Products

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Revision as of 03:23, 12 December 2008 by Root (Talk | contribs) (completed content up to configuration)

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Product management allows site managers to add, edit and delete products. Product management is accessed by selecting 'products' from the administration link list. Note that you must be an administrator or product manager to have access to this area.

Product Search / Export Form

The product search form provides site managers with the means to find products in the database or add a new product. The product form allows filtering of products by the following:

  • Keyword / ProductId / Product Number: Any of the three can be entered. Multiple Product IDs and Product Numbers can be entered separated by comma.
  • Active: filters products based on their activity status

Products can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet by selected the 'export' button instead of the 'search button'. New products can be added by selected the 'Add New Product' button. Submitting a product search will return a list of qualifying products. The list can be sorted by selecting the column header you wish to sort by.

Product Management Form

The product management form contains several fields and sub forms for managing the product. Many sections of the product form are only available if they are selected as so in Settings, this includes Shared Price Level Matrices, Product Options, Product Configuration. Note that the result of these functions, along with all content fields, will only be visible if the Page Templates presenting the product are built with the intention of utilizing these fields and functions - ask you integrator for more details.

Meta Data

  • Notes: Internal notes only visible by product administrators

Content

  • Product Name: The name of the product will be displayed whenever the product is searched for / related to any other items in site administration. In addition, the product name can be set to display in a page containing the product, or in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Title: The title of the product can be set to display in a page containing the product, or in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Product Number: The product number will be used to build the final product SKU. This product number will be appended with any option skus selected by the visitor. See Option Management below for more information. This product number can be set to display in a page containing the product, or in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Catalog Number: The catalog number will be used to qualify any catalog quick search attempts, if catalog quick search is integrated into the website. The catalog number can be set to display in a page containing the product, or in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Child Description: The child description can be set to display in a page containing the product if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Cart Description: The cart description can be set to display in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Image Path: Image path contains the location of an image that will represent the product in the shopping cart if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Image Alt: The contents of the alt tag for the image in the image path.

Control

  • Active: Inactive products will not show on the site in their product pages. They also cannot be added to the shopping cart.
  • Discontinued: The discontinued flag can be used to make content changes when presenting the product or prohibit the product from being purchased. If you wish to use this feature, discuss with your integrator how you would like the site to react to this selection.
  • Minimum Quantity: The minimum quantity field ensures the buyer of the product does not attempt to buy less then this minimum amount. If the buyer attempts to purchase less than this amount, the minimum amount will be automatically placed in the shopping cart along with a message explaining the minimum requirement.
  • Affiliate Points Bonus: If the affiliate program is in place for the website, each product will register affiliate points equivalent to it's purchase price. The affiliate points bonus allows product managers to add to this affiliate point amount in order to motivate affiliates to push certain product.

Pricing

Note that there are any number of presentation methods to display all the pricing options that can be set for a product. Talk with your integrator about which pricing options you intend to use and how your would like them displayed.

  • List Price: If no other price information is available, the list price will be charged the buyer.
  • Price: Intended to be used as the regular price for the product.
  • Sale Price: To be used as the sale price for the product.
  • sale Start Date: The sale price will not be available until after this date.
  • Sale End Date: The sale price will only be available before this date.
  • Product Pricing Levels: Sets bulk discounts for products. Any number of bulk discount levels can be created by using the quantity and price field. Note that the price entered here is per single item.
  • Shared Pricing Level Matrices: If shared Pricing Matrices is available (via Settings), then product managers may select a preset shared pricing matrix to guide the bulk pricing discounts for the product.
  • Taxable: if checked, than the product price will be subject to tax charges.

Shipping

  • Weight: Sets the weight that will be used to calculate shipping if the Fedex shipping option is used.
  • Shipping Surcharge: An additional charge, per individual quantity, applies to shipping for this product.

Options

Product options are used to give buyers choices that further define the product. Product options can be used to create colors (red, blue, green), sizes (small, medium, large) or any other choice you wish to give buyers when purchasing the product. Any number of option groups can be created and any number of options can be created within each group.

Product Option Form

  • Shared Option Group: if shared option groups are available as per Settings, a preset shared option group can be selected to be used with for the product.
  • Group Name: sets the name for the group. This name will be presented when the product is in a page, if the integrator has opted to do so.
  • Options: The list of options the buyer may select from, separated by carriage returns (enter). Each option can contain instructions as follows:
  • Price: The price instruction will increase the cost of the product if the option is selected. The price will be charged per quantity. Enter {price:#} following the option name where # represents the dollar amount offset.
  • Weight: The weight instruction will increase the weight of the product if the option is selected, effecting shipping calculations for systems using Fedex shipping. The weight will be multiplied by the quantity. Enter {weight:#} following the option name where # represents the weight offset in lbs (pounds).
  • SKU: The sku instructions will append the product number to create the final product SKU. SKUs will appended in the order their option groups exist here in administration. Enter {sku:#} following the option name where # is the sku to append the product number.
  • Price Option: The price option instruction works in conjunction with multidimensional pricing available in shared Pricing Matrices. This instruction will tell the system which dimension of the pricing matrix to use. Enter {priceOption:#} following the option name where # is the dimension number (1 through 4) of the dimension in the pricing matrix to use.

Adding an Option Group

To add an option group, select the "+ add option group" link below all the option groups. You will be presented with an empty product option form. See the Product Option Form information above on how to use this form.

Editing an Option Group

To edit an option group, select the "expand" link next to the option group name. The option group's form will expand. See the Product Option Form information above ton how to use this form. Note that shared option groups cannot be edited here - go to Option Groups to manage the shared option groups.

Deleting an Option Group

To delete an option group, select the 'remove' link next to the option group name. Note that shared option groups will only be removed from this product, but will still be available for other products.

Configuration

Configuration allows for very advanced and complex product customization tools to be made available to site visitors. Products such as custom greeting cards, personalized items and more. Configuration allows site managers to create multiple layouts, manage multiple product surfaces and make any number of images, text controls available to site visitors. As this is a very flexible tool, it is custom fit to each web site. Ask you integrator if you intend to use configuration.

The configuration form consists of layout, surface and layer (object) controls. Any number of layouts can be created which can each contain any number of surfaces which can each contain any number of layers. Each of these subforms have fields available as follows:

Layout Form

  • Layout Name
  • Layout Description
  • Layout Total Height
  • Layout Image

Surface Form

  • Surface Name
  • Surface Description
  • Screen Height
  • Scale

Layer (Object) Form

  • Layer Object Name
  • Title
  • Layer Object Description
  • Layer Type
  • Fields Shared by All Types
  • X Point
  • Y Point
  • Horizontal Alignment
  • Vertical Alignment
  • Fixed Image
  • Width
  • Height
  • Image Path
  • User Uploaded Image
  • Width
  • Height
  • Image Path
  • Image Library
  • Width
  • Height
  • Image Path
  • Image / Phrase Library
  • Image Path
  • Text Library
  • Font
  • Image / Phrase Library
  • Default Value
  • Text Lines
  • Font
  • Width
  • Height
  • Default Value
  • Text Block
  • Font
  • Width
  • Height
  • Default Value

Cross Sells

Parents

Adding a New Product

Editing a Product

Deleting a Product

Duplicate a Product