is content available online that can help you understand the best practices for performance. Just like any other website, your eCommerce business needs proper SEO. Visibility is the key to receiving good leads and conversions. Proper product listing, descriptions, optimised images and reviews are just a few parameters to mention. Intellect Outsource's Zen Cart reviews team draws the attention of potential customers to your product by presenting the pros and cons of your product in an engaging manner. This is done in order to glorify your product.

Modules for the processing of payments

The payment module allows you to collect or arrange payment for an order.

The Zen Cart pricing options include

• It is possible to use AIM through Authorize.net.
• Payment can be made by check or money order
• Payments can be made in person or by COD
• PayPal is the built-in module that processes payments
• There are many other payment modules that you can use per your convenience and customer preference
• It is ideal to understand relevant modes of payment and currency depending on the demographics and geographies where you deliver your services or products

Zen cart Security

Online stores need a strategy and security measures in place to stay from Zen Cart vulnerabilities. Keeping your libraries up to date, checking your PHP version, accessing your server regularly and updating your Zen cart are a few good practices for ensuring the security of your online store. Here are a few Zen Cart security patches for 1.5.x+:

• 1.5.7/1.5.7a patch (November 2020)
• Patch notification (July 2019)
• Patch for PHPMailer (December 2016)
• (12 May 2016) Patches for Admin Privilege Escalation
• Patches for Trustwave (March 2016)
• Patches for the High-Tech Bridge (November 2015)
• Patch for Curesec (September 2015)
• Patches for POODLE (Oct 2014)

Zen cart Hosting

Hosting is a very crucial part of your online performance. A minor delay in loading can cause exponential bounce rates and ultimately lead to business loss. Flawless hosting is a basic necessity.

Zen cart Plugins

Plugins make life easier. From showing your product videos to the visitor to auto-update on Facebook, plugins automate tasks that eventually increase your sales and reduce your workload. There are numerous plugins available for various purposes. Zen Cart encourages plugin developers to submit their work to the Plugins section.

Zen cart inventory management

You will be able to communicate accurately with your customers about the availability and quantity of your products with the help of our Zen cart inventory team. The primary function of the back office staff is to maintain the inventory details and update the inventory system with reference to the changes made by manufacturers.

Zen cart Product Management

Zen Cart offers several options for displaying newly added products. Optimising your product listing is the key to a successful eCommerce business:

• The built-in New Products Page can be configured under Configuration > New Listing.
• You can add, edit, delete and perform multiple actions at a time
• You can create and manage Categories, Products, and Attributes

Outsource your Zen Cart inventory management to the experts. Schedule a free demo today!

Zen cart templates

Due to the ease with which any individual can create a Zen Cart template, there are hundreds of templates available for all types of industries - as long as you take the time necessary to locate them. Unfortunately, the quality of Zen Cart themes varies just as much as their design, with many themes containing errors or other issues. It is also necessary to update themes to work with the most recent version of Zen Cart. This is essential in order to ensure compatibility. If your favorite Zen Cart theme is not updated by its designer, you will have to choose another theme or hire a developer to do so.

Zen cart support service

Zen Cart support is a self-help approach assisted with the information available on the official forum. It is not really an interactive process where your questions will receive direct answers.

Intellect Outsource Zen Cart support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In order to achieve a successful and satisfying outcome, we strive to perform at our best at all times. We will provide you with a sample project so that you can gain an understanding of our capabilities for handling Zen cart projects.

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