Shopping baskets have made online buying easier and more efficient. The customer simply clicks on the desired item and enters a quantity. The program then keeps track of the purchases, adds the appropriate taxes and shipping fees, and gives a choice of payment methods.
Before the technology for shopping baskets was developed customers had to call or email the store and then either send a check by mail, a slow process, or give their credit card information over the phone, which carried its own risks of identity theft. 

