Persistent and Unified Electronic Shopping Cart

A method of placing an order for items from two or more unrelated electronic commerce websites through an electronic network comprising:

• accessing by a user through a client device a first electronic commerce website offering items for sale through the electronic network;
• transmitting an identifier to the first electronic commerce website identifying the user as associated with a persistent electronic shopping cart server;
• transmitting ordering information by the user for the items for sale to the electronic commerce website;
• transmitting the identifier and ordering information from the first electronic commerce website to the persistent electronic shopping cart server;
• accessing by the user a second electronic commerce website offering items for sale through the electronic network;
• transmitting the identifier to the second electronic commerce website identifying the user;
• transmitting ordering information by the user for the items for sale to the second electronic commerce website;
• transmitting the identifier and ordering information from the second electronic commerce website to the persistent electronic shopping cart server;
• transmitting the ordering information for the first and second electronic commerce websites from the persistent electronic shopping cart server to the user;
• displaying the ordering information to the user in a persistent electronic shopping cart;
• fulfilling the orders to the first and second ecommerce websites through one checkout procedure;
• and
• wherein the first and second ecommerce websites are unrelated to one another.

A system for shopping over a network comprising;

• a plurality of client devices wherein each client device is configured to receive and send messages over the network and is operative to enable actions for
• accessing two or more unrelated electronic commerce servers by a user;
• placing orders for items using electronic shopping carts associated with the two or more unrelated electronic commerce servers;
• transmitting persistent electronic shopping cart account information associated with the user to the two or more unrelated electronic commerce servers;
• a network device that is in communication with the plurality of client devices, and is operative to enable actions for
• receiving the orders for items and the persistent electronic shopping cart account information;
• validating access permission by the user to the persistent electronic shopping cart account;
• confirming the orders with the user;
• and
• communicating with the two or more unrelated electronic commerce servers to complete the orders on behalf of the user based on a single checkout procedure.

A network device to manage communications over a network, comprising:

• a transceiver to send and receive data over a network;
• and
• a processor that is operative to enable actions for
• storing order information placed by a user through electronic shopping carts associated with two or more unrelated ecommerce websites;
• validating access credentials of the user to the single persistent electronic shopping cart;
• transmitting the stored order information to a client device associated with the user so the stored order information may be displayed on the client device in a single persistent electronic shopping cart;
• fulfilling the order by the user from the two or more unrelated ecommerce websites through one checkout procedure associated with the single persistent electronic shopping cart;
• aggregating purchase behavior information about the user from the two or more unrelated ecommerce websites;
• and
• providing user-specific content to the user based on the aggregated purchase behavior information.