# Does shopping cart software dictate your website?



## vajoaquin (Oct 8, 2009)

I've been designing my website using CoffeeCup software and have entered the phase where I have to incorporate some type of shopping cart software but am getting lost on which one to use because there are so many to choose from and it can get confusing with all of the designing jargon.

My biggest fear is that the shopping cart software will now dictate how my website will have to look (which I feverishly worked on). 

I visit the websites of the available shopping carts and see their example web pages and I don't want the "Best Buy" look.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Compact-Cameras/Standard-Digital-Cameras/abcat0401004.c?id=abcat0401004

I want the shopping cart to be consistent with the website I have already designed in terms of look and navigation. Is this possible? Do I have it all wrong? Any suggestions on which software to use? 

Thanks!


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## splathead (Dec 4, 2005)

Some carts allow themselves to conform to your template, other don't. I know cubecart does. I can't speak for the others. Which cart did you have in mind to use.


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## Tricia1612 (Aug 3, 2009)

Hi,

I think some shopping cart allows you to customize the code , so you can adjust the look with your exisiting website. 

I checked mals-e quite good to use, others might be bigcommerce.com or shopify.com


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> I want the shopping cart to be consistent with the website I have already designed in terms of look and navigation. Is this possible? Do I have it all wrong? Any suggestions on which software to use?


Almost every shopping cart software out there allows you to customize the shopping cart to look exactly like whatever you already have designed.

Some make the process easier than others (depending on your level of technical knowledge)

As Joe mentioned, I know CubeCart is one that has a template system that is separate from the php code, so if you know how to edit HTML, you should be able to make the shopping cart look however you like.


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