E-Commerce FAQ

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding our e-commerce plans.

1. What does it mean by, "We support Mercantec's SoftCart?"

We support Mercantec's SoftCart in several ways:

We configure your site for SoftCart by installing and maintaining the server side executable software
We provide Technical Support related to the functionality of the server side software

All your Mercantec conf , html, and image files are located in your website's /u/web/userid/online-store directory and the executable files are located in the /u/web/userid/cgi- local directory.

We do not provide direct technical support related to the client-side setup of your Mercantec software. Mercantec has a wealth of information in their FAQ pages and User Guide that will help you setup your store, as each individual store has different business needs: http://www.mercantec.com/products/download/SC40.htm

2. Do you offer a trial version of Mercantec's SoftCart?
We do not offer a trial version of Mercantec's SoftCart, however, you can see a demo version from the following URL:
http://www.mercantec.com/demo/

3. How do I setup my store?
You will receive an activation notice from our support department which will inform you on how to access your store manager. Once you access this site, you will need to follow the step by step instructions on setting up your store: http://www.mercantec.com/products/download/SC40.htm

4. How do I upload my existing database to my Mercantec site?
The SoftCart 4.0 product database, found at the following path, /userid/online-store/data/shopdata/products/products4.pdb (standard) is a tab-delimited flat file database. You will need to upload your DB in this format with the following layout:

SKU Description Price Weight MarketingDescription Taxable SoftCartCategory SoftCartTemplate Upsell VendorNo ListPrice Graphic Thumbnail

If you are using a large amount of products in your database (i.e. > 10,000 SKU's) then it is recommended that you use a relational database (mySQL) for the storage of the products as opposed to a standard flat file database as this may cause a problem with the catalog creation module during SmPageGen process. Mercantec is currently working on a Dynamic Page Creation module that will take care of this problem.

5. How does the Mercantec Store Manager work?
When you input the store information, products, and categories, the information is stored in a flat-file database. When you click the Generate or Update store button, a program called smpagegen.exe reads the database files and uses the template set that you have created to create the html files for your store. If you make any modifications to the html files, you will see these the next time that you connect to your store. If you re-generate or make any changes to your products/categories/template set which requires that you re-generate your store, the smpagegen.exe file will regenerate all of the html files that are used for the store, thus erasing all the changes that you have made. If you wish to make certain changes to your store and have these changes stay, then we suggest that you make these changes in the template set that you are using. The best bet is to create a new template set for your account based on the basic format of an existing template set that already exists. If you wish to do this, we would strongly suggest that you download the Template Guide for Web Developers. There is also a section for Front Page users that you may wish to review.

6. I am getting an "Error [4000]" or "Error [4004]".
This means that your domain has not yet been registered or propagated. Mercantec sets up the SoftCart's configuration files under the domain name by default. You will need to wait until your domain name is registered and fully propagated.

7. Can I send my order form information securely?
Yes. Mercantec can be configured to send an email from the order form securely using the PGP format. They provide you a separate CD for the PGP capability. It is fairly easy to install the PGP encryption keys, you can find info on page 90 of your User Guide manual.

Due to export restrictions on encryption technology, we are not permitted to sell this product to people in the following countries: Afghanistan, Cayman Islands, Chile, People's Republic of China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mexico, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, the Russian Federation, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, and Venezuela.

For more info, please also refer to the following URL: http://www.mercantec.com/international/

8. How do I turn off online ordering if I do not want to use credit cards?
You will need to manually edit the page online.html to only allow off-line ordering by removing the credit card requirement fields. This page can be found at the following location: /u/web/userid/online-store/scstore/

You will also have to modify the following file in order to remove the credit card information.:

/u/web/userid/merchant/shopdata/template]# more ordrform.req
bill_to_name
bill_to_street1
bill_to_city
bill_to_state
bill_to_zip
bill_to_phone
bill_to_email
cc_name
cc_type
_cc_number ccnum
_cc_expmonth
_cc_expyear

9. I am getting the "Error[4000]: This script should be referenced with a METHOD of POST. REQUEST_METHOD was GET."

This means that you are not accessing the store manager URL with a https (SSL) request. You must refer to the URL as indicated in the activation notice:

https://www.<domain-name.com>/online-store/StoreMgr/storemgr.html
(You will need a Thawte or Verisign digital ID for this functionality)

10. How many types of payment systems do you provide with the Mercantec's SoftCart software?
We support the following payment systems:

CyberCash
ATS

Once your CyberCash account is set up on the web server, you will need to configure your CyberCash Online Payment System through Mercantec's browser-based Store Manager environment. Simply fill in nine fields of information provided by CyberCash and your system will be configured, tested and ready to go live! For more info please refer to SoftCart's User Guide manual , page 79.

11. Does Mercantec come with templates?
SoftCart includes several professional templates that you can use to build your site quickly using only your browser. There are 5 templates that come with your software: iconicbasic, iconiccomp, contbasic, contsub, merc1.

If you wish to create your own template, you may want to work with a Web designer who can use Mercantec's Template Guide for Web Designers which can be downloaded from http://www.mercantec.com/products/download/SC40.htm to create a customized template set that conveys a unique look and feel for your own store.

12. How do I upload my images?
When building the store, the Store Manager has a feature that will allow you to upload the images for your products. For more information please refer to your User Guide manual.