User interface and methods for enabling users to efficiently track item selections in an electronic catalog

An electronic commerce system, comprising:

• a database which contains electronic catalog data of an electronic catalog of items;
• and
• a computer system coupled to the database and to a publicly-accessible computer network, said computer system providing a user interface for browsing and making purchases from the electronic catalog, said computer system programmed, via executable code, to maintain a record of items and associated item quantities currently selected by a user for purchase, and to respond to selection by the user of an item category of the electronic catalog by at least:
• identifying catalog items in the selected item category;
• determining, based on said record, whether any of said items in the selected item category are currently selected by the user for purchase;
• and
• generating, for presentation to the user, a category page which identifies said items in the selected item category, and which indicates quantities thereof currently selected for purchase as determined based on said record.

Physical computer storage which stores executable program code that directs a computer system to perform a method that comprises:

• maintaining a record of catalog items, and associated item quantities, selected by a user for purchase from an electronic catalog;
• and
• responding to selection by the user of an item category of the electronic catalog by at least:
• identifying a plurality of catalog items in the selected item category;
• determining, based on said record, whether any of the plurality of catalog items in the selected item category are currently selected by the user for purchase, and
• generating, for presentation to the user, a category page which identifies said items in the selected item category and which indicates, based on said record, quantities thereof currently selected by the user purchase.