Answer:

This tutorial includes some great videos to teach you how to use your E-commerce website to the best of your ability!

All customers will receive phone training for their E-commerce websites, but should you need an extra helping hand when you are uploading products on your own- these videos should come in handy!

How to add manufacturers.

It is important you add each manufacturer you stock before uploading products, as you will then group your products into the Manufacturer categories. Here is a video of how to do this:

 

Next- how to upload products.

This is one of the first stages when setting up your E-commerce. Click play below for a basic run through:

 

How to add options.

This gives the customer a choice to select colours, fabrics- anything that applies to your product. A real time saver, as many products come with various options:

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Answer:

This How To tutorial is to aid training in uploading products to your new HML E-commerce website.

Basics on how to upload products, add manufacturers and options to your products. As well as some handy tips along the way! Finally- how to add Products!

Step 1

Login to your E-commerce website, typically this is accessed at your website domain /admin E.G.

www.ecommercetutorial.co.uk/admin

Though your logins will have been supplied to you by HML.

Here you can enter your username and password supplied to you by HML

Step 2

You will now be in your E-commerce websites dashboard, here is a run through of the main areas:

A – Catalogue This is where you will add products, manufacturers and options

B – Sales This is where you will handle all orders and returns

C – Reports Here you can find reports on sales, statistics on most viewed items etc

D – Store Front Takes you to the homepage of your E-commerce website

E – Overview Gives data on total sales, customers and orders

F – Last 10 Orders Shows you the latest 10 orders from your E-commerce website

Step 3

Go to ‘Catalog’ and select ‘Products’ from the drop down list

Step 4

You will see all products listed on this page. The main areas are highlighted below ‘Create’ lets you enter a new product. ‘Edit’ by the side of each product let’s you go in and make changes. You can also filter through your products using the bar on the top- simply enter the product name, or model and press ‘Filter’ to be taken directly to that item.

So, to enter a new product- simply click ‘Create’

Step 5

You will now be taken to a large table system, each section of your product information is displayed in tabs. The first to fill out is entitled ‘General’ enter in the name, description and any meta tags here. You need not click save, once you click to the next section ‘Data’ your information is saved automatically.

Step 6

Now scroll up the page, and click on the next section ‘Data’. Fill in all areas highlighted in red here. You upload pictures in exactly the same way as before, by simply clicking ‘Browse Files’ then ‘Upload’ to gain an image from your computer- double click when the image is uploaded and it will be inserted.

TOP TIP After entering your price, you will be asked to select an option for Tax Class. If you have the base price and would like VAT added for you, simply select ‘Taxable Goods’ and 20% VAT will be added to the customers order. If you have already worked out the price including tax, just select ‘None’ here instead

Step 7

Now scroll back up the page, and proceed to the next section of your product information ‘Links’. Here you will choose from your Manufacturers which the item is, and also select the ‘Category’ the product goes in from the list already created for you. Ensure all sections highlighted in red below are filled out. You can also add related products.

Step 8

Now, if applicable, you can add an Option, Special Offer or extra images to the product. If you do not need too simply click ‘Save’ (See Step 11).. Otherwise read on!

Add an Option, by scrolling up and select ‘Option’ from the tabs. You will see a black space, and a search bar. Type in the option you wish to use here and it will select from the list you created earlier. In this case, we have selected ‘Colour’.

Now simply select ‘Add Option Value’ and add as many criteria as necessary. You then enter a quantity- so however many you have in stock, and can also select whether this changes the price.

You can add as many options as you need for the product. By simply pressing the green plus sign.

Step 9

To add an offer on an item, simply scroll to ‘Special’. Here you will select ‘Add Special’ a new table will be brought up, write the price that the item is now on offer for, and select how long you wish the offer to last- there is a calender to make it easy to extend the offer for a few days or a month if you wish.

Step 10

Finally you can also add additional images to the product, simply select ‘Image’ from the tabs and click ‘Add Image’ you can then ‘Browse Files’ and upload an image from your computer. They will be stored in the uploader for you, and just double click to upload. You can add as many images here as you like.

Step 11

Finally click ‘Save’ as indicated below, to enter your new product on to your website. You can always go back to a product and change any details by clicking ‘Edit’

Still stuck? scroll down for a video tutorial…

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Answer:

This How To tutorial is to aid training in uploading products to your new HML E-commerce website.

Basics on how to upload products, add manufacturers and options to your products. As well as some handy tips along the way! Next- how to add Options!

Step 1

Login to your E-commerce website, typically this is accessed at your website domain /admin E.G.

www.ecommercetutorial.co.uk/admin

Though your logins will have been supplied to you by HML.

Here you can enter your username and password supplied to you by HML

Step 2

You will now be in your E-commerce websites dashboard, here is a run through of the main areas:

A – Catalogue This is where you will add products, manufacturers and options

B – Sales This is where you will handle all orders and returns

C – Reports Here you can find reports on sales, statistics on most viewed items etc

D – Store Front Takes you to the homepage of your E-commerce website

E – Overview Gives data on total sales, customers and orders

F – Last 10 Orders Shows you the latest 10 orders from your E-commerce website

Step 3

Go to ‘Catalog’ and select ‘Options from the drop down list

Step 4

You will then see a list of Options that are available, some are standard ones you can use as a template. We suggest always creating your own- bespoke to your needs. To do so, select ‘Create’ as highlighted below.

Step 5

You will then be able to give your option a name- so in this case ‘Colour’. You can create an option for every need- be it ‘Number of bulbs’ .. ‘Size’…. ‘Fabric’ …. Create exactly what you need. You then add ‘Option Values’ enter all possible choices any item you are uploading would need. So the more the better. When you are uploading your product, you will then be able to filter which option values apply to each individual item. Just type into the text box the name of the option value, give them a sort order for your own records and add an image if necessary.

You can then choose the ‘Type’ of option… Step 6 shows which to choose for you.

Step 6

This is where you choose the kind of option your customer will see. ‘Select’ simply lists the choices and the customer clicks on the one they want. ‘Radio’ gives some bullet point style selections- and only one can be selected by the customer. ‘Checkbox’ allows more than one selection to be chosen. We recommend ‘Select’ for most customers.

Step 7

Finally click save! You will then have a new option to choose from to add to your products. Click here to learn how to upload products. Still stuck? scroll down for a video tutorial….

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Answer:

This How To tutorial is to aid training in uploading products to your new HML E-commerce website.

Basics on how to upload products, add manufacturers and options to your products. As well as some handy tips along the way! Firstly- How to add Manufacturers!

Step 1

Login to your E-commerce website, typically this is accessed at your website domain /admin E.G.

www.ecommercetutorial.co.uk/admin

Though your logins will have been supplied to you by HML.

Here you can enter your username and password supplied to you by HML

Step 2

You will now be in your E-commerce websites dashboard, here is a run through of the main areas:

A – Catalogue This is where you will add products, manufacturers and options

B – Sales This is where you will handle all orders and returns

C – Reports Here you can find reports on sales, statistics on most viewed items etc

D – Store Front Takes you to the homepage of your E-commerce website

E – Overview Gives data on total sales, customers and orders

F – Last 10 Orders Shows you the latest 10 orders from your E-commerce website

Step 3

The first step is to add all of the Manufacturers you stock, you will then filter your products by Manufacturer later- and can choose from the list you have created.

Go to ‘Catalog’ and select ‘Manufacturers’

This example has manufacturers listed, though yours may be blank to start. To enter a new manufacturer select ‘Create’ or to edit an existing manufacturer selling ‘Edit’ to the side.

All of the details you need to input are highlighted in the red boxes. You can also add a logo for the Manufacturer by uploading an image.

To add an image, simply click ‘Browse Files’ as highlighted above, you will then be taken to a new uploader. To take a picture from your computer, simply click upload. Highlighted below. All your images will appear in the uploader. Just double click on the picture you want and it will be uploaded.

You can now see a filled out Manufacturer, simply click ‘Save’ when you are finished and it will be added to the list!

Now when uploading your products, you can select a manufacturer and select from the list you have corrected. Click here to learn how to upload products. Still need more help? Watch the video below for a tutorial…

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Managing orders

When a customer goes through checkout, the information on their order is automatically transferred to the Orders section for you to keep track of. In the administration, you can view all of the orders made on their site, manually add orders, or edit the details of existing orders.

Viewing order details

The Orders section is located under Sales > Orders. On this page, every order ever made from the store is listed in detail.

The following details are displayed for each order on the list:

• Order ID: a number assigned to an order by OpenCart during the checkout confirmation
• Customer: the name of the customer that made the order.
• Status: update of the status of the order. After the order is initially created the status will be “Pending”. The default options are Missing Orders, Canceled, Canceled Reversal, Chargeback, Complete, Denied, Expired, Failed, Pending, Processed, Processing, Refunded, Reversed, Shipped, and Voided.
• Total: the total price of the order.
• Date Added
• Date Modified

With the orders included in the list, there is an option to edit, insert, delete, search, or print an invoice of an order.

Searching for an order

The “Filter” button under Action helps you find orders based on the information specified in the blanks. It can help you locate orders by date added or customer. The “Filter” cannot search for orders by product purchased yet. For more information on the Filter tool, see Filter.

Manually adding/modifying an order

Customer Orders will be automatically updated to the Order section after a customer confirms checkout. Though it is automatically updated, you may want to edit or add orders manually to add new information such as a gift-voucher, or add reward points. To manually add a new order, click the “Insert” button. To modify a pre-existing order, click “Edit” under Action.

Customer Details

The first section for modifying an order is called Customer Details. Typing in a customer name that has already made an account with the store will auto-complete the form by bringing up their information to fill in the blanks.

Payment Details

If an address has been added to the customer, select their address option under “Choose Address”. Otherwise the customer address will need to be manually filled into the form.

Shipping Details

This section tracks the shipping address for this particular order. If the shipping and payment address are the same, copy and paste the information above when adding it manually.

Products

In “Choose Product”, begin typing the product name. A drop down list will appear with products containing that name. Selecting a product from this list will bring up specific product options for this order.

Vouchers

If a customer wants to add a gift voucher order, it will ask them for the following information.

Totals

Under Totals, other contributing payment factors, such as coupons and vouchers, are added/subtracted to the order total.

Shipping and payment methods must already be set up to select a method in the order form. Otherwise, there will be nothing to select under Shipping Method and Payment Method.

The sections seen above (such as Coupon, Voucher, Rewards) are extensions that were enabled specifically for this form. There is an option to customize the order details included in the totals by editing, uninstalling, or enabling specific order total extensions.

Printing invoices

To print an invoice, go back to the Orders page under Sales > Orders. Above the order list on the top right corner is the “Print Invoice” button. Select the order to be printed, and click “Print Invoice”. This action will direct you to a printable page of the invoice. The invoice can be printed out and included in with the shipping.

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Adding a new return

The Return section under Sales > Returns lets you manage merchandise returns. You must manually enter the product and return information to create a new return. To insert a new return, click the “Insert” button in the right corner above the returns list.

Return Details

Filling in the Returns Details tab is the first step in creating a new return. The following details are required to fill out a return:

• Order ID: the ID of the order that was returned.
• Order Date: the date that order was made.
• Customer
• First Name
• Last Name
• E-mail
• Telephone

Products

The Products section fills out more information about the product that was returned, and why it was returned. You will need to manually type in the product that the customer returned. Typing in “Apple” will bring up all the apple products in the store. We selected the Apple Cinema 30″ from the drop down, and the “Model” space was auto-completed for us. You may also include the quantity, the return reason, whether or not the product was opened, the customer’s comments, the return action (credit issued, refunded, replacement sent), and return status (awaiting products, complete, pending). The return status names can be added in the Localisation section.

Editing a Return

Merchandise returns are automatically added to the Returns section when submitted by the customer. The Returns form is located in the store front on the Returns page, under Customer Service in the footer.

The information filled out in this form will be saved in Sales > Returns. The fields that the customer entered above will be included in the same fields when viewing the return in the administration. You can edit the status of the return to Awaiting Products, Pending, or Completed. When the status is updated in the administration, the customer will be able to view the status of their order under My Account > “View your return requests” in the store front.

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Information

The Information section displays specific company information in the footer of every page (as seen in the screenshot below). See Information for more information on the footer page.

The Information page can be found under Catalogue > Information. On this page the administrator will have the option to edit, delete, or insert a new Information page.

About Us, Delivery Information, Privacy Policy, and Terms & Conditions are in the default because they are the most important Information pages used in online stores. We recommend that you edit these pages rather than delete them.

When editing or inserting these pages a description may be added, pages enabled or disabled, and SEO keywords created. There is an option to remove the page from the bottom of the footer.

Information pages in the store front

In the screenshot below, the “Delivery Information” page is being edited in the administration under Catalogue > Information. The Information Title will display the text entered as the title of that information page, while the description will be placed below.

The Data tab requires you to check the store that the Information page will be located in, if you have multiple stores. It also asks for a SEO keyword, a status option enabled (or disabled) to make the page public or not, and a sorting order.

The screenshot below is the result of saving the edited Delivery Information. A customer can access this page from the footer of any page in the store front by clicking “Delivery Information”. There is an option in the Data tab above to remove a link to this page from the footer.

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The shipping methods extensions can accessed under Extensions > Shipping. The core shipping methods seen below are included with the package.

The shipping methods need to be installed before they can be enabled or disabled for the store. To Install a shipping method, click “Install” under “Action”. Once the shipping method is installed, you can edit the specifications of that shipping method, or uninstall it to remove the shipping method information.

Editing the shipping method

Each shipping method needs to be individually edited to meet your shop’s shipping requirements and to specify the prices for that service. There are a few details that are present across all shipping methods:

• Geo Zone: the geographical zone that this shipping method is available to. The GeoZone can be created or configured at System > Localisation > GeoZone in the administration. For more information visit Localisation.
• Status: The status determines whether the shipping method will be available in the store front.
• Sort Order: The sort order affects the placement of the shipping method among other available shipping methods. A shipping method with a sort order of 1 will be positioned above another shipping method with a sorting order of 2 in the store front.

Shipping methods in the store front

Editing shipping methods in the administration will affect the shipping methods available to customers in both the store front Shopping Cart and Checkout pages.

Shopping cart

The shopping cart has a special feature called “Estimate Shipping & Taxes” that will calculate a shipping payment for a customer’s order. See Order totals to enable or disable this feature. When a customer enters their regional information, a popup window will ask the customer to select a shipping method. In this window, every shipping method that is enabled under Shipping Methods will be listed according to their sorting order. The store below enabled Free Shipping and Flat Shipping Rates as their two available shipping methods.

After the customer applies the shipping, the shipping method and it’s cost will be displayed under the Totals.

Checkout

In Step 4 of the Checkout, the customer will need to select a shipping method before finalizing their purchase. The Delivery Method will display every shipping method that was enabled in the administration. The store in the screenshot below enabled the Free Shipping and Flat rate shipping methods. The shipping methods were positioned according to their sorting order, with their prices included on the right side.

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Geo zones are customized zones used in calculating shipping and taxes. Multiple countries and zones can be added to one geo zone to customize shipping methods.

The geo zone below is used to combine the west cost states of the United States into one zone. The west coast of the US consists of California, Oregon, and Washington states. Each individual state is added by selecting the Country, Zone, then clicking “Add Geo Zone”.

Geo Zones can be found here : Admin Dashboard > System > Localisation > Geo Zone

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Banners are pictures containing linkable images displayed in the store’s store front. Banners can be utilized to catch the customer’s eye and direct them to special products in the store. The Banners page under System>Design>Banners lets you customize the images and links displayed on the banners.

Using Banners as Modules

The Modules section uses banners for two modules: Carousel and Banners. The Banners section lets you customize what page layout the banner will be included, and its position. The Carousel module acts like a slideshow, or carousel. The customer can click an arrow to look through a range of product images. If you want to create a new carousel banner displaying all the manufacturer logos, you need to go to System>Design>Banners, and click “Insert”. After coming up with a banner name for later reference, you would to click “Add Banner” to add a new icon to the banner. The following fields are needed to add a new icon to the banner:

• Title: when the customer hovers their mouse over the icon, the title will be displayed.
• Link: the address of the page that the customer will be directed to when clicking on the icon in the banner. In this case, you would want to link the image to a banner page. The link doesn’t need the “www.store.com” portion of the link.
• Image: add an image using the Image Manager.

The Image Manager is a tool used in the administration to upload image files. Banners, product images, the store logo, and manufacturers will all need images uploaded using the Image Manager.

Clicking “Browse Files” will open up a new window called the “Image Manager”. The “image” folder will be available in the left column, which can be found in the root folder where OpenCart was installed. You can use an FTP client to add and delete product images in your “image” folder. Another way to add images is to click the “Upload” button in the toolbar, which will open up your computer’s file directory to directly add them. The images below were provided for the default products. Select an image by clicking on one, and press the “Delete” button in the toolbar to delete it.

You may add as many banners to the banner as necessary. Under Modules, you can edit the Carousel to display the “Manufacturers Banner”. The image below is the screenshot of the home page after the Carousel was assigned the Manufacturers banner. All the manufacturer logos that were added to the Manufacturers banner in the administration can be scrolled through in the store front.

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Product reviews can be both submitted and viewed by customers on the product page. A customer can fill out a review form and submit it to be approved for publication on the site.

In the Dashboard the administrator can view how many customer reviews are awaiting approval in the Overview section. To approve these reviews, the administrator may visit Catalog > Reviews, select the review, and click “edit”. OpenCart will display the author, product, and text review in separate text boxes. Selecting “enabled” under status will make the review publicly available on the product page.

We can’t recommend the editing of customer submitted reviews, even though there is a space to. The point of having reviews is to receive customer input on that specific product to help other customers make an informed decision with their purchase. If you would like to to disable reviews altogether, you can visit the Options tab under System > Settings. See *Settings > Options > Products* for more information.

The result of a customer review approval can be seen in the screenshot below. Every review is made publicly available on the product’s main page after administrative approval. The average rating per product is tabulated by OpenCart and shown out of 5 stars under ‘Available Options’.

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