
Going Live Guide |
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ContentsNote: IntroductionOnce you have finished with production (setting up your products, images, and design), it's time to get your online store functioning to the public. This guide will give you a step-by-step process on how to go live with your online store. Setup your Merchant Account/Online Payment GatewaySetting up online payment methods will allow you to accept payment methods such as credit cards, PayPal, and Checkout by Amazon. The advantage to this is that you do not have to process your payments manually, however, you do need to have an account with a payment gateway. Click here to see the payment gateways Shift4Shop is integrated with! If you currently have a merchant account, contact them and let them know you would like to start an account with a payment gateway. For additional information on Online Payments and gateways, please see our Payment Guide and review the Online Payment Methods section. Setup Your Offline Payment MethodsSetting up offline payments will allow you to accept checks, money orders, purchase orders, store pickups, etc. All offline payments will have to be manually processed once the order comes through. For more detailed information on setting up your Offline Payment methods, see the Payment Guide and review the Offline Payments section. Setup your Invoice Number SequenceTo setup your invoice number, go to Settings >General>Store Settings and click on the "Checkout" tab where you will see a link labeled "Edit Invoice Number." From here, you can edit the number your invoices will start at. All you have to do is change the letter and number you want the orders to start at and click update. When new orders come in, the system will automatically update each order with a new number in numerical order. Click here for more information. Create Your Shipping MethodsTo begin adding a shipping method, login to your store manager and from the left navigation menu, go to Settings >Shipping and click on the "Enter Settings" button under Shipping Settings. Update the Real Time Shipping Information field with the address you will be shipping your products from. You will use real time shipping if you want to use UPS, USPS, FedEx, or Canada Post. Furthermore, we do support many different types of UPS, USPS, FedEx, and Canada Post shipping methods. (these can be set up in the "Shipping Method" section of you Shipping page.) You will use Offline Shipping methods if you want to set up a custom flat rate shipping method, such as by quantity, value, weight, or zip code. For more information, please see the Shipping Guide. Setup Your Company Policy PagesCompany policy pages allow customers to get a quick overview of how your company runs and the policies that govern them. It will give your customers confidence in your online store when they see your company information on display. Also, some merchant accounts may require you have certain terms and conditions displayed. Shift4Shop has created an entire list of company policies/procedures for you to use. Go to Content>Site Content and click on the content button for Terms and Conditions. This is a page we've created for you which uses a Database Feed of terms and policies. From there, you can choose any terms and conditions you want, click on its edit button make changes as needed. Create Further Checkout OptionsAt this point, you may have further options for checkout you will want to use. You may want to add Tax options, or allow customers to use Gift Certificates. The following articles may be useful to you: Place a Test OrderOnce all of your options have been set up, you are ready to place a test order through your online store to make sure everything is functioning properly. Make sure to test out all payment methods and shipping options, just as a customer would. Point your Domain Name to Shift4ShopTo change your DNS to point at your Shift4Shop IP address, you must:
Shift4Shop's DNS Servers are:
If you would like to use a second level domain for your store, i.e. store.mydomain.com, you will require a DNS record change at your current hosting provider:
Note Quick Summary ChecklistHere's a quick rundown of your steps to go live with your store:
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