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Optimistore Step-by-Step
Guide on Creating a eStore
Below you will see the list of recommendations on operating the digital
catalog; the sequence of operations in the majority of cases doesn't
matter.
So, you have installed and activated the application (for the free version -
obtained the
activation key; for the premium one - obtained it from the registration
message).
Launch the application in the administrator mode
(Start-Programs-OptimiStore / Free - OptimiStore)
Quite often in the text you can read about items of the main menu - here it is.
Some items of the menu are active in certain situations only.
For example, the 'Order' item is inactive until you open the 'Orders' tab.
Let's get going!!!
Filling our catalog
The data in your digital product catalog have a multi-level structure.
First, we need to define product GROUPS.
Click on the 'Add/Edit' item on the drop-town group list or on the 'Tools-Groups settings' item on the main menu.
In the window that appears, you can define the basic structure of the catalog.
You can add new groups or change the settings as necessary. If something seems
unclear at the moment or you can't figure out where to start - no problem; you
will be building the structure gradually, as needed, and we will help you with
that.
The group setup window has two tabs.
On the first tab, we define which fields (i.e. columns on the product
list) are to be shown on the list and on the product profile by setting/clearing
the checkboxes by the field names.
Give it a try - the changes appear in the catalog instantly, and you will catch
the idea quickly.
The profile appears under the product list, and its purpose is hide a part of
the data from the main list (as its width is limited by the screen width, and we
still want to place some graphics on the right).
Here you can also name the additional fields. They can contain absolutely any
data - size, width, weight, etc. Please note that the product profile itself
can be configured from the context menu, which you can open by RIGHT-clicking on
the profile.
On the second tab, enter the actual groups. After the software is
installed, the list has two demo groups, which allow creating a demo catalog
right off. Simply delete them and add yours. Please note that creating two and
more groups makes sense only if you are planning on publishing totally different
product groups with totally different specifications in your catalog (one group
might have weight and size, the other one - color, diameter, etc.) If this is
your case, besides entering a new group you may want to enter custom names for
the additional fields, which will override the names entered on the first tab.
Also, splitting into groups makes sense when you have very large product lists (tens
of thousands.)
If you have just one group, the client section of the catalog will have no
drop-down group menu.
In our case, let's add one group, name it 'Table Top Decorations' and close the group setup
window. You can make the other settings later.
Find out more on configuring product groups and fields in your
digital catalog here.
We are done with the structure of the digital catalog, there's very little to
go...
Filling the catalog with products
This is the most frequent operation you are going to deal with when using
your digital catalog.
You can create the product list by hand (like in any spreadsheet editor, press Ins,
Crtl+Ins to insert a new item, Shift+Crtl+Ins to insert a new Sungroup, F2 to edit an item). Or you can load it
automatically with the
import wizard.
Be aware of some important moments.
The digital catalog does not make a distinction in kind between a product item
and a subgroup. In other words, you can add
a subgroup like a plain item and remove the price from it (in this case, a
customer won't be able to add it to an order), and then add the children product
items or other subgroups to it. You can do it the other way around - add a
subgroup with a price (for example 'Kitchen Suite'), and then add a list of
components to it WITHOUT the prices, just to inform the customer on the
composition of the suite, without the possibility to add it to order (or with
such possibility).
You solely decide on that depending on the nature of your products.
You may want to check out the
help article on filling the catalog with products.
Finally, the most interesting part...
Adding photos and videos
Photos, flash-movies and detailed product descriptions are placed to the right
of the product list. The customer's catalog shows them with the following
priority: flash, photo, description (if the description is placed under the
photo,
it will be shown at all times
If no information has been entered, the user will see the 'No Image'
label.
Check out
the help article on adding photos to your digital catalog.
Please note these important moments:
These items are not mandatory for adding.
You can set your own image for missing photographs; e.g., your company logo.
Selecting a subgroup in the right part of the window opens the product gallery.
To alter the width/height of the blocks relatively to each other, place the
mouse pointer on the block border and then drag the border while holding the
left mouse button pressed.
You may find it helpful to read on
adding groups of photographs (for
example, to quickly link a large photo gallery)
and
getting rid of duplicate photos (the
case when many items use the same photo).
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