That’s why Google backs the Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) project, which is a standard that any web developer can use to ensure their pages load lightning-fast and look great on mobile devices. As another benefit, AMP will also improve your SEO as Google and other search engines prioritize fast-loading, mobile-friendly content.

Shift4Shop is integrated with Google AMP to bring its benefits to the primary pages of your website: your Home Page, Categories, Products, and Blog. This ensures ideal performance for your visitors across all devices, and helps boost your search engine rankings.

Top Features

• Fast loading and total mobile compatibility for the major parts of your website.

• Available on your Home Page, Category Pages, Product Pages, and Blog.

• Boosts your SEO by meeting Google’s ideal standards for mobile web design.

Shift4Shop’s Google AMP Gallery

Google AMP Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I activate Google AMP?

First, ensure that you’re using a Core theme. Then log into your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager, navigate to Marketing and then SEO Tools, and check the “Enable AMP” checkbox within the AMP section. Then, check the rest of the boxes to enable AMP in each section of your store you desire. Don’t forget to save your changes!

• How do I see an AMP-enabled page?

Google AMP is primarily for visitors that find your site by searching on Google, so they will reach the AMP page by tapping your link in a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). Normal navigation throughout your site will not bring visitors to an AMP page, as this is not the intended function of the AMP project.

• What about the rest of my site that doesn’t use AMP, such as my About Us page?

The rest of your Shift4Shop website is fully responsive to mobile devices as long as you’re using a Core theme, which will also enable other advantages of the Core Template Engine such as deferred JavaScript and optimized code. On the Shift4Shop blog, you can learn more about how the Core Template Engine brings cutting-edge web design to your eCommerce website. Note that in order to use Google AMP on your website, you need to be using a Core theme, so if you have AMP enabled then you are already on Core.

Shift4Shop’s Google AMP Testimonials

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Shift4Shop’s Automation Rules help lighten the workload by letting the computer accomplish certain tasks without human operation. This includes automatically changing the status of an order, which makes shipping and inventory management much smoother. Store owners can set autoresponders to send messages any time a specific event happens, such as a customer purchasing an item within a certain price range. Automation rules can also be used to categorize customers into different groups, allowing online businesses to create VIP or “members only” options. With Automation Rules, email campaigns and customer targeting are easier than ever before.

Top Features

• Automatically add customers to Customer Groups and/or membership tiers

• Use autoresponders to automatically send targeted emails

• Flag orders with specific colors to identify and manage them more easily

Shift4Shop’s Automation Rules Gallery

Automation Rules Frequently Asked Questions

• What kinds of Automation Rules can I set?

While Automation Rules can be heavily customized, they get triggered by two basic types of activity. The first type is for orders, meaning you can set rules that activate certain tasks based on a customer’s purchase. The second type is for customer registration, allowing you to create automated rules that target customers when they sign up to be part of a specific customer group. Within these types, automated rules can be triggered by order status, customer group, payment method, shipping method, distributor, order amount, and specific categories and products.

• What are some benefits of automatically adding customers to Customer Groups?

Customer Groups allow you to grant certain privileges to specific people. For example, you can automatically provide access to specific pages for anyone who registers as part of a certain VIP group. You can even use an alternative business model where people cannot even enter your website, much less see its products, unless they pay for membership. These tantalizing options can greatly encourage visitors and increase conversions.

• Can I set an Automation Rule for a specific product?

Absolutely. You can set the parameters of an Automation Rule so that a website takes action based on the purchase of a specific product. An example could be someone buying a certain item, which then prompts the system to send an email to that customer with recommendations for related products. You can set highly specific Automation Rules like this for as many as five individual items at once.

Automation Rules Feature Testimonials

“Catering to different kinds of people based on what they like is essential to the survival of a business. That’s why Shift4Shop’s Automation Rules feature is the bee’s knees. With this feature, my website can communicate better and sell more, letting me concentrate on other things.”

The post Automate Your eCommerce Website appeared first on Shift4Shop.

With a Shift4Shop store, you can show product reviews right on the page. Let customers leave a star rating and their comments about the item. Reviews can be restricted to verified buyers, rated for helpfulness, and automatically or manually approved according to your settings. Help your customers with their purchase decisions and let them tell you about their favorite items— valuable information you can use.

Top Features

• Approve or deny reviews

• Restrict reviews to verified buyers

• Reviews appear right on the product page

Shift4Shop’s Product Review Feature Gallery

Product Reviews Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I hide the stars on products with no reviews?

Yes, you can do this in the Product Reviews dashboard found in the Modules section of your Shift4Shop Online Store Builder. Click the check box labeled Hide Stars for Zero Reviews.

• How do I manage my product reviews?

In your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager, click Products in the left-hand navigation and then click Reviews.

• How does the review module determine a verified buyer?

The reviewer’s email address is cross-referenced with orders on record to check if that email address is associated with an order including the reviewed item.

Product Review Feature Testimonials

The post Customer Reviews and Star Ratings appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Both of these features are great for creating a sense of urgency and inspiring your customers to share your deals with their friends. They’re also great for helping you move overstocked inventory. Setup is simple and the results are eye-catching.

Running Daily Deals and Group Deals in Shift4Shop

Screenshots of Daily Deals and Group Deals features

Daily and Group Deals Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I enable either of these features?

In your Shift4Shop Online Store Builder, click Modules in the left-hand navigation. Simply type deals into the search bar at the top, and both modules will appear with their respective Enable checkboxes and links to settings.

• Can I have multiple Daily Deals going at once?

Yes, this can be set up in the Daily Deals settings under View Deals, the button found to the top right. In this screen you can find Deal Groups (not to be confused with Group Deals), which allow you to run multiple deals concurrently.

• How long do the Group Deals last?

This is up to you; you get to decide the deadline as well as the number of purchases needed to reach the discounted price. If you don’t reach your target, it’s up to you as to whether you honor the deal or not, offer customers an alternative, or anything you decide. You have full control!

Customers increased sales by running daily and group deals

The post Daily Deals and Group Deals Modules appeared first on Shift4Shop.

With Shift4Shop’s Abandoned Cart Saver, you can create fully branded, customizable email campaigns to target customers with abandoned carts and entice them back to finish their purchase. These email campaigns can be personalized however you prefer, using templates or designed from scratch, and will automatically be sent at your specified intervals.

How to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

• Automated recovery emails that go out to the shoppers when specified

• Recovery Emails can be fully customized to perfectly match your store’s branding

• Full reporting of the results of your abandoned cart recovery campaigns

Shift4Shop’s Abandoned Cart Saver in Action

Abandoned Cart Saver Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I get the Abandoned Cart Saver in my store?

Abandoned Cart Saver is included in our free End-to-End eCommerce plan as well as Shift4Shop Plus and higher, and can also be accessed through the Shift4Shop App Store for a low monthly fee. Once the app is active for your account, you can find it under Modules in the Shift4Shop Online Store Builder.

• What parts of the abandoned cart emails can I customize?

You can fully edit both the text and HTML versions of all Abandoned Cart Saver emails you create, whether or not you chose to start from a template.

• Where do I view my Abandoned Cart Saver report?

Under Abandoned Cart Saver in Modules, click Change Settings. To the top right of the screen you will see a button labeled View Report, which you can click to access it.

Customers successfully recovering abandoned carts

The post Abandoned Cart Recovery Solution appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Selling Business-to-Business has a few more complexities than typical B2C eCommerce. Generally, you’re working on a larger scale, which means higher profits and more moving product — and that adds up to higher risk. That’s one reason why B2B sellers often only work with a specific list of customers that have gone through an application and approval process. If you’re a B2B seller, you may want to take it a step further and restrict your customers to a predefined list of shipping addresses on checkout.

With Shift4Shop’s B2B Cost Center Locations feature, you can do exactly that. Set up Cost Center shipping addresses and assign them to different customer groups, making it easy to keep track of your B2B customers’ official locations. Restrict purchases to specific addresses assigned by customer group and track orders shipped by location. Shift4Shop’s B2B Cost Center Locations feature is one of the many B2B eCommerce features available for any online store that sells exclusively to franchises, employees, or other businesses.

With the B2B Cost Center Locations Module you can,

• Create Cost Center Locations in a simple interface and assign them to customer groups
• View order histories for each Cost Center Location
• Prevent customers from entering an unapproved shipping address by replacing shipping address fields with a list of pre-defined addresses

B2B Cost Center Locations Frequently Asked Questions

• Where do I add, edit, or delete the addresses for Cost Center Locations?

You can manage your clients’ Cost Center Locations by visiting the Locations page, which you can access from the Modules menu on the left side of your Shift4Shop dashboard.

• How does the list of Cost Center Locations appear to the customer?

At checkout, the customer will be presented with a dropdown menu containing all the approved shipping addresses for their customer group.

• Is there a fast way to manage my Cost Center Locations without changing each one manually?

Yes! You can add, edit, or delete Cost Center Locations via Import/Export, using a properly-formatted CSV file.

Testimonials from customers using the B2B Cost Center Locations

The post B2B Cost Center Locations Checkout appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Shift4Shop understands the utmost importance of eCommerce shipping and all the difficulties inherent in forming an efficient, cost-effective fulfillment model. That’s why we’ve included a robust set of shipping features to help smooth your process as much as possible. Build a complete shipping solution that makes sense for your business and customize your shipping as needed, and easily provide important information to your customers, such as real-time rate calculations. Plus, we’ve included time-saving measures like label printing to help you streamline your fulfillment and reclaim some of your valuable time from the work-intensive process of shipping.

Top Features

• Real-time Shipping Rates: Display real-time shipping rates from UPS, FedEx, USPS, DHL, Canada Post, Royal Mail and AU Post. Customers can view their order’s shipping cost right in their View Cart page, preventing them from experiencing a nasty surprise of shipping being added at the final stage of the order — the leading cause of cart abandonment.
• Custom Shipping Methods: Create custom shipping methods to ship by weight, by quantity, by value, or by ZIP code and introduce flat rate and free shipping to your customers based on criteria you set. You’ll always be able to define the perfect shipping method for your items, no matter the nature of your products or industry.
• Shipping Labels: Print shipping labels for USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Canada Post directly from your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager. Label printing pulls information directly from your customer’s order, automatically filling in both origin and destination addresses. If shipping with FedEx, access additional options such as Hold at Location and Priority Alert Plus.
• Dimensional Shipping: Get the most accurate shipping rates for every order by defining the length, width, depth, and weight of all your products, alongside predefined box sizes. If you set up multiple predefined boxes, the correct size of box will automatically be selected based on the total weight and dimensions of all products in an order.
• Handling & Insurance: Easily add additional handling fees to cover any special materials or procedures needed to pack and ship specific items. You can also add shipping insurance as a percentage of the order value.
• Freight Integrations: Integrate with Saia, Echo Freight, LMI and Freightquote to access custom freight shipping solutions for your business. Simplify your logistics and move as much freight as you need, wherever you need it.

eCommerce Shipping Frequently Asked Questions

• Can Shift4Shop integrate with third-party shipping apps?

Yes! Shift4Shop integrates with many popular shipping solutions, including Advanced Shipping Manager, ReadyShipper, ShipStation, Endicia, Stamps.com, and more. Visit our App Store to compare the best shipping software.

• Can I mark up the shipping rates?

Yes, you can specify markups to be applied to the real-time rates.

• Can I offer different shipping methods to different customers?

Yes. To set this up, use the Customer Groups feature to specify different shipping methods for different selections of customers.

Shipping Feature Testimonials

The post eCommerce Shipping Solutions and Features appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Gift registries share the same benefits as wish lists, with the added advantage that the list updates when an item is purchased, so no one will buy a gift that has been bought by someone else. They’re strongly attractive to customers. However, some eCommerce platforms lack this important features or even implement a “shared” gift registry that can draw your customers away to competitors.

With a gift registry, gift shopping is vastly simplified, and retailers worldwide have implemented them with the result of increased sales and customer loyalty.

Shift4Shop’s Gift Registry Features

Gift Registry Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I put a time limit on registries?

Yes. The module provides a default expiration date of 30 days after the event occurs, which you can change by altering the number in the text field.

• Can I access a list of current registries people have opened on my store?

Yes, you can see a list by clicking Gift Registry List to the right of the Enable checkbox.

• Can customers have items from their registry shipped directly to them?

Yes, the customer can enable this option.

The post Built-In Gift Registry appeared first on Shift4Shop.

Reward Points are a surefire way to increase customer interaction and bring shoppers back for repeat purchases. Award points automatically, launch Bonus Points promotions, send a reminder to customers who have unredeemed points, and more.

Shift4Shop’s Reward Points Module Gallery

Reward Points Module Frequently Asked Questions

• How many Reward Points do customers get for every dollar they spend?

This is up to you. The setting is found below the checkbox to enable the Reward Points for Customers module and is called Rewards Multiplier. You can use whole numbers or decimals, e.g. 1.5.

• Can I exclude certain Customer Groups from receiving Reward Points?

Yes! Log in to your Shift4Shop Online Store Manager and click Customers in the left-hand navigation, and then click Manage Groups. Click on any group to access the Disable Reward Points checkbox.

• How do I remind customers that they have unspent Reward Points?

Under Marketing and then Newsletters, you can create a Newsletter SmartList that will automatically populate with the customers who have accrued a number of Reward Points you specify.

Reward Points Testimonials

The post Reward Points Loyalty Program appeared first on Shift4Shop.

With Shift4Shop’s Affiliate Program Module, you have full control over all affiliate settings including registration, payouts, and the ability to accept or deny orders. You can also create and upload banners for your affiliates to use and view detailed reports of their success.

Shift4Shop’s Affiliate Program Module Gallery

Affiliate Program Module Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you explain what an Affiliate Program is?

An Affiliate Program is a marketing program in which a merchant recruits others to advertise and sell a product or service in exchange for commissions on all sales referrals that come through the affiliate

• What are the benefits of an Affiliate Program?

As affiliates will promote your products for you in order to get referrals, an affiliate program can be very profitable even taking commissions into account. You gain valuable exposure and only pay commissions on completed sales, rather than paying for advertising up-front.

• How can I start an affiliate program for my business?

Shift4Shop has an eCommerce University course for running an affiliate program, available for free.

Affiliate Program Module Testimonials

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