PDAdmin Help

Item/Product Setup Print Topic

PDshop can be configured to with an unlimited number of items. From the main menu in PDAdmin under "Items", you can select "Show All" to view all items. There are also a few shortcuts to "Sale" and "Featured" items. At any time you can use the search feature to locate items by number, or name. To create new items, click on "Add Item".

Item No (Sku):
The item number field is required for each item. You should keep it short (8 characters if possible), as long item numbers will adversely affect the layout (the look) of many of the category pages.

Name:
The item name should be kept short as well, although there is no set limit to it's length.

Active:
You must choose "Yes" in this field to make the item visible in your storefront. You can use this to turn items on and off as needed. Example: out of stock items can be made inactive by choosing "No".

Featured:
Featured items are normal items, in regular categories, that you wish to give extra promotion (perhaps hot sellers, or sale items). Items that are flagged as "featured" appear on the "features" page which is accessible from the main menu in the storefront. They are also randomly displayed on the home/welcome page, as well as on other pages throughout the store. To enable, simply select "Yes".

Price:
This is the default, regular price per item (each). It appears throughout the storefront, but can be made invisible by checking the "Hide Price" checkbox.

Sale Price:
The sale price is only used when you select "Yes" in the "On Sale?" field. When an item is placed on sale the sale price will appear below the regular price (which will have a line drawn thru it.)

On Sale:
This field simply enables, disables the sale price. Check "Yes" to place an item on sale.

Hide Price:
PDshop allows you to hide (conceal) prices. When you check this checkbox the price (including sale price) is hidden from your web visitors. Also, the "Buy Now" button is removed. This is useful if you wish to have items that are catalog only (not for sale). Or, you can use this if an item is out of stock.

Taxable:
You can specify if an item is taxable, or tax exempt. Depending on this setting, during checkout, tax may/may not be charged on the item. See "Taxes" help topic for setting up taxes.

Default Qty:
This field is used to designate the default "add to cart" quantity. If you leave it blank, it will automatically be set to one (1). This quantity must be a whole number, decimals are not allowed.

Weight:
This field is used to set the weight for the item. The weight is used for calculating shipping if the carriers you setup use weight. For lbs & ounces, you can switch PDshopPro to function with two weight fields, see the "General"

Optional Shipping Charge
If you want to charge shipping on a per item basis, you can specify a shipping charge here. This charge will only be used when you have setup a Service/Carrier and selected "Per Item Shipping" as the Rate method. See Shipping.

Current Inventory:
Current inventory can be viewed while editing an item. Each time a customer purchases an item in your online store, inventory is adjusted accordingly. To make changes to the current inventory, simply click on the "Edit" button located next to the inventory number. After you enter the new inventory total, save your changes.

Short Description:
The short description appears on the "Category" detail page. It should be kept relatively short, as a very long short description will lead to very long Category pages.

Detailed Description:
The detailed description is edited using the built-in HTML editor, which provides unlimited formatting options. To edit the description, click on the "edit" button. You can insert additional images or graphics into the description, creating a professional brochure like item page. The detailed description has no length limitations, however if you are inserting images, they should not exceed 350 pixels in width.

Hide Heading:
By checking the "Hide Heading" box, you can hide the Name, Price, and Large Image from your store front.

Count Page Visits:
By checking this box PDshopPro will count each unique visit to the item's page (like a page counter). This is an internal page counter and cannot be seen by your web visitors. The number in the "Page Views" is the current total number of visits, you can reset this by entering zero. This feature can use up valuable server resources and should be used sparingly.

Thumbnail (small) Image:
The thumbnail, or small image, appears on the "Category" detail, "Features", and search pages. The image is automatically resized to 40 pixels wide, regardless of the size. You can enter the filename of any image that is located in the "images" directory on your webserver (Example: picture.jpg). Do not use "/" or "\" characters in the filename, you cannot change the directory by doing this.

Large Image:
The large image appears on the "Item" detail page. You can enter the filename of any image that is located in the "images" directory on your webserver (Example: picture.jpg). Do not use "/" or "\" characters in the filename, you cannot change the directory by doing this. We recommend that your image should not be larger than 150 pixels in width as it might crowd the page. (For images larger than 150 pixels, you should insert them in the detailed description field with the HTML editor).

Note: It is also used when items are "featured", it appears as a smaller (resized) version when the item is randomly displayed.

Resize Large Image:
In some cases, your large image might exceed the recommended width or may be too small to fill the page. If you check the resize image checkbox, PDshop will automatically resized the large image to 150 pixels.

No Wrap:
This setting will display your large image above the "Detailed Description", this is sometimes needed particulary if you insert tables or cells into your detailed description. By default (when "No Wrap" is not checked), your detailed description text is wrapped around the image.

Item Type:

Regular:
Select this type for regular items, that are purchased and shipped to customers.

Regular (No Shipping):
Select this type if the item is a regular item that does not require shipping. For example, a membership or service.

Digital Download:
Select this type if the item is a downloadable file, electronic goods. Then, enter the filename of the download (which you should upload to your downloads folder). When digital download is enabled, shipping will not be necessary for this item. If an order only contains downloadable items, your shoppers will not be required to choose a "Carrier".

Custom Fields (Custom1, 2, 3, etc):
Since every business has different ways of classifying their products, you can categorize items using these custom fields. Users in the storefront will be able to search by these fields. Some popular uses are Manufacturer Name, another part number, or even things like Title/Artist for art, music, etc.

Item Options:
Each item in PDshopPro Advanced can have an unlimited number of option "Groups". An option "Group" is one or more options that will appear under the same selection list or "Drop Down". Example: If an item comes in different colors as well as different sizes, you would create two option groups ("Color" and "Size"). When a shopper views this item, they will be able to customize their purchase by selecting one option from each group of options.

Each option Group can have an unlimited number of options to select from. When adding an option, you make an existing in your storefront an option, or you can create a new (Non-Inventory) selection item. For example: Colors and Sizes would be Non-Inventory items since you would not be able buy item in the storefront)

When using existing Items as Options:
First, create your Option Group Ex. "Colors". Next, click on "Add Item" to associate an Item with this Option Group. After the item is added, you can edit how the price and weight is calculated upon checkout.

Be sure to one item in each Option Group as the "Default", this will make sure the price displayed on the Item detail page is accurate.

Category:
You can assign each item to as many categories as you wish. To Add a category, click on "Add Category". See Categories.

Related Items:
You can associate item with other items for cross-selling, or for accessories for example. When you add a related item, the related item is displayed in the left column when a shopper views the item.

Item Discounts:
You can specify a quantity based discount for each item. Click Add Discount to setup a Quantity range. You can then specify a price based on the quantity purchased. See Discounts/Coupons.