Compatibility on Products Not Appearing on Order Details Pag

[opticfit.com]

I tried to find out where in the Forum I could do this:

The order details sheet that is emailed or given to our customers does not specify "compatible" parts. It just gives the title of the product which looks as though it the OEM product. How do I make it so that the product descriptions including the "compatible" language appears on their printable oder details page?

FYI- We had our first order yesterday!!! And we also noticed we are starting get some natural visibility!! Many thanks!

Peter-Opticfit.com

[ed@searchfit]

Congratulations on your first order!

Is this your goal?

On the email receipt that is sent to customers after purchase, show a list of "Related Products" beneath the name of each purchased product. The list should have the heading "Compatible Parts".

One point I'm unclear on is:

In terms of the SearchFit control panel, what are "compatible parts"?
Are they SearchFit "Related Products" or "Upsell Products" or ??.

[opticfit.com]

No, Right now it just lists the name of the part which is the OEM (original manufacturer) Part#s. The Category images and the product descriptions have the the disclaimer of Compatible but the Orders Detail Page does not.

i.e. #1Dell [#u3653]
Quantity......

I need these to say "compatible" on the Order Details page they receive via email and on any Order Conformation they receive because they are not the original products. They are OEM "compatible".

[ed@searchfit]

There is not a way in the current system to append "Compatible" to your product names as they appear on the order receipt email.

Here is a workaround to consider:

1. Change your product names to include "Compatible".

2. Store the version of your product names that do not include "Compatible" as "Brief Description Additional 2".

3. On your product templates, show "Brief Description Additional 2" instead of the product name.

Will this work for you?

[stanley@searchfit]

Also, Ed, can they utilize somehow the product additional properties?
_________________
Stanley Stanev
SearchFit Architect
www.searchfit.com
www.searchfit.us.com
www.stanev.com
www.yordanova.com

[ed@searchfit]

You are right that storing the product name (minus the "compatible") as a product property is a good idea.

In some cases, using Product Properties can be confusing, so I took the simple route and suggested the additional description 2.

For example, if the user is importing only product links, then product properties cannot be updated.

[opticfit.com]

Does this mean it will include the part of the description in with the product title? The part that say's compatible?

Or you are saying to just append the word "compatible" to all my product names. I wouldn't be opposed to this either except my concern is with SEO. I didn't want to contaminate what we have going there. So is the description the best way to do it?

Forgive me but I'm not totally clear on what the options are although it seems you have a way to remedy this.

[ed@searchfit]

The steps I suggested mean you could append the word "compatible" to all your product names.

For example, the product name for the product shown here: http://www.opticfit.com/cisco_glc_sx_mm_143_prd1.htm

... would be changed to:

Cisco GLC-SX-MM Compatible

AND for that same product, you would add a value to "Additional Brief Description 2":

Cisco GLC-SX-MM

AND... On your product templates, you would show the Additional Brief Description 2 instead of the Product Name.


If you are using SEO naming rules, then you are right that changing your product names can affect your SEO.

To remedy this, you could adjust your SEO naming rules to use the "additional brief description 2" in place of the product name. (In the "Product Naming Rules" section of the SEO Naming Rules screen.)

[opticfit.com]

Okay. I understand what we are doing. I have never imported exported product sheets before.

How do I change the name of all my products to say compatible.

Also when we talk about adding a value additional description 2, where do I add this?

Does it go on the spreadsheet? Are there specifics steps I can take to make this happen?

Many thanks.

[ed@searchfit]

Here is a guide to importing data into SearchFit:

http://www.searchfit.us.com/help/index.htm#hlp_import_guide.html

In general, it's a good idea to get familiar with importing because it is much faster than the alternative (editing individual products in the control panel). If you learn the importing system, it will be much easier for you to make frequent changes to your product data.

For the steps that I am suggesting, you will need an import spreadsheet with three columns:

Product ID Foreign, Product Name (includes "compatible"), Brief Descr Additional 2 (does not include "compatible")

On your import spreadsheet, you should create one row per product. Each row should have data for the fields I listed above. For example, one row on your product spreadsheet might look like:

myforeignid1234,Cisco GLC-SX-MM Compatible,Cisco GLC-SX-MM

In the above example, I'm assuming you are using the "csv" file format (instead of tab-delimited/txt) for your import spreadsheet. Each comma represents a column divider on your spreadsheet.

You would also need to configure the SearchFit Control Panel | "Products" tab | "Products" screen >> choose "Import" from "Select a Function" select box | Import Records form. To do this, you could:

1. Read the link I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

2. On the Import Records form, expand the "Product Properties" section only.

3. In the "Product Properties" section, uncheck all the currently checked checkboxes.

4. Check the checkboxes and fill in the appropriate column index value for these fields: Product Id, Product Name, Brief Descr 2.

5. Adjust settings in the "Additional Configuration" section of the Import Records form (at the bottom of the form). Columns separator should be "comma". Enter a comma separated list of numbers into the "skip line numbers" field. For example, if your spreadsheet contains 2 header rows, then you would enter "1,2" into the "Skip Line Numbers" field.

6. Use the "Choose File" button to browse to your import spreadsheet. Next, click the "Import Button". I strongly suggest creating a test import spreadsheet that contains just one row of product data and import that to test before importing the full sheet. If an importing error causes excessive damage to your store, we may be able to restore a backup for you.

When you are done importing, you should then adjust your SEO naming rules as described in my earlier post in order to preserve your Product web page names, titles, metatags, etc.

Do you have a document listing all your current Product foreign id's and Product Names?

If not, you can create one by exporting data from the SearchFit Control Panel | "Design" tab | "Template Storage" screen | "Export Products" section.

To learn how to export your product data, see the "Export Products Template" screen help:

http://www.searchfit.us.com/help/index.htm#hlp_template_storage_export_products.html

Also, see the example Product export templates. I suggest copying one of the examples and modifying it as needed. The example Product export templates can by found by:

1. Go to the SearchFit Control Panel | "Design" tab | "Template Storage" screen | "Export Products" section.

2. Click "New" template. A panel will appear where you must name your template and click continue. Once you click continue, the "Export Products Template" form will expand.

3. Click the "Examples" link on the left side of the "Export Products Template" form to launch the "Examples" popup.

[opticfit.com]

I created a new template but I can't get an excel sheet open to make any adjustments. Honestly, I really appreciate how you have taken the time to provide me these in depth instructions but is there an easier way to get this done without charging me a hundred bucks? This is a simple thing I'm sure. I just can't read through pages and page of tutorials.

Am I supposed to add another column to the actual spreadsheet? (Brief Add description 2)

[opticfit.com]

Ben never walked me through how to how to add products or do any of this stuff. We built the site and wasn't ready to launch anything. I was pressured to sign off on it and now I need someone to walk me through this basic functionality. The only spread sheet I have is the one that I originally sent over. I believe it has probably been modified to meet the requirements for importing...its not in CVS format.

[ed@searchfit]

I suggest you contact your new SF account representative if you are interested in scheduling a training session.

You may be able to use an exiting import document to make the changes we have been discussing. As you said, a new column for "additional description 2" could be added. Again, you would have to contact your account rep to determine if/where this document exists.