How to Add Products
STEP 1
If you have not yet created the Classes (Categories) and Manufacturers that your products will reside in then you must add them first.
A) Create your Classes:
Classes > View/Edit Classes will list what you currently have. In your admin area under My Catalog, choose Classes > Add a New Class. This will give you Work with Classes.
- Class Name: Enter the name of the class or category. Ex: DVD Players, Toys, Art, etc.
- Description: (Optional) Describe the characteristics of the class that you are adding.
Finally, you must click the Add button and your class will be added. You will need to repeat this step for each class/category that you would like to setup.
B) Create the Manufacturer:
Manufacturers > View/Edit Manufacturers will list what you currently have. In your admin area under My Catalog choose Manufacturers > Add a New Manufacturer. This will give you Work with Manufacturers.
- Manufacturer Name: Enter the name of your manufacturer. Ex: Sony or Pioneer would be a manufacturer name for a CD player.
- Description: (Optional) Describe the characteristics of the Manufacturer that you are adding.
Finally, you must click the Add button and your manufacturer will be added. You will need to repeat this step for each manufacturer that you would like to setup.
STEP 2
Once you have added your Classes and Manufacturers for the products you want to add then you can continue with the following:
A) Create the product:
In your admin area under My Catalog choose Products > Manage Products. On the following page click the Add New Product link above the product list on the bottom half of the screen.
Now there are a series of tabs in which you must fill out the desired information about your product.
a. Main
i.Product ID: Gives each product a unique number in which you can reference and search by in your site. This could be a stock or catalog number, etc.
ii. Product Name: This where you will put the name of the product
iii. UPC Code: List the UPC or scan code for easier tracking of products.
iv. Availability: Select either “In Stock” or “Out of stock” mattering on the availability of the item.
v. Active: By clicking this checkbox it will allow your item to be viewed on your catalog page. If you do not want your product to be available to your customers but still in the database then uncheck the Active Item checkbox.
b. Description
i. This is where you can go into detail about the product. For example, if you were entering products for a CD store, this would list songs on the disc or a review of the disc.
c. Small Description
i. In this area provide a quick and concise description of your product for viewers to acquire general information about the product.
d. Categories
i. Class: You must select a class/category for which the product that you are adding will be grouped under. The class must be created prior to setting the product to that class (see step 1(a) above). Otherwise, you can use the unspecified default class. However, by setting up your class list before hand, this will allow you to filter your catalog pages by classes if desired and allow for better organization of your products.
NOTE: You must have AT LEAST ONE class entered or you will not be able to properly add a product!
ii. Manufacturer: You must select a manufacturer for which the product that you are adding will be grouped under. The manufacturer must be created prior to setting the product to that manufacturer (see step 1(b) above). Otherwise, you can use the unspecified default manufacturer. However, by setting up your manufacturer list before hand, this will allow you to filter your catalog pages by manufacturers if desired and allow for better organization of your products.
NOTE: You must have AT LEAST ONE manufacturer entered or you will not be able to properly add a product!
iii. Featured Item: By clicking the checkbox it will allow your item to be viewed on your catalog page as a featured item only. If you do not want your product available to your customers, uncheck the Featured Item checkbox.
iv. New Item: By clicking the checkbox it will allow your item to be viewed on your catalog page, listed under your New Products Page as a new item.
v. Vendor: Helps determine the wholesaler vendor that the product comes from.
vi. Search Key Words: In this area provide keywords that you would like this product to fall under when customers are searching for products on your site. Make sure to separate these keywords with commas.
e. Price
i. Price: Specifies the price of the product. It should be in the form 'xxx.xx' with no $ sign.
ii. Sale Price: This where you will put a product on sale. You can enter a sale price less than the previously set price to put the product on sale.
iii. Show all Prices: Select this option to have the product price and the sale price listed with the product price shown as cancelled.
f. Shipping
i. Weight: Specify the weight of the product. It will also be used to calculate the shipping if you have chosen Weight Based Shipping. Must be in the form of numbers only. Make sure to specify whether the measurement is in lbs. or oz.
ii. Dimensions: Enter the dimensions of your package.
iii. Free Shipping: Click yes if you want the item shipped for no charge. Note that you can only choose this option if you have defined shipping methods for ship free products.
iv. Shipping Surcharge: Add an additional charge to a product due to shipping.
v. Case Pack: Specify how many products will be included in a case if necessary.
vi. Options: This is where you specify an option for the product. For example, if you were entering products for a tee shirt store, it would give the available options of sizes of Small, Medium, Large, etc. To do this click the “Add Option” button and then either click “Add new Option Group” to create a brand new one to apply or select an existing option group to apply to the product.
g. Images
i. Note that you cannot add photos to a product until it is added to the database. If you have not yet added the product skip over this step and add the product.
ii. Once you have added the product by clicking the “Save” button you will be prompted to add pictures. You can do this by clicking the “Upload New Pictures” link on the “Images” tab and browsing for the desired picture.
h. Files
i. Note that you cannot add files to a product until it is added to the database. If you have not yet added the product skip over this step and add the product.
ii. Once you have added the product by clicking the “Save” button you will be prompted to add files. You can do this by clicking the “Add New File” link on the “Files” tab and browsing for the desired file.
Finally, you must click the Save button underneath the tab area and your product will be added. You will need to repeat this step for each additional product that you would like to add.