Yahoo Merchant is an excellent option if you are looking for eCommerce software with the basic features and tools you need to set up and manage your own eCommerce website. This eCommerce solution offers a variety of website design tools, shopping cart features, management controls and marketing options. It offers just the basic marketing tools, which lowers its ranking on our lineup, but it still provides the options you need to quickly begin establishing your own online business.

When it comes to designing and creating an attractive yet professional website, Yahoo Merchant offers several features and tools to help you along the way. A website builder will walk you through each step of the design process so you can rest assured that every critical step is complete. There are more than 380 design templates you can choose from if you are not familiar with website programming or don't have any website design experience. There are several customization tools to ensure that even if you use a template, you can make the website still look like your own.

You can add up to 50,000 products to your store's inventory. Once again, a wizard will help walk you through the upload process, and you have full customization abilities so that you can add variants such as different colors, sizes, customized SKU numbers and more. There is an order-tracking feature available that allows you to track all orders, exchanges, returns and other purchasing activity. However, this tracking feature is only available on the higher-priced plans.

We are disappointed in the lack of several administrative features. Yahoo Merchant does not integrate with QuickBooks. Also, there is no mobile access application, which would allow individuals on the go to access your storefront and give you the ability to work while you're away from your computer.

There are several payment options available using Yahoo Merchant. This shopping cart eCommerce solution will accept credit cards, checks, money orders and PayPal payments. It accepts in-house credit card processing, which is a large advantage to using this eCommerce software. Additionally, there are automatic tax and shipping calculators to make the checkout process a smooth, enjoyable process for your customers.

Yahoo eCommerce software provides you with a secure https server (SSL) with 128-bit encryption for customer transactions. It also requires customers to enter in the CVV2 value from the back of their credit cards, which helps ensure that the customers have the actual card and not just the number and expiration date. The credit card processing company you select will provide you with more fraud-protection tools.

There are a few marketing tools available using this application to help increase traffic to your eCommerce website. An affiliate program is available, along with the ability to create coupons and discounts, and gift-wrapping capabilities. There are search engine marketing tools, along with search engine optimization features to help your store rank higher in the search engine results. Also, the social media sharing tools allow you to share product pages and more on social networks.

Unfortunately, even with all that this ecommerce solution offers, there are a few tools it lacks. There is no loyalty program available, and you can’t create daily deals. Also, your customers can’t compare your products side by side one another.

Yahoo Merchant also offers several customer support options if you run into problems using this application. There is a knowledgebase with information about all aspects of this software and your eCommerce website. There is also telephone and live chat support if you have any questions that need to be answered by a support representative.