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With the Shift4Shop AliExpress Importer Extension for Chrome, you can easily import product listings from AliExpress to your Shift4Shop store. The import will include product information, descriptions, images and more. During the import, you can also set your own markup on the price of the product to control how its price will appear on your store.
Once you receive an order for AliExpress item(s), you can export the order to AliExpress (complete with your shopper's shipping information) and complete the actual purchase there. AliExpress will then fulfill the order directly to your customer and you will keep the difference between the AliExpress price and the markup pricing you used on your Shift4Shop store.
These steps will show you how to use the AliExpress Importer extension for Chrome.
Adding the Chrome Extension
First, you will need to add the extension to your Chrome browser.
- Open up Chrome
- Click here to access the extension's page on the Chrome Web Store.
- Once at the page, click on the "Add to Chrome" button and then confirm to install the extension.
The extension will be added to your Chrome browser, and its icon will appear along the top portion of the browser window (next to your address bar). The icon itself will appear as the Shift4Shop Shopping Cart Logo
Authenticating Your Store
The next step in the process will be to authenticate a connection between your Shift4Shop store's API and AliExpress.
- Click on the Extension Icon and select the "Visit AliExpress" link.
(or go directly to www.aliexpress.com/)
- Once again, click the AliExpress Importer Extension on your browser
- Then click on the "Start Authentication" button
The Application Authorization Request form will appear for you to authorize access to your store's API.
- Enter your store's Secure URL into the field provided.
(Be sure to enter your FULL secure URL including the https:// prefix)
- Then click on Proceed
- Log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager
- and click on the "Authorize" button to complete the set up.
Importing Products
- Go to www.aliexpress.com/
(or click on the extension icon in your browser and click on its "Visit AliExpress" button)
- Navigate to a category of products on AliExpress
As you view the AliExpress category you will see an import icon at the top right corner of each listed product.
Note
When viewing categories on AliExpress, be sure to use the grid view. Otherwise, the import icon will not appear.
- Click on the import icon for any product that you'd like to import into your store.
A popup window will appear with details of the product that will be imported to your store.
Here's a brief explanation of each detail that can be edited and imported to your store for the product:
- Name
The product's name as it appears on AliExpress
- Aliexpress Price
The price of the product on AliExpress. This will be listed in your store as the product's Cost field.
- Markup %
The percentage for the markup that you'd like applied to the product's price on your store. By default this is set to 100% meaning it will double the price of the item in your store. However, you may edit the percentage as needed.
- Cart Price
The price of the item as it will appear in your cart. This price updates as you set the Markup % in the form, but you may also manually edit the price to suit your needs.
- Category
This field is intentionally left blank so you may specify your own category for the imported items*.
*Note that if you specify a category/sub-category that already exists in your store, then the import will place the product in that existing category. On the other hand, if you enter a category that does not exist on your store, the import will create it for you.
Also note that - as you select additional products for import - the last category used will be stored in the popup window for convenience (in case you have multiple items going to the same category).
- Meta Title
This information will be imported to your store as the product's Short Description
- Meta Description
This information will be imported to your store as the product's Extended Description
- Meta Tag Keywords
This information will be imported to the store as the product's META Tag Keywords
- Images
And finally, the images shown will be imported to your Shift4Shop store. It's important to note that the images are in fact imported to your store and not merely linked to the product via embedded URLs.
- Once you're satisfied with the import information, click "Submit" to have the product information downloaded/added to your store.
Additional Information
The AliExpress Importer extension is intended to facilitate the import of product listings from AliExpress to your Shift4Shop Store. After import, you may wish to perform additional refinements on the items to meet your needs. Here are some details to consider in regards to the imported items:
- Import Values
With the exception of product images, the import values listed above can be changed to suit your needs prior to import. For example, the names and descriptions can be changed to your site's overall language if needed. The values can also be edited after importing from the Online Store Manager
- SKU Information
As the products are imported to your store, they are created with specific SKUs taken directly form AliExpress. This includes individual part numbers for product options if the item happens to have options. While you can change the product import values as mentioned above, please do not edit the imported SKU numbers as it could affect your ability to correlate the items on the AliExpress side when orders come in.
- Inventory
The inventory/stock value is not available to be imported for the products. Therefore, you will either need to edit your inventory control settings to ensure the product can be purchased in your store. (i.e. Turn off Inventory Control or set the products with a high stock value, or simply list the item as "Back Order")
- Shipping Calculation
The product weight and dimensions are also not available from the existing import functions. Therefore, you may wish to take further steps to control how shipping is calculated for the AliExpress products on your store. Options for this include creating offline shipping calculation ranges, a flat rate shipping method, or using a shipping markup on each product individually. Many products from AliExpress offer free shipping, so marking them as Free Shipping in your store is yet another option you can consider for the imported products.
Processing Orders
When orders come in for your AliExpress items, you will take the order and export it to AliExpress. On the AliExpress side, you place and pay for the order. Meanwhile your customer's shipping information is automatically added to the order on AliExpress. So, when the order is shipped and fulfilled, it is sent to your customer.
Here's how to export the orders to AliExpress.
- Log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager
- Using the left hand navigation, go to Orders >Manage Orders
- Locate the order you'd like to fulfill and click on its invoice number to open it up.
- While viewing the order, click on the "Actions" button found at the top right of the page
- Then click on the "Start AliExpress Fulfillment" option.
A new browser tab will open and you will be taken to the AliExpress checkout screens. During this transfer, the AliExpress items from the order and the customer's email and shipping information will also be transferred into the AliExpress order.
- Complete and Pay for the order on AliExpress
AliExpress will ship the items to your customer and fulfill the order.
Removing the Extension Authentication
If you ever want to disconnect the AliExpress Importer Extension and its connection to your store, use the following steps.
- Click on the Extension Icon
- Click the link to "Visit AliExpress"
- Once at AliExpress, click the Extension Icon again.
- Then click on the "Remove Authentication" button.
This will remove the API authentication from the extension.
- Now log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager
- Using the left hand navigation menu, go to Modules
- With the search bar at the top, search for and locate "REST API"
- Click on "Settings" for the REST API module
- Locate the "Aliexpress Extension" application and click on its action wheel located at the far right.
- Select Delete
This will remove the API application altogether from your store. The last step (if desired) is to remove the extension from your Chrome browser altogether. Typically, this can be done by right-clicking the icon in your Chrome browser and selecting "Remove from Chrome"
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