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AmeriCommerce allows you to run Multiple Storefronts from one administration console and one database. This greatly reduces the amount of time spent to maintain inventory, process orders, and analyze performance.
How does it work?
Each Store has it's own web site, IP Address and FTP directory. When a customer visits one of your Stores, AmeriCommerce looks at the Domain Name they use to access the site (ex: www.yourstore.com). It then knows what information to display to the customer based on the settings you supply in the administration console.
Can I share files between the stores?
Absolutely! Though each store has it's own root directory, each of your sites have a common "Shared" virtual directory. By uploading files into this Shared directory, they immediately become available on all of your stores through the /Shared path.
Using this Shared folder is extremely handy when maintaining your product catalog. All of your product photos and spec sheets should be placed in sub-folders under the Shared directory. This way, when you tell the Product Editor where to find the photos, all stores will reference the same photo, meaning you will have only one place to update your photos, and you will use less storage space on the server.
Can each store show only a sub-set of the product catalog?
Yes. The Catalog Editor contains all of your product information. Each store has what is called an Active Catalog, which you can specify to include All Categories in the catalog (default), or only specific categories.
To hide certain products within a category that is specified in a store's Active Catalog, check the Hide option on the Stores Tab of the Product Editor.
Can each store have it's own pricing?
Yes, this is managed under the Pricing Tab of the Product Editor.
Do I need a separate SSL Certificate for every store?
It is always advisable to use an SSL Certificate purchased specifically for your domain name. This lends the most credibility to your online store. However, if cost is an issue, you can always use the AmeriCommerce shared SSL for free, OR purchase your own Shared SSL for a domain name you own.
What this means is when a customer visits a page that needs to be secured, they will be re-directed to storename.americommerce.com, or in the case of your own Shared SSL, storename.yourdomainname.com. |