Store Planning Worksheet

Store Name:

1.

Store-Building Software
___ ___________________ (smaller stores 5 to 50 products)
___ ___________________ (medium stores 51 to 300+ products)
___ ___________________ Larger Database-Driven Stores (custom needs)
___ Other

2.

Type of Sale
___Retail (sale to end user)
___Wholesale, business-to-business (to resellers or manufacturers)
___ Desire to do both

3.

Products

Type of Products:

How many products (separate SKU numbers) do you plan for your store? _____. Do these SKU numbers represent different colors or sizes for the same product? Yes___   No___

Options (color, size, etc. in a drop-down menu).
This number of products ______ has an average of ___ options each.
Did you count each of the options as a different product above?
___Yes ___No

4.

Product Photos
A substantial part of the cost of developing a store is in preparing the product photos. But, of course, they are often what motivate people to purchase.

Number of product photos ________

Format: ___Prints ___Transparencies ___Digitized (scanned)
___Web Ready (digitized, sized, optional border, JPEG or GIF format)

5.

Product Information Format
Typical product information needed (depending upon the complexity of your site): SKU, Product Name, Product Description, Weight, Price, Picture File Name, Category, Subcategory, Related product SKUs for cross-selling, color/size option of SKU, other descriptive fields (such as ISBN for books), etc. These will usually be fields in a spreadsheet or database.

Database Format
__Not currently in database or spreadsheet __Excel __FileMaker Pro __Access __Foxpro __Sybase __Oracle __Other_________________

6.

Categories of Products
The larger the store, the more categories you'll need. Site menus and search engines use these categories to group products so shoppers can find them quickly. We'll need a list of these from you. You'll also need to put the category and subcategory(ies) in fields in your database.

Number of Main Categories or "Departments" ______

Total number of Subcategories in all "departments _____

7.

Sketch Your Preferred Product Page Layout(s)
on the other side of this form. Show preferred placement of: (1) product photo, (2) product name, (3) product SKU, (4) product description, (5) price, and (6) order button.

8.

Shipping

Shipping Options Offered
___Ground ___2nd Day ___Overnight

Carrier:
___UPS ___FedEx ___Airborne ___Postal Service __Other

Shipping Calculation Method
___Disable shipping calculation
___Link to UPS or other shipper shipping cost calculator
___Flat Rate for all items (e.g., up to three books for $8)
___Price Threshold (e.g., $8 for orders between $25 and $50)
___Weight Threshold (e.g., $8 for orders weighing between 10 and 12 pounds
___Shipping Price specified for Each Item (useful for items with special packing or crating)
___Other

Shipping Areas or Zones (6 included at no extra charge). Many merchants start with UPS zones and then average them so there are 3 or 4 zones for the continental US or other major market area. In the US, you will probably also have zones for Canada, and Alaska/Hawaii. For international customers state: "We will calculate the exact shipping amount and charge it to your card prior to shipping."

9.

Sales Tax (one state table at no extra charge)

States or Counties where collection is required

Percent Sales Tax

10.

Payment Transaction

Payment Methods Allowed
___Visa ___MasterCard ___American Express ___Discover___
COD ___Purchase Order ___Reseller Account No. ___
Other:___________________________________

Credit Card Authorization
___Real-time on-line credit card authorization (recommended if you're setting up a Web business from scratch)
___Desktop credit card processing after order is received (begin here if you have an existing Merchant Credit Card Account) 

11.

Secure Order Reception
Store software e-mails you when an order arrives, but it won't e-mail sensitive credit card information. You'll need to get that in a secure manner.
___View completed order in Web browser and print out orders on printer (for low volume stores)
___Download order file for transfer to accounting system (for higher volume stores. ShopSite offers a tab-delimited file. You'll need to have a programmer write a macro to import into your order fulfillment software.)

12.

Accounting and Inventory

Accounting Program Used
___QuickBooks ___Peachtree ___Mail Order Manager ___Other

Do you want to integrate Web orders with accounting program? (special programming probably required) ___Yes ___Maybe Later ___No

Do you want to integrate Web orders with an inventory program? ___Yes ___No  (We don't handle this, but can refer you to a programmer.)

13.

Special Order Form Instructions
___Gift wrapping
___Gift card inscription
___Shipping instructions
___Other

14.

Names of "Regular" Pages.
Product pages are usually designed on the basis of templates. "Regular" pages must be hand-designed using HTML, with custom photo insertion, etc. As such, they are more expensive. Typical "regular" pages are your "home" page, FAQ, about the company, articles, newsletters, and (sometimes) ordering instructions.

___Welcome/Menu
___About the Company
___FAQ
___Newsletter
___Other:

15.

Response Forms (besides the order form)
You may have a form where shoppers can ask questions, subscribe to a newsletter, get customer support, etc. We do not include your ordering system here. You may not need a structured feedback form; an e-mail response link may be all that is necessary.

Number of response forms (up to 20 fields each) _____

Purpose of response form(s):

16.

Web Hosting
Due to the complexity of installing and hosting store-building software and relational databases, it is important that you accept our recommendations for Web hosting services. We charge for the additional time expended installing and configuring stores on Web hosting services other than those we recommend. On the other hand, we have shopped for the best cost/performance/reliability in Web hosting services. We do not resell hosting, but have you arrange your own contract with approved hosting services.
Web Hosting Service:  

17.

Digital Certificate of Site Security
SSL Secure Servers use a Digital Certificate signed by a recognized authority (currently VeriSign or Thawte) which tells the shopper's Web browser that the store is what it purports to be. The configuration of some Web hosting services requires each store to have its own Digital Certificate (at a cost of several hundred dollars per year). Others allow store owners to use the server's digital certificate. If you need a separate Digital Certificate, for an additional fee, we will interface with VeriSign and Thawte for you, saving you a considerable hassle.

18.

Globalization
Once your store appears on the Web you will have a global business. You will get orders from other countries, since many countries are not able to purchase these items locally. How will you make your site more comfortable for international customers?
___Link to currency exchange calculator (Your credit card company handles exact exchange rates)
___Provide multiple languages for product names, product descriptions, order form details (name, address, phone), shipping instructions
___Provide instructions about international shipping options
___Provide international shipments with "International Air Waybill," "Commercial Invoice," or "Shipper's Export Declaration (SED)" as required. (You may obtain more information about requirements from your postal office or courier shipping service.)

19.

Other