eBay ProStores Releases Version 6.1 Upgrade

[Kristijntje]

eBay's ProStores division released version 6.1 of its e-commerce hosting on Monday. New features include an enhanced setup wizard, a Dreamweaver design extension and better eBay Store integration. The update is part of a quarterly upgrade schedule that, the company says, is designed to provide incremental improvements to its customers. "This release is focused on ease-of-use,"...

New users of ProStores' business tier and above will now find it easier to set up their ProStores Web store. Sellers will be provided with a getting started checklist accompanied by process indicators to show when tasks have been completed. To help sellers prioritize, tasks are now labeled as being either required, recommended and optional. In addition, a preview store function is available during the design process to reveal how the store would appear on the Web...

full article: http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/news...hp/3588241

[amy]

The eBusiness Boost Challenge?  :

The official upgrade announcement. 

***A Message From Julian Green: ProStores Enhancements and the eBusiness Boost Challenge*** 

March 01, 2006 | 03:38PM PST/PT

Hi everyone, I'm Julian Green, Director of ProStores. As you probably know, ProStores is a full-featured ecommerce solution, independent of the eBay marketplace someone tell him that  independent ecommerce solutions don't have FVF fees, that helps small to medium businesses sell online through a fully customized web store. And I’m here today to tell you about a couple of exciting things going on for ProStores. I think I just wet my pants with all the excitement

Our New ProStores 6.1 Release
First, we’ve just released ProStores version 6.1. We've made several enhancements that make it even easier for merchants to set up and customize their ProStores web store.

Here are the highlights of our 6.1 release:

    * Dreamweaver Extension – You can now use the leading Macromedia design tool Dreamweaver to help create attractive, professional ProStores site.
    * Design Wizard Checklist and Design Studio Improvements - We've improved the step-by-step design wizard and our more advanced design tool, Design Studio, to help you more easily create your ProStores web site.
    * Improvements to eBay Integration - Merchants who list on eBay from their ProStores web store will now see the correct shipping and insurance information for items purchased through Checkout Redirect.
    * Getting Started Checklist - We’ve created a new set-up guide you can use when you sign into your Store Administration.  This former StoreSense Pro Plus user thinks they need to do much more than this to make ProStores worth what they're charging.

For full details about these enhancements, visit www.prostores.com/newfeatures.

Enter Our eBusiness Boost Challenge
Next, I want to tell you about the eBusiness Boost Challenge, a contest that we’re holding in collaboration with Entrepreneur magazine.

Entrepreneur magazine and ProStores are looking for essays from small business owners who want to enter the eBusiness Boost Challenge. In 250 words or less, describe your business, challenges you face as a company, your future vision, and your ultimate business goal. Six winners will be selected to go through a five-month "shape-up" program. A team of experts will provide these winners with business consulting, sales and marketing advice, and ecommerce solutions to help grow revenues and profits.

In addition, each winner will receive a one year subscription to ProStores (which will come with free consultation from a ProStores advisor), media coverage in Entrepreneur magazine and entrepreneur.com, and promotion on the ProStores Web site.

Submit Your Essay to Enter by April 21, 2006
So, are you up to the challenge? Simply send in your essay before April 21, 2006. For more information and to enter, log on to www.prostores.com/ebusinessboost.

[amy]

eBay's ProStores Botches 'Checkout Redirect' Feature

eBay's ProStores told its merchants it was rolling back Checkout Redirect "as quickly as possible" after having introduced enhancements to the feature with the release of Version 6.1 of ProStores late last month

http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abn/y06/m03/i17/s01

Checkout Redirect – update
To all ProStores merchants utilizing Checkout Redirect

We understand that we have impacted your business with the recent changes made in the Checkout Redirect functionality.

The new feature with Checkout Redirect was intended to address the ProStores merchant need of wanting to charge different shipping rates for eBay items vs ProStores items. To achieve this, the ProStores application upon Checkout Redirect would pull over the shipping cost for eBay listing. Unfortunately, this feature only works with single items and single shipping service in the listing. This is because eBay is currently not set up to support the following:

    * multiple shipping services (eBay sends over to ProStores the last shipping option)
    * shipping discounts on multiple listings (Buyer must select “Pay Now” on each eBay listing one at a time to add it to the ProStores Cart and the eBay shipping amounts will be summed. Not able to apply shipping discount)

Based on your input on this forum, it has been decided that the best course of action is to roll back the Checkout Redirect feature to its original form where the ProStores cart is the application that will calculates shipping cost. This will allow multiple listings and shipping discounts to be handled the ProStores cart. We plan to roll back this feature as quickly as possible and we will keep you all fully updated as we proceed.

As stated earlier, ProStores is working on a joint project with eBay to address the issues that you raised. Once eBay is able to provide shipping information related to multiple shipping services and shipping discounts the feature will be updated in ProStores.

http://discussionboard.prostores.com/showpost.php?p=3387&postcount=32

Checkout Redirect update - ProStores cart calculates shipping cost
To all ProStores merchants utilizing Checkout Redirect

Changes to Checkout Redirect will be rolled into production on Thursday, March 16th at 11:00 PM PST / Friday, March 17th 2:00 AM EST.

Based on your input on this forum, it has been decided that the best course of action is to return the Checkout Redirect feature to its original form where the ProStores cart is the application that will calculates shipping cost.

http://discussionboard.prostores.com/sho...1#post3571

[Anita]

Submit Your Essay to Enter by April 21, 2006
So, are you up to the challenge? Simply send in your essay before April 21, 2006. For more information and to enter, log on to www.prostores.com/ebusinessboost.

Amy,
Post your rough draft here first. 

[bargainbloodhound]

eBay gets its hands on something and immediately breaks it.    :blinkie: in fairness to eBay, StoreSense/ProStores has always sucked and been vastly overrated (someone slept with someone is the only explanation for its awards) which is why we dumped StoreSense.  Ha ha, eBay was a big enough sucker to believe the reviews and buy the entire company.   They should have bought either MonsterCommerce or Volusion instead.  :