I have noticed that
some of your sites have a similar look. Are your sites based on a template
system?
No, each site is custom. If you are seeing repeating themes this is because we have
designed them to be user friendly. Many people that shop online regularly have
come to expect certain features to be located in specific places. We encourage
creativity and want your site to have its own look.
How long does it take
to get my site up?
This
depends on how available you are to work with your designer and how quickly you
add content to your site. Our goal is to have you live in four to six weeks.
Is my site secure?
Yes. Every
site comes with its own 128 bit SSL certificate.
If I need help how
can I get in with contact someone there?
We have a
"ticket system" on our web site for you to submit a query or point out an
issue. We try to email you an answer within hours. You can also call us of
course. Our business hours are 9 to 5
PST.
How often are the
servers backed up?
Daily,
weekly, and monthly. We can roll your site back to yesterday, last week, or
last month.
Do I have to pay STN
a portion of my sales?
No, your
success is our goal and we want you to keep all your sales.
Does STN sell toys?
No. STN
does not sell toys - we make it easier to sell toys.
How much does the program cost?
That depends on which web toy store package you want. We charge a setup fee, and a monthly membership fee. Call (503) 434-9706 for current pricing and our payment schedule options.
What do I get for that money?
Again, it depends on the web toy store package. The
setup fee covers designing and building your site, and training you how
to use it. The monthly hosting covers server space, domain registration
and renewal, SSL certificate, and site support. We also have ongoing
special training sessions for our members.
How does that compare to a Yahoo or Network Solutions system?
FUNdamentals
are icons that show the developmental attributes of each toy, such as "Motor
Skills," "Language," "Music," "Cooperative Play," etc. They appear below each toy in your shopping cart.
Can items be tied to
multiple categories?
Yes. Simply choose the ones you want from the
dropdown menu. You can do it when you import or create a product, and
then you can change it at any time by opening that product back up in
the back end of the site.
Can I create
subcategories?
Yes. We
recommend that you do make
subcategories. Try to avoid sub-subcategories and sub-sub-subcategories,
though.
I have a shopping cart already - can I move the inventory over?
Yes. It will probably take most of the 5 hours
we allocate to populating your site, but many of our clients find this
the best use for that time.
Will they be uploaded into my categories, or will I have to tediously hand-allocate each one?
They can be imported into the proper
categorie, but that field has to be set up carefully. Simple typos can
create duplicate or extra categories. We have a help page on how to set
that up.
I'm an Excel expert. Can I save some time (or money) by cleaning and organizing that data myself?
Oh yes. Please do. There will probably be some
errors in the first upload - don't worry, it's easy to fix the problems
and upload again.
Is there a limit on
the number of items I can have on my site?
No. We supply you with 10 GB of
monthly bandwidth. This is more that enough to support the average toy store.
If you need more we can always upgrade your bandwidth.
How can I keep track
of my site's inventory?
Your inventory can be managed through a CSV import/export
tool. There is also a third-party program that synchronizes your web inventory
with Quickbooks PRO.
If I don't have an
item in stock. How do I show this on my site?
You have three options. 1. You can
unpublish the item and then republish it once it is available. 2. You can show
the item to be out of stock on your site. 3. You can also send an email to the
customer after they've ordered, notifying them that the item is out of stock.
What happens when I
receive an order?
You will be notified by an email
that a customer made a purchase. You will then need to log into the back end of
your site to complete the order.
Who can I ship with?
You can use
USPS, UPS, FedEx, or DHL. The choice is up to you.
It only
takes one click to add a toy to your cart system. You don't have to find an
image, upload it, write a description, categorize the toy, or assign a SKU.
Who do you have in your database?
The current list is on our Manufacturer List page. We upload the database additions weekly, and update this list monthly.
I see you don't have some manufacturers who are important to me. What about that?
If you tell us who you want, we'll make that manufacturer a top priority. Please fill out our Toy Manufacturer Request Form and send it back to us.
Some of these manufacturers don't have the newest toys in the database. How can I add them?
Again, let us know, and we'll get the newest info and images from that manufacturer. Please fill out our Toy Manufacturer Request Form and send it back to us.
Can I edit the imported products?
Yes.
When you import a toy, a window opens that lets you change everything about it:
Price, Description, Categories, Age, Product Images, etc.
I want to change your SKU numbers to match the ones in my POS system. Can I do that?
Yes. You can change the SKU as you bring in each
product. If you plan to update inventory from your POS system, you
should either change the imported SKU, or add it to your POS system as
an "alternate SKU."
Can I add items that
are not in the database?
Yes.
Creating a new product is easy. If there is a manufacturer you'd like to carry,
please let us know, and we'll do our best to add them to the database. Our
first priority is adding the manufacturers that you've requested.
Toy Manufacturer's Questions about the STN database of products
Who owns my data?
You do. By participating
in STN, you are simply making it easy for member retailers (members who
are already selling your products in their brick-and-mortar stores) to
add your products to their individual online store.
What if I don't have products in Excel or spreadsheet formats?
If you can format it as
shown in our sample file, we can add your products very quickly. If you
have your product line in another digital format, we can still add it
to the system, it may just take longer. Please call us to discuss
options.
How much does this cost?
There is NO cost to you as the manufacturer.
This sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?
There is no catch. By
helping us get your products in our members' online stores, we all
benefit. Member retailers are able to add your products with the click
of a button. We are able to offer members a bigger pool of products to
select from. You are able to sell more products.
We have 100,000 SKUs! Do you really want data on ALL our products?
Yes please. Different member stores may carry
different products from your line, including toys you no longer
manufacturer. In many cases it's easier to dump it all on us, than it
is to pull out the 3000 toys you think our members may carry.
Can I see a sample of how existing products are displayed?
Yes. To see how your products would display, visit our sample store and browse to any of the products.
How can I submit my information?
Download the STN_Product_Details_spreadsheet (67 Kb),
paste your information into the fields, and send it in. For product
images, please provide a web or ftp address where we can download them,
or mail us a CD of images. Extremely large images are not necessary,
but we prefer they be bigger than 1000 pixels wide.
How do I update my product information?
Simply send us a
spreadsheet with the new (or updated) products, and any new images. If
you have a release date, let us know, and we'll make sure it's ready to
go when you are.
I need to control who shows/sells my products. Can STN do this?
Yes. Please give us a call to discuss options.
I have more questions!
You can send an email to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
, or call (503) 434-9706 during normal business
hours (Pacific Time). Someone here will be happy to answer your
questions!
STN_Product_Details_spreadsheet
