C HAPTER 26 - S HOPPING C ART
eCommerce Hosting With iHostStudio's Shopping Cart
Sell your items on the web with the iHostStudio shopping cart.• Product catalogs
• Shopping cart
• Credit Card Payments
• Store control panel
• Email order confirmations
• Choose online or offline payments
• Real time shipping calculation
• Unlimited mailing lists
• Send HTML emails
eCommerce Cart Configuration
Log in to your eCommerce account online as an administrator to make configurations to your products, add more, personalize your eCommerce pages, set up shipping and payment options.
A. How To Access Your Cart
Use the following URL to get to and create links for your store:
http://mysitename.iHostStudio.net/_ihnextras/cart.aspx?mode=enterstore
Where "mysitename.iHostStudio.net" is replaced with the site name for your account (as described in your account welcome e-mail). ...from the this page you can login as Admin to configure your store.
Locate the "Getting Started" section on the Merchant Control Panel homepage and click on "1.
Enter your basic store information" to begin.
D. Enter Your Basic Store Information
Type in your store name, address and contact information to tell your customers who you are and where your located.
E. Uploading Your Logo Image
Click on the browse button to locate the company logo on your computer hard drive Once selected click on the upload button save it to iHostStudio eCommerce servers so that they maybe used on your checkout pages.
F. Change The Home Page Welcome Text And Image
Set up your eCommerce homepage title with text that will tell customers where they are on your site and what to do next. You can also import a graphic that will support your messaging.
G. Set Payment Options
In this section you will check off what payment options you choose to work with. If you choose to allow payment by credit cards select your desired card processing options along with the enabling the credit cards your equipped to handle. Choose to allow payment by Paypal or setup description and instructions on how to pay by telephone or email. Don't forget to click the "Save Changes" button to lock in your payment options.
H. Set shipping options
Quickly setup your shipping options with the basic settings for your product orders. Also setup shipping provider and method and customize the regions and countries that you will be shipping too.
I. Add products and categories.
In our powerful product creator you can setup and edit product information, assign that product to a category you create, assign attributes, upload 3 different image sizes and assign related items to each individual product.
Add Items To Your Shopping Cart
Configure items in your cart using the simple interface. Upload pictures and add descriptions for the items for sale.
A. How To Access Your Cart
Use the following URL to get to and create links for your store:
http://mysitename.iHostStudio.net/_ihnextras/cart.aspx?mode=enterstore
Where "mysitename.iHostStudio.net" is replaced with the site name for your account (as described in your account welcome e-mail). ...from the this page you can login as Admin to configure your store.
B. Open The iHostStudio Merchant Control Panel.
On the above image you see all the configuration options in the "General Info" tab for your item.
D. Edit The Categories For The Item.
If your item is in a category, select the "Categories" tab. For example, if you are selling clothes you will want to have different categories for socks, shoes, shirts, etc.
E. Add Attributes To The Item.
Attributes are the different selections you customers will be able to choose from. Examples are item colors and size. On the "Attributes" page you can add the following attributes.
• Text Box - This is where the customer can type in a custom message for the order
• Select Box - This is a drop down box where you specify the choices
• Swatch List - The swatch list allows the customer to select an item using a radio button
• Description Area - The description area allows you to type more information about the product and the attributes
F. Upload Images Of The Product.
Select the "Images" tab to upload pictures of your product.
1. Select Browse - To find the image on your computer
2. Select Upload - This will upload the image from your computer to your shopping cart 3. Create Thumbnail - Creates a thumbnail image to display with the product
The image size is displayed at the size you uploaded it. You can manually change the image size using the "Height" and "Width" attributes below the image.
G. Related Items.
"Related Items" are displayed to the right of the item the customer is viewing. For example, if the item is a shirt you may want to select shoes that match the shirt as a related item.
H. Files.
The "Files" tab is designed for stores selling data that will be downloaded. Select the "Files" tab and configure your product.
Link to Your Online Store
Create a link from your web site so your customers can begin shopping.
Now that you have configured your store and set up the items, you will want to open your store for business. You will need to create a link from your main site to the shopping cart. The link will be the following:
http://www.yourdomain.com/_ihnextras/bvc2/default.aspx
• Be sure to change "yourdomain" to your actual web site domain name.
• Add this link to any button, graphic, or text on the appropriate page on your site.
Select a Payment Processor
On the Merchant Control Panel Admin page click on "Enable online credit card processing" to setup your credit card processor(s).
products have the correct settings and live mode where the transactions will be process in the method you setup in section A.
Test Your Shopping Cart
After you have completed the setup of your store and linked to it from your website, you will want to test the store to be sure everything is working as you intended it to work.
Verify Your Items Are Configured Properly
Be sure all the items you wish to sell have been entered and configured properly. You will want to verify the description, price, sizes, inventory, and shipping methods etc.
Verify Administrative Properties
Check to be sure your store is configured properly with the correct logo, contact information and payment processing configuration. Also be sure all the email messages that are set up for your customers are set up to your liking.
General Testing
It is good practice to run through the purchase process as if you are a customer. By doing this you can evaluate how the categories set up, the item description, and the email notifications when you process an order.
Payment Processing
iHostStudio has partnered with leading payment processors to assist you in handling sales from your eShop. There are three ways to collect payments using your iHostStudio shopping system.
1. Manual System:
iHostStudio will collect the billing information for you and notify you when you have an order.
You will then log into the system to manage your order. This is a good option for people with a merchant account already setup for their “bricks and mortar” business. It’s also a good choice if you don’t receive payments by credit card. All iHostStudio Business hosting accounts support the Manual System with no extra fees.
2. Paypal:
If you have a PayPal account, you can be up and running in minutes with the iHostStudio system.
PayPal will charge you a percentage of the transaction (2.9%) plus a $0.30 per transaction fee.
PayPal acts as an intermediary. In other words, your customer’s credit card statements will have a “PayPal” charge on it, rather than your company name. If you are selling thousands of dollars of merchandise monthly, you should consider a merchant account.
3. Linkpoint/Cardservice - Merchant Accounts:
This is designed for merchants who sell several thousands of dollars of goods in a month. Your customers will see a charge from your company on their credit card statement. We’ve worked at getting the best pricing possible for you, (2.25%). There is an initial setup fee of $145.00 plus recurring monthly fees. Linkpoint/Cardservice is a division of First Data Corporation, one of the largest processors in the country.
All iHostStudio business accounts offer shopping carts at no additional charge. Please remember that there are additional fees for PayPal and Linkpoint/Cardservice. They are separate companies from iHostStudio.
