Online Store
Setting Up Your Store
Prior to taking orders through your online store, you should configure the various options by clicking on the "options" link in your Store administration. You will need the following items prior to opening your online store:
- A Supported Internet Merchant Account
- Optional: An SSL Certificate for your Domain Name (contact [email protected] for more information on this)
- Optional: A Supported Shipping Account
Once you have all of the required items needed to start your store, you can input the API keys and account information on the options page to enable online payments and real time shipping cost calculations.
SSL Encryption
Whenever taking credit card data over a website, it is essential that SSL encryption is enforced on all forms into which this data will be entered. Every Markup Factory website is accessible via SSL encryption at https://handle.markupfactory.com. We recommend acquiring your own SSL certificate instead of using the built-in certificate. Using your own certificate will provide SSL encryption at https://www.yourdomain.com. Allowing visitors to access the checkout pages of your online store over your domain name will build customer confidence during the checkout and provide superior branding. None the less, you may elect to use the built-in SSL encryption included with every Markup Factory site.
If you wish to have your own SSL certificate installed, please contact Markup Factory support for instructions on activating a custom SSL certificate.
Adding Products
Once your store is configured, you should add products to your store using the "Products" database that is included with your store. Before adding products, it is a good idea to plan out how you will price and organize the products.
Product Options
You can optionally set a product up with options. Options can range from sizes to colors or they can be versions of your product that add cost to the base price of your product. Some products may be added with $0.00 as the base cost and have the entire cost of the product be included in the options. This will enable buyers to select the version or package quantity of the product to order and to see the cost of the product included next to each option.
Below are two examples of a product option configuration:
Product Option Name: Size
Option 1: Small
Option 2: Medium
Option 3: Large
Product Option Name: Amount
Option 1: 1 Package | 1 lbs | $5.00
Option 2: Case (6 Packages) | 6 lbs | $20.00
As you can imagine, using the product option settings for products allows handling of a variety of different product types and pricing structures.
Tags
Each product can be configured with one or more tags. Tags are a list of words you can use to categorize your products and can be used to build out a product display heierarchy on your website.
To add a new product to your store:
- From the "Products" section of your Store administration, click "add new product"
- Fill out the form inputting all of the appropriate information
- Select the product photo (if you have one)
- Click the "Save Product" button
- Once the product is saved, click on the "Product Options" tab to create options for the product
Shipping Configuration
Markup Factory provides support for real time shipping cost calculation. Once you've created an account with a supported shipper, you can enter your credentials into the Store Options page. Shipping will be calculated using the shipper's real time API and the product weights that you input on your product or product options. You can also enter a flat rate shipping markup that will be added as a base shipping cost to each order.
Checkout Process
The Store checkout process has been refined to maximize the conversion ratio for customers making purchases. Once through the checkout process, the buyer will be taken to a thank you page and sent a confirmation / receipt email that can be customized in the store options page.
Order Fulfillment
The Store has built in order fulfillment queues that allow you to track the status of orders as you move them through the fulfillment process.