SETTING UP TPX'S E-COMMERCE SYSTEM

Adding e-commerce to your site using TPX's SHOPPING system is simple and requires only the following:
  1. PROVIDE GRAPHICS - Have TPX create or you create and email to TPX the following graphics as GIF files sized as follows:
    1. search criteria page masthead - 530 x 63 pixels
    2. search criteria page title - any length by 63 pixels tall

  2. SITE CONTROL VARIABLES - Define the following site control variables that will control how the Shopping system works when accessed from your site:
    1. Default Lanuguage - normally English
    2. Whose products can be sold - all vendors, only yours, or other dealers products if you don't sell an item.
    3. Default Item Type - Equipment, Parts or Supplies (ie what you mainly sell
    4. Limit-to-Manufacturer - leave this blank unless you want to specify a single manufacturer whose products can be sold from your site.
    5. Display MSR - Yes or No. If no, the manuf suggested retail price will not appear on the model detail page.
    6. Default Main Category (ie SHEETFED PRESS) - leave blank unless you mainly sell a given category of products and want that main category to appear when the search criteria page appears.
    7. Your Home Page - specify the URL users should go to when they click HOME on any of our shopping pages.
    8. Your Email Address - specify the address to which you want ORDER and CONTACT US emails sent.

  3. DEALER SPECIFIC VARIABLES - Define the following dealer variables that will control how the Shopping system works when your products are ordered from any site:
    1. SALES TAX - Should this be charged never, always or only if the buyer is in your state?
    2. SALES TAX PERCENT - What percent should be charged?
    3. DEALER INFO - Provide the following info that will appear on the shopping cart, order confirm or "thanks" pages:

      4. DEALER NAME, CITY, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL ADDRESS

    4. ONLINE DISCOUNT PERCENTS - Please specify for each of the following item types the discount you want to offer for all of those types of products when ordered online:
      5. AccessoriesOther New EquipmentPartsSupplies
    5. COMMISSION PERCENTS - Please specify for each of the following item types the commission you are willing to pay for all of those types of products when ordered from sites other than yours:
      6. AccessoriesOther New EquipmentPartsSupplies
    6. PAYMENT OPTIONS - Please specify the options you want to allow. For instance:
      7. Call For Payment InfoCredit CardCODInvoice Me
    7. SHIPPING OPTIONS - Please specify the options you want to allow. For instance:
      8. UPS - GroundUPS - AirOvernight - AM DeliveryOvernight - PM DeliveryCommon Carrier1st Class Mail
  4. CONVERT DATA - If you have a database of product info, you can pay TPX or any other programmer to convert the data into TPX's format and add records into several of the TPX Subscriber System files so that you can then run the "Create TPX Update" program and email the data to TPX. Data conversion specs are available upon request.

  5. ENTER DATA - Then you can use the TPX Subscriber System's "Update Tech Specs" program to add. modify and delete the following types of records:
    1. CONTROL RECORDS - There needs to be one record for each item:
      2. that you sell with the OUR PRICE and other fields filled. You can also specify the DLR ITEM NO by which you identify the item in your inventory system.

      for which you sell parts, supplies or accessories so that those items can be related to these equipment models. Leave OUR PRICE blank if you do not sell the equipment model itself.

    2. INDEX RECORDS - These records can be added while accessing the control record of:
      3. an equipment model so that you can indicate parts, accessories or supplies that relate to this model, or

      parts, accessories or supplies that are related to specific models.

  6. EMAIL UPDATES - As often as weekly, you can run the "Create TPX Updates" program and send your latest data entry to TPX to be uploaded to the web server. We update the web site each Thursday.

  7. PROVIDE PICTURES - You will need to obtain or create with a digital camera JPG files for manufacturers and models for which TPX currently has no pictures as follows:
    1. NAMING CONVENTION - Using the 12 character manufacturer name and model number EXACTLY as used within the TPX Subscriber System, name files as follows:
      2. Manufacturer.jpg (ie AB DICK.JPG) so that a logo or other image can appear on the model detail page for this manufacturer's products if no picture exists for the product (see next).Manufacturer_Modelno.jpg (ie AB DICK_360 CD.JPG) for each equipment, parts or supply item.
    2. FTP INSTRUCTIONS - Use the following information to access our New Pictures folder, and FTP any new picture files to our server. Then email NewPictures@tpxcnex.com to let us know there are new pictures that need to be moved into production.
      3. Hostname: tpxcnex.comUsername: tpxPassword: pictures
    3. After accessing the root directory, go into the /newpictures directory and ftp the properly named jpg files into that directory.
    4. NOTE: The Shopping system will work without pictures, but works and looks better with them.

  8. ADD LINKS TO YOUR SITE - You will then need to add a link to your site that calls the Shopping search criteria page. After we assign a SiteID number, have your programmer modify the following quiry string as needed to work on your site:
    9. href="http://www.tpxcnex.com/Login/Control.asp?URL=Shopping/Shopping_Search_Criteria.asp?URLStatus=True&PB=Full&PU=Full&II=Full&V=Full&Situation=M&SiteID=08" target="frameMain">
  9. START PROMOTING YOUR SITE - You can then contact your customers and ask that they visit your site and place their next order online. The ONLINE DISCOUNTS can play a role in this promotion.

To learn more about the TPX Shopping Marketplace, contact TPX or click the "Shopping" link on the left to play with the Shopping system. Don't limit search to manufacturer other than AB DICK because there are only a few test items to be found. Feel free to add items to your shopping cart and even submit the order so you can see what the buyers confirm email looks like.
Home  E-commerce Svcs   Partner Web Svcs   Request Info   Get Access   Contact TPX