Difference between revisions of "X-Cart:Social Feeds"

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(Created page with '==Overview== ===What Social Feeds does=== Connect with your customers and build a brand for the cost of some time and creativity. Promote your store and goods via Facebook, Twi…')
 
(Abandoned Cart Reminder add-on module configuration settings)
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===Abandoned Cart Reminder add-on module configuration settings===
 
Here is an explanation of the Abandoned Cart Reminder add-on module configuration settings:
 
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:* '''Handle sending out notifications manually or automatically?''' The mode in which you would like abandoned cart reminder email notifications to be sent. <br />''Manually'' corresponds to the mode in which abandoned cart notifications are not sent until you specifically instruct the module to send them. In this mode you yourself decide which users should be notified, when the notifications should be sent, with or without a coupon, etc.<br />''Automatically'' corresponds to the mode in which sending of abandoned cart notifications is initiated by a cron job. In this mode the number of times that a notification message should be sent, the time of sending the initial and subsequent notifications, whether the notification should include a discount coupon or not, etc are defined based on the add-on module configuration settings. Note that, if you choose the automated mode, you will need to make sure that the script for periodic tasks is properly set up in your store (See: [[X-Cart:Cron.php_-_Script_for_Periodic_Tasks | X-Cart:Cron.php - Script for Periodic Tasks]]).
 
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The following settings affect the work of the module only if the module is working in the automated mode:
 
:* '''After how many hours customer should be notified of abandoned cart''': The number of hours to wait after cart abandonment before sending an abandoned cart reminder notification to the cart owner.<br />{{Note1|'''Note:''' For stores sending multiple abandoned cart notifications about each abandoned cart this reflects the number of hours before the ''first'' notification is sent.}}
 
:* '''How many notifications should be sent''': The number of reminder notifications that should be sent about each abandoned cart. The recommended value is 1. If you wish to notify the users about each abandoned cart more than once, you can specify a greater value here.<br />{{Note1|'''Note:''' Although it is possible to send multiple notifications, it is not recommended to do so, because customers may be annoyed by too many notifications and even mark them as spam.}}
 
:* '''Delay between notifications (in hours)''': (''This needs to be specified if you are going to send more than one notification about each abandoned cart.'') The length of period between reminder notifications being sent to the same user about a specific abandoned cart. Note that setting this value to "0" (zero) will result in that each user will be notified only once.<br /><br />''Example:''<br />If you use the following configuration:<br />[[File:Acr_conf_settings_ex1.png | border]]<br />abandoned cart owners will receive a reminder notification on the 6th, 18th and 30th hours after their abandoned cart has been registered by the module.<br /><br />
 
:* '''Type of discount coupon that should be attached to notifications''': If you want to offer a discount to the users whom you notify about an abandoned cart, you can specify what type of coupon it should be. Choose one of the following options:<br />''None'' -- no coupon will be attached to the notification;<br />''$ off'' --  a “flat amount off“ coupon will be attached to the notification;<br />''% off'' -- a “percentage amount off” coupon will be attached to the notification.<br /><br />
 
:* '''Discount coupon value''': This setting is related to the previous one; it allows you to specify the value of the discount given by the coupon.<br />Two examples below will clarify how it works.<br /><br />''Example 1.''<br />If you use the configuration below:<br />[[File:Acr_conf_settings_ex2.png | border]]<br />the coupon attached to the notification will give the user a 20$ discount off the purchase.<br /><br />''Example 2.''<br />If you use the following configuration:<br />[[File:Acr_conf_settings_ex3.png | border]]<br />the coupon attached to the notification will give the user a 10% discount.<br /><br />
 
:* '''Period of abandoned cart expiration (Number of days after which email notifications to customer will no longer be sent and the coupon associated with the abandoned cart will become invalid)''': This setting defines when an abandoned cart as well as all the coupons associated with it should be deleted from the system.<br /><br />
 

Revision as of 15:48, 12 December 2013

Overview

What Social Feeds does

Connect with your customers and build a brand for the cost of some time and creativity. Promote your store and goods via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and other social networks. Our module in its turn gives you a cozy tool for that.

Why Social Feeds?

X-Cart's Social Feeds add-on module:

  • Supports a wide range of social networks: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Flickr
  • Promotes your store and goods via social networks. You can boast of your new product collection via Instagram, make a video and upload it to YouTube, retweet a feedback and allow your customers to see it from your site.
  • Induce customers to subscribe to your social accounts. Each feed gives an opportunity to subscribe to the channel.
  • Easy to configure. No technical skills are required. Just follow a user guide


System requirements

To be able to successfully install and use the Social Feeds module, you must have a working copy of X-Cart GOLD / GOLD PLUS / PLATINUM version 4.6.0 or later installed on your server. Make sure that the version of the module is the same as the version of the installed copy of X-Cart.

Note: If you do not remember the version of installed X-Cart, find it in the Environment info section of the Summary page in X-Cart Admin area.

Installation

To install the module for X-Cart 4.6.0 or higher:

  1. Obtain a distribution package for the Social Feeds add-on module by downloading it from the File Area section of your X-Cart Account. The distribution package you need is contained in the archive file social-feeds-x.y.z.tgz where x, y and z are the version numbers of the module. Make sure the version of the module is the same as the version of the installed X-Cart.
  2. Copy the distribution package to the X-Cart root directory on your server or hosting account.
    • If you are using a Windows-based server, or a UNIX-based server without terminal access:
    a) Decompress the archive with the Social Feeds distribution package to a directory on your system using your favorite compression program (WinZIP or any other archiver with support for TAR files).
    b) Use an FTP client to upload all the files contained in the archive (retaining the directory structure) to the X-Cart root directory on your server or your hosting account.
    • If you are using a UNIX-based server with terminal access:
    a) Use an FTP client to upload the archive with the distribution package to the X-Cart root directory on your server or your hosting account.
    b) Decompress the package using the following command:
    tar -xzvf social-feeds-x.y.z.tgz
    Important: Make sure you keep the directory structure while unpacking and uploading the distribution package, otherwise some necessary files can be overwritten!
  3. In a web browser, run the installation script httр://<YOUR_XCART_DOMAIN>/install-social-feeds.php replacing the variable <YOUR_XCART_DOMAIN> with the actual domain name of your X-Cart store.
  4. Enter the Auth code, accept the License Agreement and click Next.
  5. The installation script patches the files and activates the module. Click Next to continue the installation.
    Note: if you are using custom skin, you will need to manually apply the patches to it. Otherwise, the module will not work in this skin.
  6. The installation script generates a new system fingerprint. Click Next to complete the installation.
  7. Use the ADMINISTRATOR AREA link to log in to the Admin area.

Enabling the Social Feeds add-on module

After the Social Feeds add-on module installation has been completed, the module you have installed needs to be enabled in your store:

  1. In Admin area, go to the Modules section (Settings menu->Modules).
  2. Choose the Social Feeds module by selecting the respective check box on the left.
  3. Click the Apply changes button. This activates the module.

Configuring Social Feeds add-on module

After the Social Feeds add-on module has been enabled in your store, you should check and adjust its configuration:

  1. In the Modules section (Settings menu->Modules), click the Configure link opposite the module name ('Social Feeds').
    The module configuration page (titled by the name of the module) opens.
  2. Adjust the settings on the module configuration page. Detailed information regarding the Abandoned Cart Reminder add-on module configuration settings is available below.
  3. Click the Apply changes button to save the changes.
Note: After the module is enabled the first time, it will work in manual mode and no automatic messages will be sent. You will need to set it up to work in fully automated mode