Announcing ECinteractive and is.D-Force2 8.0.0
Friday, Oct.17, 2008 — ECi is loading Version 8.0.0 of ECinteractive® and is.D-Force® 2 onto your live Web servers THIS WEEKEND between 9 PM Central Time tonight (Friday, Oct. 17), and 6 AM CDT Monday, Oct. 20.
After our extensive testing of both the featureset and the code roll process, we anticipate a smooth release. In the event that we encounter any issues, we are prepared to revert to the previous state, and we will keep you informed as to the status.
Version 8.0.0 is one of our biggest major releases yet, with new features including:
Read on for more details and implementation instructions.
United Stationers Enhanced Content
United Stationers recently announced the release of its SmartSearch Web service in cooperation with leading industry technology providers, including eCommerce Industries, Inc. (ECi). If you are a United Stationers dealer with an ECinteractive Web storefront, your online customers will have access to enhanced content and search capabilities, side-by-side comparisons, richer product details, targeted machine & equipment accessory matching, and relevant alternative items.
Action Required: Please contact your United Stationers Account Manager to request your SmartSearch Web Service Dealer ID and password.
Note: If you wish to use AbilityOne/JWOD content within United Enhanced Search, contact your United Stationers Account manager to activate it for your account. Then, contact ECi Technical Support to add the catalog to your global catalog grouping.
For detailed instructions, see Setting Up United Stationers Enhanced Content
(www.DDMS.com/resources/support/faq/ecommerce/ecUNIContent.pdf).
Note: For is.D-Force2 sites, United Stationers Enhanced Content features do not apply at this time, pending discussions between the parties of is.group and United Stationers.
Lock Shoppers to Contracts/Laundry Lists
 On your backend system, you may have contracts and/or laundry lists set up for items a customer purchases regularly.
In 8.0.0, you can limit shoppers to your backend contracts and/or laundry lists. Previously, the Contracts/Laundry Lists tab in your Customer Management page previously only allowed you to assign contracts or laundry lists to the selected customer. In 8.0.0, this tab has been enhanced to include three new Select Item Limit options:
- None lets the shopper view all catalogs and contracts and/or laundry list items assigned to his account.
- Restrict lets the dealer restrict the shopper from using specific contracts and/or laundry lists. For example, this option lets the dealer set up a restricted contract and/or laundry list of items the shopper cannot view. This is a useful feature for dealers who need to restrict certain items, such as furniture products, from displaying on specific user Web pages.
- Lock lets the dealer lock the shopper to Contracts Only (All items that are in the selected backend lists will override the customer’s Catalog Group settings. In effect, the assigned backend lists become the customer’s catalog groups.) and Include Contracts (All items that are in both the customer’s Catalog Groups and the selected backend Contracts/Laundry Lists are shown to the customer).
For details and exceptions, please see Lock Shoppers to Contracts/Laundry Lists
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/ecommerce/ecLockContractLL.pdf).
Custom Product Management Redesigned
 While your wholesaler's catalog is pretty comprehensive, many of you sell custom items that aren't available in eContent, but which you have set up in your backend item database, contracts, and laundry lists.
Our newly streamlined Custom Product Management Dashboard in 8.0.0 makes it easier than ever to manage dealer-specific custom items. You can add manufacturers, add custom product details and upload images as needed, create your custom catalog, and map your product categories so that your products are easy for your customers to find.
The new process also makes it easy to authorize your own items to be pipelined through United Stationers' SmartSearch Web service. As a result, your customer can shop Enhanced Content not only for United Stationers items, but your dealer-specific custom items as well.
(Our product development team has set the stage to integrate Custom Catalogs with S.P. Richards Enhanced Content in the next major release, 8.1.)
Note: For is.D-Force2 sites, United Stationers Enhanced Content features do not apply at this time, pending discussions between the parties of is.group and United Stationers.
After creating your custom catalog in 8.0.0, you can assign your Catalog Groups to individual accounts, guest accounts, demo accounts, or mass change customer parameters for your Custom Catalogs. As always, you can also manage your custom products' ranking in ECinteractive's standard search results. Now you can manage the ranking within Enhanced search results. You can promote any product through Preferred Items and Web Specials.
For detailed instructions, see UPDATED 10/17 Setting Up Custom Items & Catalogs
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/ecommerce/ecCatalogs.pdf).
Note: Your work in the Custom Product Management Dashboard will take effect the following day, after the ECinteractive system generates your site-specific and customer-specific Catalog Combination Indexes (CCIs) during its nightly scheduled processes.
This also gives your Enhanced Content Provider’s system time to run your custom catalog content data through its Pipeline process. If you’re planning a customer launch or prospect demonstration, we recommend leaving yourself a few days in advance to prepare, index and test the items your audience should expect to see.
Customize Home Page Display Order, Browse by Subcategories
 First impressions can make or break a relationship, whether it’s a job interview, a first date, a new restaurant, or a new Web site. When shoppers open your Home page, their first impression can lead them either to click the back button or to delve deeper. It should be a place where shoppers want to return again and again.
With this in mind, we've designed the interface to be friendly, easy-to-use, and as intuitive as possible. To help you achieve even better results, Version 8.0.0 gives you more control of the information that's shown on the Home page.
Under Site Text, a new tab for Home Page Display Order lets you customize the arrangement of Default News, Home Page Text, Browse Category Display, and Account Specific News. Account-specific News is now displayed on the shopper's Home page by default, so important notifications can be displayed directly on the Home page without the necessity of clicking the menu to go to Account News. You can use the HTML-capable text editor to customize these elements, hide or resequence elements as you see fit, and preview what the results will look like on your home page.
In a related development, the Site Preferences page in 8.0.0 allows you to specify how the Home and Browse pages displays subcategories. If you enable the new Expand Category Display on Home and Browse Catalog Pages checkbox, the complete list of level two categories will display, as long as there are not more than six top level categories. A new Edit Category Display Order button opens a page where you can select the catalogs from your Content Provider. The catalogs in turn drive the categories.
Note: For is.D-Force2 sites, United Stationers Enhanced Content features do not apply at this time, pending discussions between the parties of is.group and United Stationers.
For detailed instructions, see Customizing Site Text and Messages in ECinteractive
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/ecommerce/ecSiteText.pdf)
Customize HTML Headers and Footers for Automated Emails
 One more way you're going to be more visibly competitive is with ECinteractive's new HTML-formatted automated messages, such as order confirmations, approval emails, and payment confirmations.
Under Site Text in 8.0.0, the Emails tab has been enhanced to allow you to specify Headers and Footers that you've designed in our HTML-capable Text Editor.
It is not mandatory to design your own custom headers and footers. You can simply go with our professionally designed default format.
However, it gives you an opportunity to show off your logo and add a personal touch or promotional message that brings loyal customers back for more.
You can also choose whether your customers receive HTML or plain text by default for specific customers in Customer Management.
Shoppers can set their own email format preference when registering as a new user by using the Register Me link and when updating their information.
For detailed instructions, see Customizing Site Text and Messages in ECinteractive
(www.DDMS.com/Resources/Support/faq/ecommerce/ecSiteText.pdf)
Approval Order Page Redesigned
 To make it simpler for your customers to review, deny, adjust, and approve orders as needed, we've redesigned your shopper's Approval page in 8.0.0.
It now looks more like the familiar landscape of our shopping cart, but with the following approver-friendly enhancements:
- New boxes where the approver can enter Blanket PO, Quick PO, Shipping Instructions, and Special Instructions.
- Add New Items, by entering the item number on a line that works just like QuickOrder, adding Comments as needed. when an Approver adds a new item to a pending order, in addition to the icon that displays on the page, the Approver is prompted to enter his first and last name in the Comment box. The text then appears as follows: Item Added By John Smith, for example. The Comment box would still be available for Approver modifications.
Note: If the approver denies a line item, they cannot currently reverse their denial, but may add the item to the order. If the approver denies an entire order, they cannot currently reverse their denial, but may consider submitting a separate order of their own.
No action is required to implement this feature; it's available to all your shoppers in 8.0.0.
Shopper Preference for Viewing Items in Categories or Lists
 In 8.0.0, shoppers have the ability to display all the products on a page, rather than the usual display of product categories.
The Show Products by Category checkbox has been added to all standard Search Results, Contracts, Laundry Lists, and Favorites pages.
In addition, by clicking the down arrow in the new Items Per Page box, the shopper can also specify how many items to view on a single page, 10, 25, 50, 75, or 100 (Note: the more items selected, the longer the page takes to refresh.)
No action is required to implement this feature; it's available to all your shoppers in 8.0.0.
For information about all changes in version 8.0.0 see Program Updates
(www.DDMS.com/updates/searchresult2.asp?swversion=259&search=Search).
For more details about your Web storefront, see also ECinteractive FAQs
(www.DDMS.com/support/doc/ecInteractive.htm).
How Do I Set Up My "Down for Maintenance" Page?
Your Web storefront will be unavailable during this weekend's maintenance periods. You can schedule your site to be Offline for Maintenance by following these simple steps:
- Log into your ECinteractive site's Administrative Control Panel.
- (Optional) Click Site News, and then click Page Editor. Create or edit a Scheduled Maintenance page to include some text that will encourage your customers to log off before your scheduled maintenance period begins, so their work will be cached properly.
- Click Global Settings, and then click Site Maintenance.
- In the Automatic Scheduled Maintenance box, make a note of your existing settings so you can return to them later.
- Enter the appropriate times in the Time Off and Time On boxes, in the format HH:MM AM or PM, for Weekday and Weekend.
- (Optional) Select your Scheduled Maintenance page, for Weekday and Weekend.
- Click the Auto Maintenance Mode On button. At the Are You Sure message, check your time settings. If they are correct, click OK.
- Click the Update button. The changes are implemented within one minute.
NOTE: On Monday after the software update is complete, you may wish to return to these settings, and simply adjust the time off and on settings, so that your site is not unnecessarily shut down for maintenance on other weekends.
See also your online help (http://images.eci2.com/ecInteractive_adminhelp/Site_Maintenance.htm).
Find Out What's Coming Soon And More
In the next few months, the ECinteractive team has an aggressive schedule to release more hot priority features to make your Web presence more competitive and efficient. We have made significant strides in implementing advancements vendors make in content. We continue working with our trading partners, our mutual goal being a better experience in searching and shopping for your customers. Log into your Admin Control Panel for more details on the Home page.
To find out more about the ECinteractive family of products, see our ECinteractive Product Information (www.ecisolutions.com/products/ecinteractive/), where you can access a demo site, marketing tools, and color themes. You can compare Dealer Station® and ECinteractive features for both your Administrative control panel and your end-user Web storefront.
We hope this information is helpful!
Sincerely,
ECi Product Management & Technical Support
http://support.ECiSolutions.com
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