Archive for March, 2008
Google Shopping Jump Starts Small Business E-commerce Retailers
Google Shopping Jump Starts Small Business E-commerce RetailersDuring the holiday season the search engine giant Google added a Shopping tab to its homepage, a tab which directly links to its on-line product catalog called Product Search. FastCommerce, a small business enterprise e-commerce provider, recently announced the successful launch of its automated submission service to Google Shopping. Submission to Google is also available with the free version of FastCommerce. The results have been remarkable. By simply signing up for the free version of FastCommerce and creating a product catalog, the on-line retailer starts selling right away.
San Mateo, CA (PRWEB) March 25, 2008 — For small business on-line retailers, an e-commerce solution that quickly produces results is essential to survival. That is why FastCommerce recently launched a product submission service to Google Shopping; also known as Google Product Search. Google has built the equivalent of an on-line product catalog that is tied in with its popular search site. On-line retailers can post products to the Google catalog, and even sell directly through the service via Google Check-out. Google’s popularity coupled with the recent addition of its new Shopping tab on the Google homepage, has the effect of driving targeted searches for product directly through Google Shopping. With Google Shopping, shoppers can view multiple listings for a given product and either purchase directly on Google, or proceed directly to the merchant own web store.
Submitting to Google Product Search costs the on-line retailer nothing; unlike EBay, there are no fees for posting an unlimited number of products. This is a tremendous competitive edge for small business e-commerce start-ups that cannot afford the sometimes prohibitive cost of running a business exclusively on EBay. Rather than having the merchant manually submit products one by one, FastCommerce automatically submits the whole of a merchant’s on-line product catalog to Google Product Search. In providing this level of service, FastCommerce is focused on the success of its clients in an increasingly sophisticated and competitive on-line retail universe.
Google Product Search consistently generates a high volume of sales and sales inquiries for FastCommerce merchants. Having the whole of a merchant’s on-line product catalog published on Google Shopping is nothing less than a major marketing tool for small business on-line retailers. It is a service that Google offers for free. This is even more remarkable given that the FastCommerce small business e-commerce platform is entirely free for the first fifty products. A small business or an individual entrepreneur can sign up for the free version of FastCommerce, build a professional and attractive web store, and post up to fifty products for free. The free version gives them access to almost the whole of the FastCommerce platform: simply signing up automatically generates a professional website and back office tools to manage their business. Merchants then see an immediate effect in having their products automatically listed to Google’s Product Search.
FastCommerce is a web-based e-commerce application that lets small business start, grow and then manage their business on-line, all from one single system. Small business entrepreneurs gain access to a professional, fully operable e-commerce website, as well as a full suite of back-office management tools needed to run a business on-line. It is completely free to the first fifty products. The addition of Google Shopping to the free version is a very powerful tool: a small business can make the move to e-commerce with immediate results. The clients are then free to sign up for additional services when they are ready.
FastCommerce.com also announced the launch of a Professional services division, designed for established businesses looking to make the leap into e-commerce while avoiding the hefty expense of project implementation and costly technology. Small businesses with large product catalogs face tremendous hurdles when looking to go into on-line sales. Such a move has traditionally involves licensing e-commerce technologies, and then expending additional funds for implementation. The FastCommerce Professional Services team brings years of experience and its Web 2.0 technology platform to get companies up and running in days instead of months. There is no contract. For a small set up fee, small businesses get a fully operable e-commerce web-site with their products pre-installed. FastCommerce drives down the cost to a fraction of most e-commerce technology platforms. There are additional services for submitting to over 100 search engines, directories, as well as keyword consultation and continuous updates.
About FastCommerce.com
FastCommerce.com is a Web 2.0 technology platform that changes the way entrepreneurs can succeed in on-line sales. It has been designed to automate all the initial hurdles of beginning a web business and managing it, all from one single system. Far from being a simple shopping cart technology, FastCommerce Small Business e-Commerce technology is enterprise in scope with the goal of letting small companies and entrepreneurs run all aspects of their business from a fully integrated single system. It is affordable small business enterprise e-commerce at a small business price.
1 comment March 25, 2008
More Details About FastCommerce Features
1. Getting Started
Fast Commerce is a browser based e-commerce application. This application stands as a support to the owners of small businesses to start and manage an online business. Just by signing up with Fast Commerce, anyone can automatically generate a professional Web store for free. This application has all the features expected in e-commerce software to create a fully customized Internet store to sell the products online. A complete range of products can be managed in one user-friendly online store interface.
How do I sign up for an account?
Signing up with FastCommerce involves a simple procedure that takes very less time. After you complete the sign up procedure, you can continue with the other features that help you configure your store.To sign up with FastCommerce:1. On the Home page, click ‘Sign Up Now’.The FastCommerce Service Plans Overview page is displayed.2. Select one of the packages that meet your business requirements and click the sign up button below the description area.The Account Sign Up page is displayed. Click here to know more about the different packages offered by FastCommerce.3. Enter the details of company information and the account information.If you opt for the packages that require a monthly payment then you have to enter the details of payment information in the Account Sign Up page.4. Click ‘Submit’.A page is displayed with all the details submitted by you for signing up the account.5. You can do one of the following three things here:
· Click ‘Modify’ to edit the details submitted by you.
· Click ‘Continue’ to work with the other tabs to set up your store. You can configure the following parts of your store as you move across these tabs:
· Store Theme & Layout
· Set Up Shipping
· Payment & Taxes
· Set Up Store Catalog
· Click ‘Cancel’ to set up the store later.
Store Theme & Layout
The features of this tab help you to pick up a theme and layout for your store. You can also specify a name for your store on this tab.
To set up a store theme and lay out:
1. Enter a name for your store in the My Store Name text field.
The name you enter in this text field also gets populated in ‘My Store URL’ text field.
By default, the first template of the three pre-designed templates is displayed in the Current Store Theme area.
2. Select either the default template or click ‘Change Template’ to select a suitable template for your store.
The Select A Store Layout pane is displayed with three pre-designed templates.
3. Select a template.
You can choose a new template for your store anytime.
4. Select the orientation and choose a color from the range of colors.
5. Click ‘View’ to view the template in a larger size.
6. Click ‘Done’.
7. Click ‘Continue’ to work with the features of the Set Up Shipping tab.
Set Up Shipping
This tab has the following list of shipping companies supported by FastCommerce to ship your goods to the customer.
· UPS
· FedEx
· USPS
To set up a shipping method:
1. Select the shipping companies you like to choose for shipping your goods.
2. Click ‘Continue’ to work with the features of the Payment and Taxes tab.
You can configure the shipping methods using the features of the Set Up menu on the menu bar. For more details, refer to the Store Configuration section.
Payment and Taxes
The features of this tab help you to set the methods of payment and sales tax for your store. These payment methods are supported by FastCommerce.
This tab has the following payment options:
· Credit Card: This option allows you to select the following types of credit cards:
· Visa
· MasterCard
· American Express
· Discover Card
You can choose to process the credit cards transactions online or to capture the credit details of the credit card and process the transactions offline. You can also provide your customers to pay by signing up with Authorize.Net to process the payment transactions.
· PayPal and Google Checkout: You can also choose to process your payment transactions by signing up with PayPal and Google Checkout. This option helps you deal with the customers who have an account with these online payment systems. PayPal offers a free use of its services for a month. You have to pay $4.99 per month if you opt for extending the services of PayPal.
To set up the payment and sales tax methods:
1. Select the payment methods from the Payment Type area.
2. In the Sales Tax area, select a state from the State drop-down list.
The state name you select serves as your primary business location. However, you can configure multiple states later.
Refer to the Store Configuration section for more details.
3. Enter the tax rate, which is applicable in the state you selected, in the text field.
4. Click ‘Continue’ to work with the Set Up Store Catalog tab.
Set Up Store Catalog
The Set Up Store Catalog page leads you to the Category Management page where you can create any number of categories and sub-categories to categorize your products. Click ‘Continue’ to open the Category Management page. Click here for more details of creating categories.
What are the different packages I can choose from?
FastCommerce offers you three different packages to choose from. Based on your business requirements, you can choose one of these packages to get started with the setting up of your online store.
They are as follows:
· Startup: This is a free package designed for the startup businesses to set up and run an online store. This package allows you to sell a maximum of 50 products on your store and avail the Web hosting services with a storage space of 200MB. You can have data transfer up to 1GB per month. You can use your existing domain name or add an online store to your Website that already exists.
Click http://system.fastcommerce.com/learnmore.jsp?serviceplan=free for more details of this package.
· Growing Business: In addition to the features of the ‘Startup’ plan, this package allows you to sell a maximum of 2000 products on your online store. You can set up your online store for free. You can avail the Web hosting services with 1GB storage space and have data transfer up to 5GB per month just for $29.95 per month. You can use your existing domain name or add an online store to your Website that already exists.
Click http://system.fastcommerce.com/learnmore.jsp?serviceplan=growing for more details of this package.
· Enterprise: In addition to the features of the ‘Growing Business’ plan, this package allows you to sell a maximum of 10000 products on your online store. You can set up your online store for free. You can avail the Web hosting services with 10GB storage space and have data transfer up to 20GB per month just for $99.95 per month. You can use your existing domain name or add an online store to your Website that already exists.
Click http://system.fastcommerce.com/learnmore.jsp?serviceplan=enterprise for more details of this package.
How much does FastCommerce cost?
FastCommerce focuses mainly on small businesses with e-commerce hosting and free support, which means that there is no need to download the software or pay for it. You can sign up with FastCommerce and set up an online store for free. You can choose from the three different FastCommerce packages, to start selling your products online. Click here to know more about the packages.
Can I change the store configuration after signing up?
Yes. You can change the configurations of your store even after you sign up with FastCommerce. You can change the configurations such as the store theme and lay out, your store name, the shipping information, the payment and taxes information, and the sales order setting information. Refer to the Customization section for more details about changing the store configuration.
How do I navigate the FastCommerce interface?
The FastCommerce application has a user friendly and an easy-to-navigate interface. After you log in to your account, the Overview page is displayed. This page also serves as the Home page. There are two menu bars on this page which help you navigate to different pages of this application. The details of the recent orders, customers, and the sales report of your products based on their popularity are displayed on this page giving you an overview of your online transactions. This information is provided in three different tables according to their category. The Search pane enables you to make a quick search of the product or customer details.
FastCommerce Interface
From the Overview page, you can navigate to:
· The Customer Details page
· The Order Details page
· The Update Product page
After navigating to these pages, you can edit the details, view the status of an order, and approve or cancel an order.
To navigate to the Customer Details page:
· In the Recent Orders table, click the customer name.
Here you can view the status of recent orders and edit the billing address.
· In the Recent Customers table, click the account number or the customer name.
· In the Search Customer pane, click the account number or name.
The Search Customer pane is displayed when you search for the customer details using the Search option on the Overview page.
Refer to the Customers section for more details.
To navigate to the Update Product page:
· In the products table, click the product name or item number.
Refer to the Products section for more details.
· In the Search Product pane, click the product name or the item number.
The Search Product pane is displayed when you search for the product details using the Search option on the Overview page.
To navigate to the Order Details page:
· In the Recent Orders table, click the order number.
Here you can approve or cancel an order.
Refer to the Orders section for more details.
How do I edit my company information?
You can edit your company information using the features of the Set Up menu once you log in to your account.To edit your company information:1. Click ‘Set Up’ on the menu bar.The Set Up page is displayed.2. In the Company Information area, click ‘Change’.The Company Profile page is displayed.3. Edit the details and click ‘Save’.4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I edit my account information?
You can edit your account information using the features of the Set Up menu once you log in to your account.To edit your account information:1. Click ‘Set Up’ on the menu bar.The Set Up page is displayed.2. In the User Information area, click ‘Edit’.The User Profile page is displayed.3. Edit the details and click ‘Save’.4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I change the password of my account?
You can change the password of your account using the features of the Set Up menu.To change your password:1. Click ‘Set Up’ on the menu bar, after you log in to your account.The Set Up page is displayed.2. In the User Information area, click ‘Change Password’.The Change Password page is displayed.3. Enter the details and click ‘Save’.4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
2. Storefront
Storefront is the Home page of your online store. From this page, your customers browse through your products, add them to the shopping cart, pay for the items and check out. Configuration of your storefront plays a vital role in making your online store successful. The Home page as well as the other pages of your store should provide an easy access to all the details the customer looks for. These details must include the details of the products, payment, shipping, etc.
Basic Configuration
The basic configuration of your store includes selecting a name for your store, linking the store to your Website, designing a template, etc. Fast commerce offers you three pre-designed templates that help you make your storefront presentable. By configuring your store using these templates, you can make it easy for your customer to access all the features and product details available on your store. You can change the appearance of your store by using these templates. Refer to the Customization section for more details.
How can I integrate the store with my existing Web site?
FastCommerce provides you an option that enables you to integrate the store with your existing Website. To integrate the store with your Website:1. Navigate to the Storefront page, after you log in to your account.You can find a URL given in the Enter your domain information area. This is the URL of your online store.2. Give this URL a link from your existing Website.
Can I use my own domain name for the storefront?
<We don’t know the answer to it. With the present functionality, it doesn’t seem to be possible.>
Customization
Customization is the way you configure your storefront using your own images or text. FastCommerce offers you the features that help you change the layout and content based on the specific needs of the customer.
Can I change the appearance of my store?
Yes. You can change the appearance of your store using one of the following methods:
· Select a template
· Customize a template
To select a template:
1. Click ‘Storefront’ on the menu bar.The Storefront page is displayed.2. Click ‘Change Template’ in the Template area.The ‘Select A store layout’ pane is displayed. This pane has three pre-designed templates, range of colors for the selected template, and the orientation type.3. Select a template, color, and the orientation type.4. Click ‘Done’.5. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Storefront page.To customize a template:1. Click ‘Storefront’ on the menu bar.The Storefront page is displayed.2. In the Web Pages area, click ‘Home Page’.The template of the home page of your store is displayed in a new window. This template enables you to enter text or graphics in 5 different areas on your home page. You can select a text or an image and hyperlink it to a new page, or Web address, or E-mail address.3. Click ‘Save’.
Can I add my own pages to the store?
Yes. You can add your own pages to the store. FastCommerce offers you the features that allow you to create and add new pages to your online store.To add new pages:1. Click ‘Storefront’ on the menu bar.The Storefront page is displayed.2. In the Web Pages area, click ‘Create & Edit new page’.The Create a page pane is displayed.3. In the Page Name text field, enter the page name.You can insert the text, images, tables, or anchors, use styles and formatting, hyperlink this page, use smiley, select a template for this page, print the page, redo and undo your actions.4. Click ‘Done’ after you customizing the page.5. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Storefront page.
How do I link my pages from the store?
You can link any number of pages from your store. You can also give links to the Web addresses and Email addresses from your store.To link the pages from your store:1. Click ‘Storefront’ on the menu bar.The Storefront page is displayed.2. In the Web Pages area, click ‘Home Page’.The template of the home page of your store is displayed in a new window. This template enables you to enter text or graphics in 5 different areas on your home page. You can select a text or an image and hyperlink it to a new page, or Web address, or E-mail address.3. Select the text or image and click the ‘Insert/Edit Link’ option in the options area.The Create Link To dialog box is displayed. This dialog box has three tabs:
· User Pages: This tab has a drop-down list with the pages you have created using the features on the Storefront page.
· Web Address: You can provide a URL on this tab to link your pages from the store.
· Email Address: you can provide an Email address in this tab to receive any feedback from your customers.
4. Click ‘Save’.
5. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Storefront page.
3. Products
After signing up with FastCommerce.com, you can start adding your products to the catalog and make the product details available to your customer. The number of products you add to your store depends on the type of package you select while signing up with FastCommerce.
Adding Product Information
The Product module includes all the features necessary for adding, updating, and deleting the details of a product. You can add details such as the product name, description, price, add-on options, images, etc. You can also add customized descriptions about the product to your storefront. You can choose to display the related products on your store along with the other products.
How do I add the details of a product to my storefront?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking the Product tab of the menu bar on the home page.
To add the details of a product:1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Add images of the product in the Product Image area.
3. Specify the product details.4. Add product descriptions in the editor panel.5. Provide details in the admin area.
6. Add related products in the May We Also Recommend panel.
7. Click Save at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
8. Click OK in the confirmation box displayed.
What is the minimum information I must specify to add a product?
The minimum information needed to add a product to the catalog is the product name and the item number of the product. However, you need to add your product to a category to display the details of the product on your store.
What kind of pricing details can I add?
There are three kinds of pricing details you can add. You can also choose whether to display the details on your store or not. You can add the following pricing details of your product:
· List Price: This is the basic price of the product which is suggested by the manufacturer of the product. This price is often subject to discount.
· Your Price: This is the price you offer to the customer.
· On Sale: This is the price after discount. When you enter the price in On Sale field, the You Save field gets automatically populated.
Can I hide the prices of products on my store?
Yes. You can hide the prices of products on your store.To hide the price details:
1. Click the ‘Product’ tab on the home page.
The ‘Product’ page is displayed.
2. Click on the product name in the Product List panel.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
3. Clear the check boxes of the price details which you want to hide.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
What custom messages can I add for a product?
You can add custom messages for the following options on the Add New Product page:
· Call for Price
· Availability
· Shipping Message
To add a custom message in the Call for price option:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the Call for Price option, select New Pricing Message from the drop-down list.
The ‘New Message’ pane is displayed.
3. Enter the text and click ‘Done’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
To add a custom message in the Availability option:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the Availability option, select New Availability Message from the drop-down list.
The ‘New Message’ pane is displayed.
3. Enter the text and click ‘Done’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
To add a custom message in the Shipping Message option:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the Shipping Message option, select New Shipping Message from the drop-down list.
The ‘New Message’ pane is displayed.
3. Enter the text and click ‘Done’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
What are add-on options?
An add-on option can be any quality of your product. For example, it can be a range of colors, different sizes, shapes etc. This helps your customer to choose from a variety of options available with your product.
Add add-on options
The Add-On option of the product module enables you to add the add-on options along with the product details. You can choose the way your customer selects an add-on option. For example, you can list the add-on options in a drop-down box on your store, or you can provide a text box on your store for your customer to enter the text.
To add add-on option:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Click ‘Edit’ in Add-on Options.
The ‘Add-on Options’ pane is displayed.
3. Click ‘Add-on’ items.
The ‘Add-on items’ pane is displayed. This pane has a text field, a ‘Dropdown Box’ option, and a ‘Text Field’ option. By default the drop-down option is selected.
4. Enter the name of add-on item in the text field of the Add-on items pane and click ‘Save’.
The ‘Add Values’ page is displayed.
5. Enter the add-on option of the item in the text boxes and click ‘Next’.
You can enter either numbers or text in the text box.
6. Click ‘Add values’ in the Add-on Options pane.
A pane is displayed with the values you created for the add-on item.
7. Select the check boxes of the values to be displayed in the drop down box and click ‘Save’.
You can click ‘Edit’ to edit the values.
8. In the Extra Price text field of the Add-on Options pane, enter the price that is charged extra for the selected add-on items.
9. Click ‘Save’ in the Add-on Options pane.
10. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
11. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I add a custom description for a product?
You can add custom description for a product. This description can be an overview, specifications, warranty details, accessories, any modifications of your product, or any such description that interests your customers. You can also add an image along with the descriptions.
To add custom description for a product:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed. You can find an editor panel below the ‘Shipping Message’ option. This panel has four tabs where you can add custom descriptions. You can also customize the tab titles. You can perform the following tasks using the options given on the editor panel:
· Select a template for the descriptions
· Add a new page to the descriptions page
· Apply styles to the text you enter
· Insert an image, table, smiley, or a special character
· Split the descriptions page
· Remove the formatting
· Paste the information from your clipboard in two different options such as plain text and from Word.
· Undo and redo your actions in the editor panel
· Add hyperlinks to your text
2. Enter the custom descriptions in each of the tabs and click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
3. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I hyperlink the product descriptions page to any other page?
Yes. You can hyperlink the product descriptions page to any other page you like.
To hyperlink the product descriptions page:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the editor panel, select the text or an image and click ‘Insert/Edit Link’ option in the options area.
The Create Link To dialog box is displayed. This dialog box has three tabs:
· User Pages: This tab has a drop-down list with the pages you have created using the features on the Storefront page.
· Web Address: You can provide a URL on this tab to link your pages from the store.
· Email Address: you can provide an Email address in this tab to receive any feedback from your customers.
3. Click ‘Save’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I add a product to the inventory but not list it on the store?
Yes. You can add a product to the inventory but not list it on the store.
If you don’t want to list a product on the store:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the inventory.
3. Clear the Sell in Online Store option in the Data for Internal Product Management area.
The ‘Sell in Online Store’ option is selected by default.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I create a product brand name?
You can create a product brand name. This helps the customers who prefer to search products by their brand names.
To create a product brand name:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the inventory.
3. In the Data for Internal Product Management area, select ‘New Brand’ from the Product Brand drop-down list.
The ‘New Brand’ pane is displayed.
4. In the ‘Name#’ text field, type a new brand name.
5. Click ‘Done’ in the New Brand pane.
6. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
7. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I assign my product to a brand name?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To assign a product to a brand name:
1. Click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. In the Data for Internal Product Management area, select a brand name from the Product Brand drop-down list.
3. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I provide any keywords to optimize the customer search for my product?
Yes. You can add keywords related to your product to optimize the customer search for your product. A keyword can be a word or a phrase related to the product. This helps your customer to search for the product more accurately.
To provide keywords:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the inventory.
3. In the Alternative Search Keywords text field of the Data for Internal Product Management area, enter the keywords related to your product.
You can type up to 2000 characters in this field.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How can I track my inventory?
FastCommerce offers you a feature that helps you track your inventory every time the product is sold. This helps you in inventory management based on the product sales.
To track your inventory:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the inventory.
3. In the In-stock Quantity field of the Data for Internal Product Management area, enter the total number of product quantity available with you.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
What is a category?
A category is a group of objects that have some common attributes. You can create a category for the products with common features. Most often, a customer tends to search a product either by its brand name or by its category. When you include your products under a category, your customer finds it easy to locate them.
How do I create a category?
You can find a menu button on the menu bar. This menu has the Category option that helps you to create a category. You can create a sub-category as well. Categorizing your product helps your customer to quickly search for your product. The category you create is displayed in the storefront.
To create a category:
1. Click the menu button located on the left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘Category’.
The ‘Category Management’ pane is displayed. You can add a category and a sub-category in this pane. You can change the order of the appearance of a category by selecting the category name and clicking ‘Up’ or ‘Down’ buttons. This pane also enables you to edit or delete a category or sub-category name. Refer to the Procedure of editing the category details for more details.
3. Type the category name in the text field and click ‘Add’.
The new category is saved to the category list.
4. Click ‘Save’.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I add images to the category?
Yes. You can add images to the category created.
To add images:
1. Click the menu button located on the left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘Category’.
The ‘Category Management’ pane is displayed.
3. Select a category and click ‘Edit’.
The ‘Edit Category’ pane is displayed. This pane has the editor panel similar to that of the Add New Product page. This panel allows you to perform the tasks like applying styles and format the text, hyperlink, browse for an image file, etc.
4. Click ‘Insert/Edit Image’ option in the options area of the editor panel.
The ‘FastCommerce File Manager’ window is displayed.
5. Select an image or navigate to the file or folder of your image and click ‘Done’.
6. Click ‘Save’ in the Category Management pane.
7. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I create a sub-category?
FastCommerce offers you the feature for creating a sub-category. You can group the products with more similar features into a sub-category so that your customer can quickly locate the products.
To create a sub-category:
1. Click the menu button located on the left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘Category’.
The ‘Category Management’ pane is displayed. This pane has the category list you created earlier.
3. Select a category and click ‘Add Sub’.
Another list of categories is displayed next to the existing categories list.
4. Click ‘Save’.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How many sub-categories can I create?
You can create a sub-category to categorize your products to a much specific level. This minimizes the time spent by your customers to search for a product. FastCommerce offers you the feature for creating a sub-category for your products. You can create four sub-categories to each category of your product.
How do I assign my product to a category?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To assign a product to a category:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the store.
3. Click ‘Select Categories’ of the Product Categories options in the Data for Internal Product Management area.
The ‘Select Category’ panel containing category/sub-category list(s) is displayed.
4. Select a category/sub-category and click ‘Add’.
5. Click ‘Save’.
The assigned category is displayed at the bottom of the page.
6. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
7. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I add related products along with my product?
Yes. You can add related products along with your product. By adding related products, you can increase the scope of product sales. A user who is interested in a related item tends to purchase it along with the main product.
To add related product:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. Enter all the details necessary to add a product to the store.
You can find the ‘May We Also Recommend’ panel displayed on the right side of the page. This panel helps you add the related products. You can click and drag the products in this panel to change the order of display. The number of related products you can add is set to three by default. However, the ‘Add more related products’ option below this panel helps you to add more products.
3. Click ‘Select Product’ of the May We Also Recommend panel.
The ‘Select Product’ pane is displayed.
4. Select the related products and click ‘Done’.
5. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
6. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I customize the interface for adding or updating product details?
Yes. FastCommerce application is carefully designed to meet the basic user requirements. So you never need to customize any part of the application, mainly the interface for adding or updating product details.
However, FastCommerce offers you an option which helps you customize the interface. You can customize the tab titles of the editor panel below the product details area.
Adding Product Images
Adding the images of your product is the best way to market the product on your store. This gives your customer a clear view of how your product looks like.
How do I upload the images of my product?
Fast Commerce provides you an option to upload the images of your product in a very simple procedure. You can upload the images of your product located anywhere on your local computer.
To upload the images:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the Product Image panel, click ‘Add’ in the thumbnail box.
The ‘Upload Images’ dialog box is displayed. This dialog box has three options as follows:
· Original: This option helps you to browse the original image located on your local computer. This image is displayed when the user opts to view the larger size of the thumbnail image.
· Main: This option helps you to browse the image to be displayed in the main image area above the thumbnails. If you select the check box, the option is deactivated and a copy of the original image resized to the default dimensions of 250*250 pixels is saved to the database.
· Thumbnail: This option helps you to upload thumbnail images of your product. These images are displayed as thumbnails in the storefront. When the user clicks on a thumbnail, the image is displayed in a larger size in a separate window. If you select the check box, the option is deactivated and a copy of the original image resized to the default dimensions of 80*80 pixels is saved to the database.
3. Click Browse to upload an image.
The ‘Image File Manager’ window is displayed. This window has the following options:
· View: This option helps you to view the images in thumbnail/list mode.
· Create: This option helps you to create a new folder.
· Rename: This option helps you rename the selected file/folder.
· Delete: This option helps you to delete the selected file/folder.
· Upload: This option helps you to navigate the file/folder in your local computer.
4. Click ‘Upload’ and navigate to the file or folder of your product images.
5. Select the image file and click ‘Open’.
When you upload images from your local computer, they are saved to the database and get displayed in the File Manager window. Next time when you insert an image, you can select the images from the database or upload a new image.
6. Click ‘Done’.
The uploaded images are displayed in the ‘Product Image’ area.
How many images of the product can I add?
You can add two different images of your product. Images which can display the accessories along with the product help the customers looking for more details of the product. These images are displayed in the storefront according to the template you select from the Storefront feature of this application.
What should be the size of my product images?
FastCommerce provides you two options related to the image sizes. You can either choose to add the images with their original sizes or select the Auto resize option of the Upload Images dialog box. Refer to the procedure of uploading product images for more details of image sizes.
Can I add an image to the customized product descriptions?
Yes. You can add an image in each tab of the editor panel where you add the custom descriptions of your product.
To add an image:
1. Click ‘New Product’ in the Product List panel.
The Add New Product page is displayed.
2. In the options area of the editor panel, click ‘Insert/Edit Image’ option.
The ‘Insert Image’ pane is displayed.
3. Click ‘Browse’.
The FastCommerce File Manager window is displayed.
4. Select an image from the window or click ‘Upload’ to navigate to the file or folder of the image.
5. Click ‘Done’.
You can set the dimensions, border, and the alignment of the image in the ‘Insert Image’ pane.
6. Click ‘Save’.
The image is inserted in the description area of the editor panel.
7. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Add New Product page.
8. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Updating Product Information
The features of FastCommerce allow you to modify the details of a product whenever needed. You can update the product details any number of times. The details include the images, add-on options, stock availability, price, related product details, etc.
How do I edit the details of an add-option?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To edit the details of an add-on option:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. In the product details area, click ‘Edit’ in the Add-on Options.
The Add-on Options pane is displayed.
3. Select the add-on item and click ‘Add Value’.
A pane with the values of the add-on item is displayed.
4. Click ‘Edit’.
The ‘Edit Option’ page is displayed.
5. Edit the details and click ‘Save’.
6. Select the values and click ‘Save’ in the values pane.
7. Click ‘Save’ in the Add-on Options pane.
8. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
9. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I edit a product brand name?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To edit the details of an add-on option:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. Select a brand name from the Product Brand drop-down list and click ‘Edit’.
The ‘Edit Brand’ pane is displayed.
3. Edit the brand name and click ‘Done’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
When customers buy products from my store, will the in-stock quantity in the application reduce automatically?
Yes. The In-stock Quantity feature helps you to manage your inventory. While adding the details of a new product to the catalog, you enter the number of product quantity available with you. This number is reduced automatically when the product is sold.
How do I edit the details of a category or a sub-category?
You can edit the details of a category or a sub-category whenever you need to give a new category or sub-category name to a group of products.
To edit the details of a category:
1. Click the menu button located on the left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘Category’.
The ‘Category Management’ pane is displayed.
3. Select a category and click ‘Edit’.
The ‘Edit Category’ pane is displayed. This pane has an editor panel similar to that of the Add New Product page.
4. Edit the details and click ‘Done’.
5. Click ‘Save’ in the Category Management pane.
6. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Deleting Product Information
The features of FastCommerce allow you to delete the details of a product whenever needed. The details include the images, add-on options, stock availability, price, related product details, category details, etc.
Can I delete the images of my product?
Yes. You can delete the images of your product. You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To delete the images:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. In the thumbnail area of the Product Images area, click the delete option displayed as ‘X’.
3. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I delete the details of an add-on option?
Yes. You can delete the details of an add-on option. However, you cannot the delete the details if an add-on option is already assigned to a product.
To delete the details of an add-on option:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. Click ‘Edit’ in the Add-on Options in the product details area.
The ‘Add-on Options’ pane is displayed.
3. Select an item and click ‘Remove Items’.
4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
5. Click ‘Save’ in the Add-on Options pane.
6. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
7. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I delete a product brand name?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To delete the product brand name:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. In the Data for Internal Product Management area, select a brand name from the Product Brand drop-down list.3. Click ‘Delete’.
4. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
5. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I delete the details of an assigned category?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To delete the details of an assigned category:
1. In the Product List panel of the Product page, click on a product name.
The ‘Update Product’ page is displayed.
2. In the Data for Internal Product Management area, click the delete option of the assigned category displayed as ‘X’.
3. Click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the Update Product page.
4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Can I delete the details of a category?
Yes. You can delete the details of a category. However, you cannot delete the details if there are any products assigned to a category.
To delete the details of category:
1. Click the menu button located on the left of the menu bar.
2. Click ‘Category’.
The ‘Category Management’ pane is displayed.
3. Select a category and click ‘Delete’.
4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
5. Click ‘Save’ in the Category Management pane.
How do I delete the details of my product from the catalog?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To delete the details of a product from the catalog:
1. In the Product List panel, click the ‘X’ symbol of a product under the Action column.
2. Click Ok in the confirmation dialog box.
The details of the product are deleted from the catalog.
3. Click Save.
Searching for a Product
FastCommerce offers you the search options for every module that help you to search the details in a very less time.
How do I make an advance search for my product?
You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To make an advance search for a product:
1. Click the ‘Advanced’ option in the search panel.
The ‘Advanced’ pane is displayed. This pane has the following options:
· Product Name
· Product #
· Brand· Keywords
· Price From-To-
2. Specify any of the options and click ‘Search’.
The product details are displayed in the ‘Product List’ panel.
Can I search my product details by its category?
Yes. The search panel option of the Product page helps you to search a product by its category. You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To search a product by its category:
1. Click the ‘Search Product By Category’ option in the search panel.
The Search Product By Category pane is displayed.
2. Click the category that matches your search criteria.
The search results are displayed in the ‘Product List’ panel.
How do I make a quick search of my product?
The search panel option of the Product page helps you make a quick search of your product. You can navigate to the product module by clicking Products on the menu bar in the Home page.
To make a quick search of your product:
1. Click the Quick Links option in the search panel.
The Quick Links dialog box with the following links is displayed:
· Products without images
· Products without assigned categories
· Free Shipping products
· On Sale Products
· New Products
· Top 10 Selling Products
· 10 Most Popular Products
2. Click any of the links that closely matches with your search criteria.
The product details are displayed in the ‘Product List’ panel.
4. Customers
The success of an online store depends on how well the customers are managed while they visit your store. With Fast Commerce features, you can make your store easily navigable for a customer so that the customers find an easy access to all the features on your store.
Signing up information
FastCommerce provides a flexible sign up option to shop online.
Do my customers need to sign up to buy products from my store?
No. They need not sign up to products from your store. Before the customers check out, they provide the details such as billing address, shipping address, shipping methods, and payment type. After they submit all the details, the order confirmation page is displayed asking the customer to save a copy of it. You will receive a mail with the details of purchase and the order form generated to the Email address you provided while configuring your store.
How can customers register with my store?
FastCommerce offers two ways in which your customers can register with your store. They can click Sign In option on the home page of your store or they can make a purchase and register during the process of checking out.
How do I view my customer’s details?
You can view the customer details in the following ways after you sign in to your account.
· To view the recent customers’ details, click the customer name in the Recent Customers table.
Refer to the navigating the FastCommerce interface section for more details.
· To view the details of an existing customer, navigate to the Product page and click the customer name.
The ‘Customer Details’ page is displayed with the details of the customer.
Can I add a customer’s record?
Yes. You can add a customer’s record. You can navigate to the customer module by clicking Customers on the menu bar in the Home page.To add a customer record:1. In the Customer List panel, click ‘New Customer’.The ‘New Customer’ page is displayed. On this page you can enter the billing address and the shipping address along with the customer information.2. Enter the details and click ‘Save’.3. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I modify a customer’s record?
You can modify a customer’s record to update the details. You can navigate to the customer module by clicking Customers on the menu bar in the Home page.
To add a customer record:1. In the Customer List panel, click the customer name.The ‘Customer Details’ page is displayed.2. Click ‘Edit Account’.The ‘Edit Customer’ page is displayed.3. Edit the details and click ‘Save’.4. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
How do I search for a customer’s record?
You can search for a customer’s record using the search panel on the Customers page. You can navigate to the customer module by clicking Customers on the menu bar in the Home page.
To search for a customer’s record:
· Enter the customer name in the Search text field and click Search.
The search results are displayed in the ‘Customer List’ panel.
You can also search a customer’s record in the following ways:
· View an alphabetical list of customers
· Perform an advanced customer search
To view an alphabetical list of customers:
· Click the alphabet corresponding to the name of the customer.
The search results are displayed in the ‘Customer List’ panel.
To perform an advanced customer search:
1. Click the ‘Advanced’ option.The ‘Advanced’ pane is displayed. This pane has the following options:· Account#· First Name· Last Name· Company· Phone· Email2. Specify any of the options and click ‘Search’.
The search results are displayed in the ‘Customer List’ panel.
Can I delete a customer’s account?
Yes. You can delete a customer’s account. You can navigate to the customer module by clicking Customers on the menu bar in the Home page.
To delete a customer’s account:
1. In the Customer List panel, click the ‘X’ symbol under the Action column.
2. Click ‘OK’ in the confirmation dialog box.
Add comment March 24, 2008
Google Shopping and e-commmerce
Do you need a website that produces better results?
Do you need to get lots of products online?
Do you want a website that produces more incoming phone calls and requests
for quotes?
How about a service that will monitor your website on a constant basis, and
then provide you with keyword analysis you can use to fine tune and enhance
website performance?
You get this and more with FastCommerce.com, an e-commerce technology that
acts as a publishing engine to search engines, Google Products, and industry
directories. It is a powerful online product catalog with complete search
engine visibility.
Our professional services can get you up and running quickly with a complete
web store and on-line product catalog. Your company can start generating
more business right away.
The FastCommerce professional services team can then monitor and analyze
site performance and offer recommendations to improve performance. There is
no contract. You can cancel at anytime.
FastCommerce.com will deliver the results you need to make your company a
success. And you can start right away. No messy project implementations,
everything is pre-built. Give us your data and within days you?ll have a
professional, comprehensive e-commerce website. Start powering your business
now with FastCommerce.com.
_____
* We help you get up and running in a week
* We publish your data to Google Products within a week
* We submit your products to Google Search Engine using
Google XML SiteMap
* Submit your site to 100+ search engines
* Submit your site to 20+ directory services
* Build up to 5 product blog sites on top blogs
* Generate monthly reports on key search engine performance
metrics
* Generate high quality free leads
3 comments March 24, 2008
Now with Google Shopping feed
Increase traffic and sales with Google Product Search
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| Do you need a website that produces better results? Do you need to get lots of products online? Do you want a website that produces more incoming phone calls and requests for quotes? How about a service that will monitor your website on a constant basis, and then provide you with keyword analysis you can use to fine tune and enhance website performance? You get this and more with FastCommerce.com, an e-commerce technology that acts as a publishing engine to search engines, Google Products, and industry directories. It is a powerful online product catalog with complete search engine visibility. Our professional services can get you up and running quickly with a complete web store and on-line product catalog. Your company can start generating more business right away. The FastCommerce professional services team can then monitor and analyze site performance and offer recommendations to improve performance. There is no contract. You can cancel at anytime. FastCommerce.com will deliver the results you need to make your company a success. And you can start right away. No messy project implementations, everything is pre-built. Give us your data and within days you?ll have a professional, comprehensive e-commerce website. Start powering your business now with FastCommerce.com.
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For More Info: |
Add comment March 10, 2008
FastCommerce.com announces all FastCommerce stores automatically have their products published on Google Shopping
How about a service that will monitor your website on a constant basis, and
then provide you with keyword analysis you can use to fine tune and enhance
website performance?
You get this and more with FastCommerce.com, an e-commerce technology that
acts as a publishing engine to search engines, Google Products, and industry
directories. It is a powerful online product catalog with complete search
engine visibility.
Our professional services can get you up and running quickly with a complete
web store and on-line product catalog. Your company can start generating
more business right away.
The FastCommerce professional services team can then monitor and analyze
site performance and offer recommendations to improve performance. There is
no contract. You can cancel at anytime.
FastCommerce.com will deliver the results you need to make your company a
success. And you can start right away. No messy project implementations,
everything is pre-built. Give us your data and within days you?ll have a
professional, comprehensive e-commerce website. Start powering your business
now with FastCommerce.com.
_____
* We help you get up and running in a week
* We publish your data to Google Products within a week
* We submit your products to Google Search Engine using
Google XML SiteMap
* Submit your site to 100+ search engines
* Submit your site to 20+ directory services
* Build up to 5 product blog sites on top blogs
* Generate monthly reports on key search engine performance
metrics
* Generate high quality free leads
Add comment March 10, 2008
FastCommerce.com announces all FastCommerce stores automatically have their products published on Google Shopping Press Release
Small Business E-commerce Technology Company Announces Google Shopping Feature
FastCommerce.com, a small business technology provider, announces the successful launch of its Google Shopping capability. All FastCommerce clients now have their online product catalogs automatically published to Google Shopping, also known as Google Product Search. The Google Shopping feature is included in the free version. FastCommerce.com also announces the launch of its Professional Services, which has been designed to get established businesses with product catalogs on-line with a professional e-commerce web site in days, not months. This service is for small businesses with small budgets.
FastCommerce.com, a Web 2.0 e-commerce technology for small business, announces the recent successful launch of its Google Shopping feature. Google Shopping, or Google Product Search, is a newly modified feature where visitors to the search engine’s website can now search directly for product in Google Product Search. A tab for “Shopping” was recently added to the Google search engine website. Google shopping is free to all merchants looking to sell their products online. It is also available with Google Checkout, a feature available through FastCommerce’s e-commerce technology. The Google Shopping feature on FastCommerce automatically submits an on-line product catalog data base to Google Products. The feature has been designed and implemented to drive traffic from Google Shopping directly to FastCommerce merchants for significantly increased sales.
The Google Shopping feature is also available on the free version of the FastCommerce small business e-commerce platform. The free version is particularly suitable for small business entrepreneurs to get a business online at little to no cost. FastCommerce is a web-based e-commerce application that lets small business start, grow and then manage their business online, all from one single system. By simply signing up and signing in, a small business entrepreneur automatically generates a professional, fully operable e-commerce website, as well as a full suite of back-office management tools need to run a business online. It is completely free to the first fifty products. The addition of Google Shopping to the free version makes for a very powerful means to make the move to e-commerce with immediate results. The clients are then free to sign up for additional services when they are ready.
FastCommerce.com also announced the launch of a Professional services division, designed for established businesses looking to make the leap into e-commerce while avoiding the hefty expense of project implementation and costly technology. Small businesses with extensive product catalogs face tremendous hurdles when looking to go into on-line sales. Such a move has traditionally involved licensing e-commerce technologies, and then expending additional funds for implementation. The FastCommerce Professional Services team brings years of experience and its Web 2.0 technology platform to get companies up and running in days instead of months. The no contract, no licensing model to get a fully operable e-commerce web-site drives down the cost to a fraction of most e-commerce technology platforms. There are additional services for submitting to over 100 search engines, directories, as well as keyword consultation and continuous updates.
About FastCommerce.com
FastCommerce.com is a Web 2.0 technology platform that changes the way entrepreneurs can succeed in online sales. It has been designed to automate all the initial hurdles of beginning a web business, and then managing it all from one single system. Far from being a simple shopping cart technology, FastCommerce Small Business e-Commerce technology is enterprise in scope with the goal of letting small companies and entrepreneurs run all aspects of their business on a single, pre-integrated system.
Add comment March 10, 2008
FastCommerce.com announces all FastCommerce stores automatically have their products published on Google Shopping
For small business owners, moving to e-commerce brings complexity and confusion. There is a steep learning curve, and e-commerce technology can be intimidating for the beginner. Not with FastCommerce.com: by simply signing up, the small business entrepreneur automatically generates a professional web-store. And the service is entirely free for the first fifty products.
San Mateo, California (PRWEB) November 9, 2007 — The demand for small business e-commerce technology is rapidly increasing as small business owners move to the web to capture more business. With on-line sales growing at a tremendous pace, small business entrepreneurs need to adopt successful technologies that will enable them to quickly set up and operate an on-line e-commerce store. But this first step brings with it the challenge of finding the right solution. A new and growing e-commerce platform, FastCommerce.com, has been designed to automate these first steps into e-commerce.
Small business owners also run the risk of spending money on the wrong solution. Misspent funds can quickly add up to sizable sums before a business’s website goes live. However, FastCommerce.com is a free e-commerce service. Full access to the service is free up to the first fifty products. It is free to start and free to use, making it even easier to get started with on-line sales.
The FastCommerce.com e-commerce web service has been designed to get small business owners up quickly with an on-line store to begin selling right away. A simple one-step registration automatically generates a complete and professional web-store. Users also gain access to their own web-based e-commerce management module or dashboard to process orders, manage accounts and select pre-set payment options such as PayPal, and now with Google Check-out.
FastCommerce.com announces all FastCommerce stores automatically have their products published on Google Shopping
By signing up with the FastCommerce e-commerce service, small business owners have everything they need to run a complete on-line business. They simply enter their zip code, shipping rates for UPS and FedEx are automatically calculated in the shopping cart. Enter an email address and an email auto-responder for the customer order confirmation is automatically activated. Customers can create a product, go to their store front, add to cart: they can then register, complete the purchase, and go to their email box: a professionally formatted order confirmation email will be there waiting for them.
There are dozens of easy automation features built into the FastCommerce.com e-commerce application. For example, there a dozen reports, including a quick-link feature that gives a real time view of 10 top selling products and 10 most popular products by page views. The FastCommerce.com applications have been designed to be easy to use, with a very short learning curve. As Charles Han, CEO of FastCommerce.com states, “Our goal was to build a compelling small business e-commerce application, and then give it away. We have a lot of experience building web-based small-business applications, but here the aim was to simplify and automate the process. No one goes to YouTube.com looking for a set of instructions on how to use it.”
FastCommerce.com is the latest in Web 2.0 web-services that are web-based, easy to use and low cost. By simply signing up small business owners have access to low cost e-commerce applications that are also feature-rich and well designed.
The feedback to the service, both the product and the small business pricing, has been tremendous. Additional features in the near-term will include a set of templates designed to give customers complete control over the branding of their website. FastCommerce.com is dedicated to building state of the art small business applications at small business prices.
About Fastcommerce:
Fastcommerce.com provides business management software to small businesses, delivered on demand as a service via the web on a free or paid monthly subscription basis. We provide small businesses with a complete fully integrated package that run their entire operations, from inventory control, sales, marketing, support, on-line catalog, e-commerce, back-end order processing and built-in UPS and FedEx shipping tools.
The only requirement to use our software is an Internet connection. Unlike a traditional software company, our small business customers do not need to buy and maintain expensive software and hardware.
1 comment March 8, 2008
Great conference this year at Internet Retailer
Internet retailer 2008
This is the best conference for those who sell online. This year looks particularly good as the internet e-commerce world quickly changes.
That’s what makes FastCommerce.com so impressive. For small budgets looking for a truly PROFESSIONAL online store and back office management, FastCommerce.com is the first, second and third choice for small business entrepreneurs.
Here is a list of topics.
Web Merchants dive into the mainstream
No longer a sidebar, e-retailing is leading the way in retailing, marketing, new media and e-commerce.
Open up new markets
Basics of web site design and content
Engaging the shopper for more sales
Making your e-commerce technology shopping list
You and third party platforms
Sorting out fulfillment and shipping options
Marketing, making the right choices to achieve roi
How to choose a search engine marketing company
The new levels of competitiveness in e-retailing
How the mainstream internet creates new market opportunities
First you crawl: the evolution of a web site
Running a small e-commerce business: practical, real world tips and tricks
How to manage third party store platform relationships
Relying on other people’s expertise: how to make the right outsourcing choices
Product sourcing: the web’s important role for retailers
Organizing for e-commerce success
Budgeting: balancing store investments and web site investments
What’s that shopper worth? Measuring the offline impact of an online visit
Web 2.0 reality check
Mixing web 2.0 and organic search: ensuring you can be found in a 2.0 world
Finding the real value in virtual worlds
Let customers be the guides: Wikipedia meets overstock
What might go wrong with web 2.0
A mainstream strategy for a web-only retailer
The internet’s made for me markets
Manufacturers enter the e-retailing mainstream
Making sense of the shifting marketing landscape
The big power of little widgets
Consumers raise their voices: keeping track of your brand online
Using personas to pinpoint a shoppers needs
Personalizing the web experience
Implementing and using video
What’s the future of rich media
Customer reviews: getting them right
5 things you can do to secure your website
The evolving world of payment security
Unlocking payments value: strategies for managing payment acceptance
Making the right choice among alternative payments and processors
Changes in the parcel industry and how they affect e-retailers
Getting the product to the customer now
The new role of the customer service agent
Tapping into the promise of self-serve customer service
Back to square one: refocusing and starting over
My problem and how I solved it
Making sure your new technology will do what it is supposed to do
Getting other retailers to help with your technology implementation
Web site design spotlight: live, on the spot critiques of retailers’ sites
How to plan for a redesign
Organizing product date for more sales
Add comment March 5, 2008
RUN YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS FROM A SINGLE SYSTEM ECOMMERCE PLATFORM
FastCommerce.com features
web. 2.0
Customer Facing
Professional Web-store
Navigation by parent category tabs
Home Page Branding and Personalization
Easy Web Page Creator
Create-a-Page for Custom Marketing and Information
Free Professional and Attractive Templates
Featured Product Area
Related Products
Product Personalization
Guest Check-out
Customer Registration
Customer Account Edit
Customer view purchase
Customer Reorder from Previous purchase
One Page Check out
Alternative Payment options (check Purchase order)
Automatic order confirmation email
Automatic shipping confirmation email
Customizable message in email order confirmation
Customer specific shipping options
Customer Account Registration and login
Automatic Tax Calculation
Search capability enhance by Alternative Search capability
Search by brand
Advanced Search
Message box in Shopping cart
Message Personalization
Shop by product variables
Free Secure and Encrypted Check-out
Google Checkout
PayPal
Accept Credit Cards Through Authorize.net
Alternative Payment methods: Check, purchase order, etc.
Live shipping rates calculations for UPS, FEDEX and USPS
Free Shipping by item
Flat Rate Shipping option
Handling fees enabled
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT MODULE
Product Search
Quick Product Search by Alphabet
Product search by Category
Multiple Images per product
Assign Product to multiple categories
Alternative Keywords for each products
Quick link for ten top selling items
Quick link for top ten most popular items
Multiple Pricing options
Real Time for changes and modifications to support quick response
Sale Price Option ONSALE!
Percentage Discount Capability YOU SAVE
Discount Shopping cart per item
Dual-image product view feature
Customizable call for price
Customizable Shipping message
Customizable Availability Message
Free Shipping by item
Customizable Product Description tabs
Customizable product description area for additional pictures
Alternative keyword Search enhancement by items
Search engine visible product pages.
Hide Product from online store
Assign item to brand
Product Variables by size, color, price, etc.
Customizable product variables by value or text field
In-stock Quantity
Related items for accessories
Assign item to brand
Multiple Tabs for Product description, Specifications, Warranty, etc
Image file Manager for fast image upload and image management
Display Shipping weight option by item
Create Links in Product description
Order & Customer management
Email notification for new orders
Fast Search For Customer Account Information
Real Time Order Management Module for order processing
EDIT ORDER
ADD/Adjust Shipping and Handling
Partial Ship
Recent orders
Recent customers
Create Customer Account w/ username password
View Customer Purchase history
Customer Account management
Customer quick search
Create notes capability for Customer accounts
Multiple Shipping addresses per account
Receive Email Promotions option per account
Back Orders capability
Sales By Customer Detail Report
Sales By Customer Summary Report
Orders On Hold Report
Modify Shipping/Handling Charge while processing order
Ability to track orders by status (ready to ship)
BUSINESS FLOW
Signing up generates fully operable web-store with fully integrated back office management
Customizable Shipping options.
Option to add shipping
1 comment March 2, 2008
