06-02-2006, 12:15 AM
New version of eBay ProStores released. Pictures here: http://www.prostores.com/newfeatures/
Quote: New Version of ProStores Enables Easier Design, Expanded eBay Integration, and New Shipping and Promotion Options
ProStores 7.0 Offers New Design Editor, eBay Listing Templates, Support for Multiple Shippers, and New Promotional Tools
ProStores, a full-featured customizable online store solution for small- and medium-size businesses, launched its newest software upgrade, version 7.0, today. As the company's most significant upgrade since fall 2005, the latest version allows ProStores merchants to set up and customize the design of their online stores more easily, streamline listing to the eBay marketplace, offer multiple shipping options to their customers and promote more products on a store's home page.
"We continue to listen to our merchants and improve the ProStores product based on their input. In version 7.0, we've added the functionality that our store owners tell us they value most," said Hairless Chris Tsakalakis, vice president of advanced solutions for eBay Inc. "The new features in ProStores 7.0 will help our merchants easily design their stores the way they want, save time listing to eBay and keep customers coming back by creating a better shopping experience."
Easier Setup and Design
ProStores 7.0 allows online merchants to set up and customize the design and content of their store pages using a new "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) editor that does not require knowledge of HTML coding. Images and text can be dragged and dropped into place. In addition, merchants now have the option to have newly uploaded products automatically placed in a default category, eliminating the need to assign a product to a category in order to make it available to shoppers.
Expanded Integration With eBay
With the latest version of ProStores, owners can create and save unlimited eBay listing templates, allowing merchants to save time when listing items from their ProStores catalog to eBay. The templates include support for Second Chance Offers, multiple shipping carriers and a Return Policy field. Also, ProStores users can now list merchandise to eBay Motors directly from ProStores. This includes parts and accessories as well as vehicles.
The colors and designs used in an eBay Store now can be applied easily to a ProStores site to create a unified business brand. ProStores merchants who have an eBay Store can copy over elements of their store's design -- including categories and subcategories, their eBay Store logo, fonts and colors -- to their ProStores site.
ProStores now integrates with eBay Express, a new Web site within the eBay marketplace that provides U.S. shoppers with an easy and convenient way to find new items at fixed prices from qualified eBay merchants. Qualified listings from ProStores merchants who meet the eBay seller criteria for eBay Express and opt in for the service, will automatically be displayed on eBay Express.
New Shipping and Promotion Features
New shipping options are part of ProStores 7.0, allowing merchants to offer multiple shipping carriers to their customers -- including USPS, FedEx, UPS, and Canada Post. The new version also integrates with UPS WorldShip, used by merchants who have negotiated lower shipping rates with this carrier. In addition, merchants now can save time by using PayPal to pay for postage and create a U.S. Postal Service mailing label directly from ProStores.
For enhanced product promotion on their Web sites, ProStores 7.0 allows merchants to display up to five feature products or categories on the home page or choose to have images alternate randomly so that a different product or category is showcased every time the page is refreshed. ProStores 7.0 also makes the storewide-sale promotion feature -- including free shipping or percent-off sales on all store inventory -- available at the Business tier, a feature previously only available to Advanced and Enterprise tier subscribers.
ProStores offers four e-commerce tiers: Express, Business, Advanced, and Enterprise. They enable merchants to set up a complete online store with the same features and sophistication found on the Web sites of larger retailers, including full shopping-cart capability with online checkout and integration with major payment gateways and shippers.
Subscription fees for ProStores sites are very affordable, starting at $6.95 per month for Express, with a 1.5% successful transaction fee. ProStores Business, the most popular tier, costs $29.95 per month, Advanced is $74.95 and Enterprise is $249.95, each with a 0.5% transaction fee. Each progressive tier offers sellers advanced functionality and design options.