Integrated shopping cart functionality is provided on a first website so
that products/services from different affiliated websites can be
integrated into the shopping cart at the first website and the e-commerce
functionality of the first website can be utilized to purchase the
selected products/services. A framework for integrating this
functionality enables the first website to integrate with affiliated
websites so that an increased number of users may access the first
website since the proprietor of the first website may offer various
products/services from a multitude of different affiliated websites, for
example by providing URL links to the affiliated websites that a user may
access in order to select items from the affiliated websites. These items
can be integrated into the shopping cart at the first website and
purchased with a single transaction. Increased user traffic is expected
at the first website since a user's shopping interests can be fulfilled
at a single website. Additionally, affiliated websites are benefited by
this integrated shopping cart functionality since the e-commerce
functionality of the integrated shopping cart is performed by a server
that is associated with the first website. Therefore, affiliated websites
need not include their own e-commerce functionality. Instead, they may
take advantage of the e-commerce functionality of the first website and
still receive the benefits of the sale of their offered products/services
to the user. Maintenance costs and overhead costs with respect to
including an e-commerce software engine are therefore reduced and often
eliminated as a result.