The StoreFront Add On involves an interactive set of specialty pages on your site that a seller can purchase a subscription for. These pages provide a seller not only the opportunity to highlight their listings but also the advantage of profiling their company as well. When site visitors click into one of your seller's StoreFronts they will experience a personalized look at the seller's listings, logo, unique category browsing, personal extra pages, news letters, and more.
Your AdvantagesThe StoreFront Add On is a great opportunity for you to create an
increased earnings potential for yourself through the software. You will set up StoreFront Subscription Periods with Fees and charge sellers based upon the time period they choose. The StoreFront Subscription Fee is in addition to any other fees that you charge the seller when they list their items on your site.
One of the great features of this Add On is that each StoreFront has its own unique URL path on your domain. Therefore, as sellers advertise their StoreFront URL on their own websites and through other resources, you will experience increased site traffic by taking advantage of their marketing efforts.
You may also choose to set one of your Subscription Periods to be FREE. This will give your sellers an opportunity to try out the StoreFront for a short period of time prior to having to purchase a Paid StoreFront Subscription.
Seller AdvantagesThe StoreFront Add On offers your sellers the opportunity for
increased listings exposure on your site. Listed below are just a few examples of the advantages your sellers will have when they purchase a StoreFront Subscription from you:
- Increased listing exposure which helps the chances of selling their items.
- Their own unique URL path that they can advertise in emails, on websites, etc.
- Seller can turn "off" their StoreFront from being displayed during set up and maintenance.
- A "StoreFront" column is displayed on the main site's category pages which will draw the attention of visitors to those sellers who have StoreFronts.
- The Seller's listings automatically populate into the StoreFront...nothing more for them to do.
- Seller can upload their own logo and slogan.
- Seller can choose from any number of StoreFront templates that your offer.
- Seller can create their own category structure unique to their StoreFront.
- Seller can create and populate their own 'extra pages' to provide more information to visitors.
- Seller can create their own news letters and allow visitors to subscribe directly through the StoreFront.
- Seller can get personal traffic information for their StoreFront.
Overview
The image below represents how a StoreFront might look once it is fully set up. Keep in mind that this example is using the template that comes by default when you install the StoreFront Module. Not only is this template completely customizable, but you can also create and offer as many additional StoreFront Templates as you like for your Sellers to choose from while they are setting up their StoreFront. Each feature that is being called out has a "tag" associated with it. These tags can be moved around within the html of each template offering you the capability to truly customize the layout for each.
( 1 ) StoreFront Template - Sellers can choose from any number of Templates that you offer them. This Example StoreFront happens to be using the default Geodesic StoreFront Template.
( 2 ) Seller's Logo - Sellers can upload their own logo to personalize the StoreFront.
( 3 ) Seller's Welcome Note - Sellers can upload their own slogan or welcome message if they desire.
( 4 ) Seller's Categories - Sellers can set up their own category structure specific to their StoreFront. For example, if your main site has 30 categories, but the seller only wants to offer items two categories, they can simply set up only the two categories that they want. Then, when listing their items through the software's normal listing process, one of the selections will be to choose the "StoreFront Category" that the item will be placed within.
( 5 ) Seller's Pages - Sellers can create extra pages within their StoreFront to provide additional information to their visitors. For instance, they could create an "About Us" page or a "Terms & Conditions" page if they want to.
( 6 ) Seller's Newsletter Signup - Sellers can offer the ability for site visitors to subscribe to their "newsletter" by having the visitor submit their email address. Each "newsletter" that the seller sends out is recorded for later recall if they wish. All subscribers are recorded in the Seller's StoreFront Manager tool.
( 7 ) StoreFront Browsing - Visitors will browse the Seller's StoreFront just as if they were browsing the main site, except that they will only see listings for that particular Seller. You will also notice that columns are sortable as well just as they are in the main site's browsing.
Setting up the StoreFront - Admin Panel
Once the StoreFront Add On has been installed with your software you will have the ability to set up any number of StoreFront Subscription Periods and prices for each. Sellers can then sign up for a StoreFront Subscription based upon the periods you offer them:
You can also specify which columns (fields) will be displayed within the StoreFronts on your site:
Based upon the selections shown above, this is how the StoreFront's browsing will look:
You can choose which categories (if any) of your main site will have an additional "StoreFront" column displayed. This column will contain a StoreFront link next to each listing whose seller has a current StoreFront Subscription:
Based upon the selections shown above, this is how the Automobile's browsing category will look. You can edit the "StoreFront" text to display something different if you like:
The StoreFront Add On comes with a default template. However, you can create and offer as many additional StoreFront Templates as you want to offer your sellers. They will choose which one they want to use while they are setting up their StoreFront:
The last step in preparing the StoreFront Add On to be offered on your site is to access each User Group that you want to give StoreFront privileges to. When editing the User Group, the StoreFront Privileges section will display at the bottom of the page. You can use this section to assign which Subscription Periods you want to offer each specific User Group. The same StoreFront Subscription Choices that you set up previously will be shown here:
User Experience - Ordering a StoreFront Subscription
Users can order a StoreFront Subscription through their "account information" page:
If you have given StoreFront Privileges to the user's User Group, they will see a "StoreFront Subscription Information" box at the bottom of their "account information" page:
After choosing the subscription period and paying for their StoreFront Subscription, their "StoreFront URL" will then show up on their "account information" page. They can post this link on their own website or other locations on the net:
Clicking the StoreFront URL will take them to their StoreFront which has the StoreFront's default template assigned. If they already have "active listings" on your site, they will automatically show up within their StoreFront. They will also see the StoreFront Manager displayed on the screen which is what they will use to set up their StoreFront:
User Experience - Setting up the StoreFront
The seller applies all settings to their StoreFront through the StoreFront Manager. The StoreFront Manager is a tabbed floating window that can be dragged around on the screen by the seller. The window itself can also be minimized for easier viewing of the StoreFront.
Categories Tab - This tab allows the Seller to set up a unique category structure that will be used within their own StoreFront. So, if your main site has 30 categories, but they only offer items in 2 categories, their StoreFront doesn't have to be cluttered with unused categories. The categories that they set up in their StoreFront will also show up as an option during the Listing Process. They will first choose the main site's category that their item will be placed in. Then they will choose their StoreFront's category where the item will placed:
Pages Tab - This tab gives the seller an opportunity to add unique pages for their StoreFront. They may want to create an "About Us" page, or a page to discuss their "Seller's Terms":
Once a page has been added, the seller can then edit the page with the appropriate content that they want to display. One of the tools on this tab is the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor that allows the seller to apply custom colors and fonts to their pages:
Display Settings Tab - This tab offers the seller a chance to really customize their StoreFront. They can upload their Logo and a Welcome Note if they wish to. The "Logo" and "Welcome Note" will show up wherever you have inserted the "tag" for each within the StoreFront template they choose. Also, if you have created additional StoreFront Templates, they can choose which one they wish to use from a dropdown box. This is also where they can turn their StoreFront "on" and "off". By default, the StoreFront is turned "off" so that they can set it up the way they want it prior to going "live" with the StoreFront.
News Letter Tab - This tab allows the seller to set up, maintain, and send out their own newsletters. Their main StoreFront Page has a "New Letter" sign up form for visitors to subscribe to that seller's newsletter.
Subscribers Tab - This tab displays a list of the current subscribers in the system who have signed up for the StoreFront's News Letter.
Traffic Reports Tab - This tab allows the seller to keep track of the number of visitors that have visited their StoreFront.
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