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How is the store catalogue created?
Initially, the catalogue is created by EDO Software Services, using data supplied by the merchant. Subsequent updates can be carried out the merchant using the administration section of the store.
How should the merchant supply the catalogue?
The simplest format is a spreadsheet. Each product is on a row of its own. The columns of the spreadsheet contain information about the product item such as ID number (or SKU), price, description and name of image file.
What is the easiest way to update a catalogue?
The simplest method is to update items individually. In the administration screen, click on Items and choose the item you want to edit. Price, description, picture and other details can be changed this way.
Does the person updating a catalogue require technical skills?
No, anyone who can operate a web browser and fill in forms on screen has the skills to update a catalogue. Some practice, but no technical training is required.
How is the text content of the store created?
Like the catalogue, this is created by EDO Software Services, using text supplied by the merchant on topics like "About Us" and "Contact Details". This text can be modified by the merchant later through the administration pages.
Easy upload of existing databases
Can I upload data from an existing database?
Yes. All you have to do is to have the database export the information in a form suitable for uploading. This is a spreadsheet-type file of the type mentioned above. EDO Software Services will supply examples of the format required.
Product matrix support
How does EDO Retail deal with product items that have several attributes - e.g. a sweatshirt that comes in three colours and four sizes?
One of the advanced features of EDO Retail is support for a "product matrix". This means that a small table, like a mini-spreadsheet, can be created for a product item, specifying the size/colour combinations that are available.
Inventory tracking
How does EDO Retail deal with stock (inventory) levels?
The amount of each catalogue item in stock can be stored. As they are purchased, this number is reduced.
What happens when the stock of an item reaches zero?
The merchant can decide what happens. If the item is easily reordered, a message to this effect can be shown (e.g. "On order, add three days to shipping time."). Alternatively, the item can just be marked "Out of stock".
Can out of stock messages be avoided?
The system can be set to warn the merchant when stock levels for an item reach a certain level.
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What computers can be used with EDO Retail?
Shoppers and administrators can use a wide range of computer types (Windows, Macintosh, Linux) and web browsers. Additionally, EDO's partnership with Eircell, offers the possibility of mobile commerce (m-commerce) which allows shopping with a mobile phone using WAP or text messages.
Unlimited products
How big can an EDO Retail catalogue be?
Unlike many rival products, there is no built-in limit on catalogue size. The EDO Retail platform has been with catalogues of 250,000 items and more.
Unlimited transactions
Are there limits on the number of transactions?
No. Unlike many other rival products, EDO Retail does not limit the number of transactions or charge more for successful, high-volume sites.
Context-sensitive help
How does a merchant get help on administering EDO Retail?
The best source of information on administering EDO Retail is the built-in help in the adminstration system. After logging on to the adminstration screen, click on Help to see the topics available. Alternatively, clicking Help in any of the subsequent administration screens brings up help that is relevant to that context.
Site search capability
How do browsers find the products they want?
They can do this in two ways. They can browse through categories and see all products in each category. Alternatively, they can use the built-in search function to find products relvant to them.
Advanced shopping basket functionality: save and retrieve baskets
What basic shopping basket/cart features does EDO Retail have?
It includes the key shopping cart features:
- Add products to cart
- Review cart
- Add or remove items
- Change number of items
- See updated total price
What advanced shopping basket/cart features does it have?
EDO Retail has a number of advanced features to make repeat business easier for the customer. A basket of goods can be stored and retrieved. For example, a business may create and store a basket of the items typically required each month such as stationery, printer supplies, floppy disks. Re-ordering these items is simplified by retrieving the stored basket and changing items or quantities as required.
EDO Retail also allows a customer to store several delivery addresses. A purchasing manager, for example, who buys for several branch offices can store the address of each branch office to avoid having to re-enter delivery information.
SSL support for customer security when entering credit card data
What security measures are built into EDO Retail?
EDO Retail is hosted on systems that been set up to emphasise security and intruder-detection. These systems are physically held in a secure Eircom facility to which access is strictly controlled. Sections of the merchant site on which sensitive information such as credit card details are entered are secured with SSL encryption. These secure connections offer shoppers confidence that their details will not be compromised in transit over the Internet. EDO Retail does not store shoppers credit card details. As soon as they have been entered they are encrypted with the merchant's security key and emailed to the merchant.
How flexible is the display of products in EDO Retail?
The system is designed to be template-driven. That is, it comes with a set of pages to display sections, menus, catalogue items etc, that have been designed to be clear and attractive. These templates, with the merchant's own colours and branding, are more than enough to create a strongly branded online store. However, EDO Retail also caters for highly designed stores. Merchants who wish to specify additional designer features can be accommodated by EDO Software Services.
Multiple currency capable, tax calculation
How does EDO Retail deal with currency and tax issues?
The EDO Retail system is flexible enough to deal with more than one currency, and with calculated taxes. The catalogue item price is entered once and all other price/tax options are calculated from this using rules supplied by the merchant.
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How are shipping prices calculated?
There several options for shipping prices. The cost of shipping can be flat rate (e.g. £10 per order) or calculated according to weight. Customers can be offered a choice of shipping methods (post, courier, air-courier).
Caters for multiple customer types
What types of customer does EDO Retail support?
The system can be set up to cater for all web visitors (retail mode) or for specified customers who must log in (trade-only mode). EDO Retail is also flexible enough to cater for a mixture of customer types. Trade customers can be offered special pricing. These prices are only available to customers who log in and are marked by the merchant as trade customers. Web visitors do not see the trade customer prices.
Does it support appropriate payment methods?
Payment methods (credit card, purchase order, cheque, COD) can be set by the merchant. The range of payment methods available to the customer can be determined by the merchant, e.g. web visitors must pay by credit card while trade customers can supply a purchase order number or pay COD.
Generates static pages for search engine compatibility and performance
How does EDO Retail deal with Internet search engines?
Web search engines are an important source of business for online stores. Some e-commerce systems do not create pages that are search-engine friendly. EDO Retail creates pages that perform optimally both for search engines and customers.
Does this make the system less dynamic?
No. Despite the search-engine optimisation, catalogue pages remain dynamic. Once a merchant changes a product price or description, the next visitor to the site sees the updated product.
Affiliate management features
What is an affiliate system?
In an affiliate system, a merchant encourages other sites to link to the online store. Sales that originate with these affiliate sites are recorded and the affiliates earn commissions on these sales.
How does EDO Retail support affiliates?
It offers an easy way to create new affiliates, generates the codes for each affiliate automatically and tracks orders from each affiliate. The merchant can easily see the sales and commission due to each affiliate from the administration screens.
Order reporting screen
How can merchants review their orders?
The information required to fulfil an order is delivered to the merchant in a secure, encrypted email. This contains all information required to deliver an order. Merchants can also obtain an overview of all orders, change status of orders from pending to shipped, archive and retrieve orders from the orders administration screen.
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What other information is available to merchants?
As well as orders, merchants can review information on site traffic, products viewed and items added to shopping carts. This information can help merchants to tune the performance of stores to turn as many browsers as possible into purchasers.
What about customers?
Shoppers who register as customers can avail of extra features such as store and retrieve cart. The merchant can then review the history of registered customers, including details such as date and value of orders.
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What merchandising features are supported?
EDO Retail offers merchants the full selection of tools that assist in maximising sales value online: cross-selling, up-selling, promotions and preferential discounts. The systematic application of these tools is part of what makes online selling so powerful.
Cross-selling
This is where a customer is offered additional products based on those already selected. For example, a customer choosing a laptop computer could be offered a carry case, docking station and external mouse.
Up-selling
A customer who has selected Product A can be offered the next product up the value chain with a suitable message such as "For just £10 more, Product B offers the following extra features…"
Promotions
Certain items in the catalogue can be marked as promotions. This means that they are automatically shown in high-visibility locations such as the right-hand side of the store home page. Promotions can be set to run for set periods, so that no further work is required to remove an item from promotion status after the end date.
Preferential pricing
Regular and trade customers can be offered extra incentives, such as preferential pricing, that is not available or visible to casual visitors.
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EDO Retail is a comprehensive managed service. Initial catalogue creation, site design and creation carried out by EDO Software Service. The EDO Retail store is hosted on EDO's high-capacity network infrastructure and managed for availability and security by EDO staff.
The merchant is left free to concentrate on merchandising, selling and
fulfillment of orders.
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