Online stores are not created equal. As I've built stores for more than 18 clients I find that each one has particular needs. You need to find the right shopping cart or "store building program" for your particular application.

If you ask your average site designer he or she may lead you to the program they're most familiar with, but will it meet your needs?

We've linked to all the online reviews we can find for each of the leading, and some of the relatively unknown programs -- more than 150 programs in all. Among these hundreds of reviews you'll learn the strengths and weaknesses of many programs. You'll find a special section on our site for reviews about the following better known companies that develop store software.

In addition to the linked reviews, you'll find the following my articles that will guide you in your decision:

• "How Does Store-Building Software Work?" Describes the basic operations of shopping cart or store-building software products. Some guidance as to selection features you need to look for.
• "Store-Building Software Evaluation Guide." A paper-based form you can print out and make copies of to take notes on as you look at various store software options.
• "What I Look for in Store-Building Software." Guidelines for selecting a shopping cart program. Tips on selection criteria, warnings about future support, etc.
• "From Print Catalog to Web Catalog." A key problem for those with existing print catalogs is developing a database that becomes the updated product information source for both print and web catalogs. Looks at the obstacles and some of the (partial) solutions for companies using Quark orAdobe PageMaker.

As you can see, your $49.95 subscription to Web Commerce Today will save you lots of time in making your selection. Just having all the reviews linked to one location saves hours of fruitless searching. Please subscribe today, so you can get on with this important decision.

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