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StoreFront 5.0 Frequently Asked
Questions
Product Overview
StoreFront Software
StoreFront
Web Hosting Requirements
StoreFront
Development System Requirements
StoreFront
Licensing
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Product Overview
StoreFront Software
What is StoreFront?
StoreFront is a three-tier e-commerce solution comprised of FrontPage-integrated
development tools that allow merchants/developers to build, deploy, and
manage e-commerce webs from within FrontPage, the e-commerce application,
which powers web store operations using Microsoft Active Server Pages
(ASP) technology, and the data storage layer, which encompasses Microsoft
Access, SQL Server, and Oracle backend database integration.
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What
new features have been added to StoreFront 5.0?
- Unlimited
Price Sensitive Product Attributes: Fully catalog all product
options using StoreFront’s support for unlimited, price sensitive
product attributes.
- Customer
Management with Login: Allow returning customers to retrieve
and reorder from previous orders and recall customer profile data to
speed the checkout process with built-in CRM (customer relations management)
tools.
- Save for
Later/Saved Cart: Capture window shoppers and cater to corporate
purchasing agents by allowing customers to save items and orders for
later retrieval, review and completion.
- Advanced
Sale Features: Mark down individual product prices, run storewide
sales, and offer free shipping for orders that exceed a set dollar amount.
- E-Mail
Product Information to A Friend: Drive site traffic by giving
shoppers the ability to email product information to a friend or associate.
- Real-Time
Shipping Rates from Leading Carriers: Accurately manage shipping
charges with integrated support for real-time shipping costs directly
from UPS, FedEx and USPS rate servers.
- Advanced, Customizable
Search Utility: Shoppers
can conduct simple text or product category searches or perform advanced
searches by keyword, manufacturer, vendor, price range, and/or sale
items.
- Sophisticated
Store Themes with Theme Design Tools: Greatly reduce the time
required to design an effective on-line store using StoreFront’s
professional web store themes. Create customized themes or use existing
site designs.
- Currency
Conversion Support: Allow shoppers to instantly convert product
prices to any of over 142 currencies using StoreFront’s integration
with OANDA currency conversion services.
- Enhanced
Promotional Mail Utility: Send targeted promotional e-mail to
customers by date range or product purchases. Visitors can manage their
subscription preferences online.
- Expanded
Affiliate Partner Program: Build referral sales with StoreFront’s
fully automated affiliate program. Powerful affiliate management tools
allow affiliates to securely track referral sales.
- New Sales
Reports: Monitor sales activity using detailed sales reporting
tools. Generate sales summary, sales detail and product sales reports
and graphs.
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Does
the server have to have FrontPage extensions installed?
The remote web server does not have to have FrontPage extensions installed
if the merchant/developer does not wish to directly edit any files on
the server. The web files can be created and edited on the development
system and then uploaded to the remote web server.
What about other server operating systems?
There are a few server engines that have been developed which try to replicate
the NT IIS platform. StoreFront developers are looking into these server
engines and are testing their compatibility with the StoreFront application.
Be sure to check the StoreFront web site for updates in this area.
Do I have to ask my web host provider to install
anything on their server?
No. Another extremely attractive feature of the StoreFront system is that
it requires no special proprietary web server support.
Note: The StoreFront Server Component
will need to be installed on the server for the web store to calculate
real-time shipping rates. Also, some online payment processing services,
such as CyberCash, require the installation of a component on the server.
Merchants using a service for real-time credit card processing should
check with their host provider and processing service for more information.
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What is an
ODBC connection?
An ODBC connection is the system "mapping" that connects the
StoreFront application to the database connection tools on the server
and tells the database connection tools where to find the database.
What is an SSL Directory?
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is an encryption service that runs on the server.
It causes all communication back and forth between the visitor's browser
and the web to be sent in encrypted form. This is important when transmitting
credit card numbers across the Internet.
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StoreFront
Development System Requirements
What are the system requirements for
using StoreFront?
- Windows 95, 98, 2000, Windows
ME or Windows NT®
- 32MB RAM
- Microsoft® Personal Web Server
4.0 or Internet Information Server 4.0 or Later (Recommended)
- 32 bit ODBC Support
- MDAC Version 2.5 or Later
- Internet Explorer Version 4.0
or Later
- FrontPage 2000
- 8MB Hard Disk space
Is there
a version of StoreFront for use on the Macintosh operating system?
No. At this time, the demand for a version of StoreFront to use on the
Mac is not great enough to allocate the resources required to develop
a Mac version.
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Do
I have to use StoreFront with FrontPage?
Yes. StoreFront is an e-commerce plug-in for Microsoft FrontPage and must
be used with FrontPage. StoreFront is not compatible with any other web
page editor.
What if I use other HTML editors for developing
parts of my site?
As long as the web can be opened and edited in FrontPage, merchants/developers
should be able to utilize StoreFront to add and manage the e-commerce
functionality of the web. Check with FrontPage and/or the other HTML editor
to ensure compatibility.
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StoreFront
Licensing
Do I have to purchase a copy of StoreFront for
each store I build?
No, StoreFront's licensing is similar to that of Microsoft FrontPage©.
A merchant may create as many web stores as they wish with StoreFront.
Developers may create StoreFront web stores for merchant customers and
those customers may check and manage sales via the built-in html web-based
sales reporting tools. Merchants desiring the ability to manage product
and web store configuration may do so using the StoreFront Merchant Tools.
This product is licensed on a per store basis. For additonal information
see Licensing.
Note: StoreFront for Oracle is licensed by site, with additional development
client tools available. Click
here for more information about StoreFront for Oracle.
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If
someone else is going to take over maintenance of a StoreFront web that
I developed, will they need to purchase a copy of StoreFront?
Yes, if someone else is going to take over the development and/or maintenance
of a StoreFront web, they will need to purchase their own licensed copy
of StoreFront.
If I have several web developers on my staff
that will be using StoreFront do they each need their own licensed copy?
Yes, StoreFront software is licensed per machine. If you are planning
to install StoreFront on more than one computer, you will need to purchase
a license for each machine. A copy of StoreFront may be installed on a
laptop computer for use when traveling. Such installations may not be
used concurrently. If you anticipate needing five or more licenses, please
contact StoreFront Sales about
our multi-user licensing agreement.
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