Hiding

[kessock]

Section Text?

Hi all,
I am just trying to import a test product to ensure it works as I hope.
I am having one problem as follows:
when using the import wizard it comes up with the following error message.
You must import one import field that links to Section Text.
Can you please tell me if this should be the section the section name from my spreadsheet?

Thanks.
Mark

[leehack]

yes it is

[kessock]

done ish

Hi again,
I have managed to get a test product to import to actinic with prices etc all working, however I wanted it to import to an existing section called Electric planes and gliders, but it has created another section of the same name.
Any ideas.
Cheers.
Mark

[kessock]

sorted

Hi,
Don't worry looks like I was using the wrong type i.e. should have used the non flat type of csv.
Well I exported my existing from catalogue into excel and have seen it is totally different from what I was using.
I will just add my new items to that and re-import it into catalogue.
One day I will get my head around this lot (I hope).
Cheers.
Mark

[leehack]

There are many different things you can do with an import, my suggestion of 5 fields is the very basic and easiest way until you are more confident of what you are doing.

If i was you i'd contact a designer to do it for you. It'll be done far quicker and you can start earning money much faster.

Good luck whatever you do.

[kessock]

designer

Hi Lee,
This may well be the case, but unfortunately I don't have the option being a newish business.
I am quite happy to try myself as the retail store will be quiet for the next 6 weeks until our season starts locally.
I did try and do the way you said but was haiving to go through each product inputting weights, stock numbers etc which was taking me neaerly as long as simply creating a new product.
This along with the fact that the product appeared in a duplicate section with the new imported product being on its own in the new section.
I think I will just have to TRY and do it the hard way or resort back to manually inputting each product which is mad really.
Thanks for all your help.
Mark

[leehack]

If you are confident about the extra fields you can use with the import, then create a product with everything included and then export it and you will see how actinic does it.

The simple way i gave you, gets all of your products into actinic and you can then move them around to suit. This is undoubtedly the quickest way to start with as the time you can spend trying to get your head round the import spreadsheet is often far more (in the beginning). If you compare adding stock levels and weight manually to an imported product, against creating the product from scratch it is still a million times quicker.

If you are stock monitoring the website, what happens if you sell a product though the retail outlet? Do you manually adjust the levels or do you have something in place that will adjust the actinic totals?

A very large proportion of your items will all fall under the "default weight" option in actinic, so no need for any weight input.

The money you will have invested into a retail outlet is far more than you would spend on getting a fully functional website live with say 5,000 products listed. Add to this that it will take you 18 months (at the very least) to get the website up and running and being found in search engines as you do not have any experience in this area, you are effectively throwing money down the drain, although of course you do need the capital to invest, which is always the sticky point with a new business.

Basic analysis for you:

A basic website in your marketplace should (very very easily) average £100 per day in takings online - that's £3,000 per month. If a designer gets your site earning that £3,000 within the first 6 months, whereas with you doing it, it will take at least 18 months, you have 12 months of lost revenue, equating to £36,000.

Factor in that online you have 4 "big boys" already to compete with and you are already 2-5 years behind them online, you have an uphill struggle ahead of you, the quicker you can close this 2-5 year gap up the better (from a business point of view).

[kessock]

Reply

Hi Lee,
I totally take on board what you have said.
However I was trading online before I opened my store as I was importing directly from China on several lines.
Actinic are bringing out an updated version of there EPOS system which will link directly to catalogue thus giving live stock control online also.
I have got Sage Line 50 FC but will get well confused with all the tooing and frowing if I try creating all products in sage then into actinic. I will be getting either this program or The sage epos system depending on funds.
I know I am miles behind the "big four" but am not doing too bad for first year figures.
I did not have a problem with importing using the simple option you first suggested, however I did loose hope after the duplicate secion appeared with the new product in the new section (which was a duplicte of the section already in existence on my site) and this was my reason for trying the export into excel revise and then re import.
If you can point me in the direction of why my section appeared as duplicate I will of course go that route.
Cheers.
Mark

[leehack]

The duplicate section appears as it is just a dummy section to get your products actually into actinic. Once the products are into actinic, you can grab all of the products within the new section (at the same time) and move them into the section where you want them. Once the new section is empty(because you have moved them all into their correct section), you just delete the new section and all is as you then want it.

Its a safe way of getting products into actinic without affecting any of the sections already within actinic, while you are getting to grips with the software.

If you think the sage software or the epos software are the most important thing for you to spend money on at the moment, then that is your decision - i would disagree, but that is only my opinion.

Your industry survives from its online presence and with the likes of Amerang now selling to people who do not have retail outlets, online commerce is in my opinion the future for your industry. HPI, Traxxas etc. will only deal with businesses with a retail outlet currently, however this will undoubtedly have to change as your industry becomes more online than offline.

If i was to setup an R/C shop this year, most of my energy, focus and funds would be directed at getting my website up as quick and as successful as possible. Over time you learn what sells well and what you need to have in stock. For other items, 99% of your suppliers can get it to you the next day, so having it in stock and having it monitored is negligible if required.

There are so many products for you to maintain and keep in stock, its impossible. Take a typical nitro car that has 200 spares and multiply that by 40 or 50 cars available and its horrific.

If somebody wants a spare for their savage x and you do not have it in stock, are you telling me that the customer is not going to be able to buy it off you? If so, i think you are crazy. You can get that part to them within 48 hours, whether you have it at your shop or not. If so, what's the point of stock monitoring?

[kessock]

Reply

Cheers Lee,

I am now having a major restructure of how I was going to do things.
Sage is not the most important factor just that I have the program and was going to utilise what I had with a new epos set up.
As you said I can get items fast and this should drive my goals a bit more.
I am going to re organise my postage settings to do it on value rather than weight, this should make life simpler.
I will now get my head down and get working as I should be, concentrating on the important web side of the business.
I am lucky enough to have a very busy retail outlet, and this is why my website has been slightly put to one side, but I am now going to prioritise what I am doing with this.
Again thanks for the input, I am always open to suggestions.
Catch you later.
Mark

[kessock]

Update

Hi all,
I now want to remove the stock monitoring, so I have go into business settings and set disable stock minitoring, however this has had no effect.
Is this due to the code the Chris showed me how to do (see previous page).
With this in ind I have retraced my footsteps but cannot see the block I installed to hide the products, which should be in line 15.
Does anyone have any ideas why this would not be showing in the product list as it I would have thought should be.
Cheers.
Mark

[cdicken]

Hi there

You need to go to 'Operations | Stock Levels' to disable stock monitoring on your products - you need to take it off each product individually.

[kessock]

Monitoring

Thanks Chris,
Done that and all is well.
Cheers.
Mark