Frequently Asked Questions

How will my website be built?
How would my website be managed?
What will my site look like?
How is the Shopping Cart different to the Catalogue?
What will I have to do?

How will my website be built?

The system I will build your site in is Joomla! v1.5 - a powerful and versatile "Content Management System" - which basically means that content is held in a database and then dynamically displayed using pre-designed templates.

For catalogue packages, the "Product Catalogue" will be run by VirtueMart v1.1 which fits seamlessly into Joomla! VirtueMart can be set to function in two ways, either as:

1. a catalogue of products that can be viewed by categories and then selected to view in more detail with descriptions and larger images of each product, or

2. an online store (functionality includes the ability to add to shopping cart, order form, shipping calculation and integration with PayPal for credit card payments).

How would my website be managed?

As a site owner and administrator, you can access a user friendly admin screen for your website. With the help of training documentation that will be provided you can:

create, edit or delete pages,
upload photos,
re-name and re-order menus,
change headings,
add, delete or simply un-publish products,
create new product categories
and much more. Advanced features such as polls, random images, newsflashes etc are also available.

What will my site look like?

Well that is up to you! Options include:

1. There are many great looking and FREE templates out there that with a small amount of customisation will make your site look unique to you! Changing the banner heading, the colours, the font and the occasional image will completely change the look. Some great FREE templates can be found here www.siteground.com

2. For a small additional fee of $30 you can select a template from www.joomlacapital.com (you don't have to buy to view, just change the dropdown list at top of page to look at the different designs available)

3. The most time consuming and expensive way is to have one completely custom designed for you. Please contact me to discuss this option and related branding and pricing considerations.

How is the Shopping Cart different to the Catalogue?

The Catalogue enables you to:

create categories for your products
add products into one or more categories
assign each product a:
  - price (gst, discount settings etc are available but optional)
  - short and long description
  - weights and sizes (optional)
  - easy upload image
  - related products (optional)
have an enquiry link for each product
have images displayed as thumbnails that are enlarged in the clean "lightbox" viewer
give customer the ability to sort and browse products easily

The Shopping Cart enables the catalogue features PLUS the ability to:

create shipping rates based on region and even weight of product
set the stock figure to show if in stock or not and how many are available for purchase (e.g. if artwork out at show or in gallery you can set stock to 0 and an "Enquire" button will be displayed instead of the "Add to Cart" button)
display "Add to Cart" functionality for in stock products (Note: should someone purchase a product online, the stock number will be automatically updated in the database to prevent someone else buying an out-of-stock item!)
shopping cart summary with remove or continue options
present the buyer with a form to supply all of their details required for the order
ensure the buyer selects a shipping rate if set
seamlessly carry this collected data over to the PayPay website where the buyer can make the actual payment. (PayPal is an internationally accepted secure payment system allowing customers to pay via credit card into an account that then transfers the payment less minimal commission into your nominated bank account.)

What will I have to do?

A few things will be required of you to get the most out of your website: