componets, choices, attributes

[Cloudier]

Which is the easiest way to do this please?
I have furniture products which can be sold as a complete 3 pce suite, or can be sold as individual items of furniture ie; armchair, 2 seater sofa, 3 seater sofa.
They come in a choice of 2 fabric ranges. Fabric rangeA and Fabric RangeB.
Fabric A is the standard price but Fabric Range B alters making the price increase for each item of furniture.
There are about 10 choices of different fabrics in each range.
OK what I am trying to do is.
Instead of placing all the choices of fabrics as radio buttons etc under each item of furniture like, the suite, then the sofa, and then the chair.
I would like to list the fabrics at the end of the products page - that way they are least likely to make a mistake on choice of fabric if they are ordering several items and they can make their choice only once at the end before the check out.
Do I enter all the choices in the component permutations section but then how do I get the choices to appear just once at the end of the page.
I know there is a simple answer but I am not sure on how to do this.
Please help with some advice - in very simple terms.
Thanks

[jont]

Not knowing the site or the depth of pages (number of products) there are a couple of options (at least) ....I you could have 4 sections beneath a master section eg:

Suite Design X
>full suite
>armchair
>2 seater sofa
>3 seater sofa

Have these set to the default cheapest fabric range with either radio's or drop downs for the choice in that range

Beneath each of the main products create a product using a cut down product template which is titled "fabric upgrade" or similar again with the fabric choices in the more expensive range.

You could also do the same effect using the 1 add to cart button per page and listing all 4 items at the top and having 2 products beneath for the material ranges (with choices) - you could quite easily modify the product templates to make it a "step 1 choose your items" ... "step 2 select a fabric" ... that would prevent any mis-matches as only 1 fabric will be added to the cart

[Cloudier]

Thanks, just struggling with the permutations set up

Thanks for your advice, having spent many hours at this I think the penny might have dropped with regards your suggestion by creating a fabrics product with choices.
I am going to give this a go.


Its the Permutations I don't seem to get right.
For the Standard fabric I have been leaving the price at 0.00 and on override.
For the Upgraded fabric I have been putting in the full price of the product.
But not sure whether to change the override to component price.
Arrghhh!! The instruction books don't explain what the headings are for or when you should change them.
I am sorry to burden you with all of this.... I quite understand if you end up as confused as me.
Thanks a bunch
Cloudier

[dscontroller]

Hello Sandie,

I would say that you need to show all the prices on individual permutations to carry through to the cart!

Regards,

David

[Cloudier]

re Permutations

Hi thanks for your input.
But when you say all the prices do you mean, leave the override on, and show the end price each time for each item in the permutation that links to that product.
Would the setting be at 'component and product price' ? or just component price.
ARGGH! I am so confused with this.... There seems to be so many tabs and different settings to change and some seem to mean the same.
Thanks for your advice I will do a bit more.

[dscontroller]

As you have a choice for the 3-piece suite main items of sofa, i.e. 2 or 3 seater, I cannot see that you can put the main price into the 'Product' price. Therefore give every item a price in the Choice selection. Then select on the Product General tab - Sum of Components Prices. Whatever is selected will combine the prices for the basket.

If you check the help files under - Making Customer Selection Affect Price and Stock Level - it shows the following:- Enter a price for the permutation. This field is only active if the 'Pricing' field is set to 'Override'.

HTH

David

[dscontroller]

Have given your problem a little more thought.

I would tend to use two components.

The first component would have an attribute giving the two prices for a 3-piece suite:-


1. 3-seater suite £899.00
2. 2-seater suite £799.00

The second component would have an attribute showing:-
1. Cloth 1 Add £150.00
2. Cloth 2 add £140.00 and so on.

If you then use the permutations tab this would add together the component prices for your basket.

Then if you tick the General tab - Sum of component prices and leave the override on, this should work. Fingers crossed!!

See how you go with this.

David

[jont]

David, isn't that then back to the same issues as in the OP as there is still a need for the colour choices.

I would be inclined to have the standard fabric as zero cost as a "standard fit option" with the upgrade cost showing the additional monies for the better material ... hopefully that would cut down on any mismatches and make all purchases as transparent as possible.

As ever, there is more than one way to skin a rabbit ... it depends on what suits your style of operation and user base

[dscontroller]

Hi Jont, I thought that the cloth choices would include the colours!

I did a site for someone selling ladies hats with many choices of this and that. Now that they're managing the site themselves, they have decided to make life a little easier for the punters and remove a lot of choices. Makes life a little easier all round.

[jont]

It is always a balance between what works best for the site owner and what works for the customer as you say. Customers are a pain as they never think the same way as the site owner / designer

Often worth seeing how the competitors handle tricky situations regarding multiple choices and options - especially the bigger companies who often commission focus groups to test usability

[Cloudier]

Thanks for all your input

I want to say thanks for your thoughts.... I am on a huge learning curve here. Having spent the last 3 years just doing pretty brochure web work - I feel as if I have bitten more off than I can chew.... but chew I must as it seems my clients want more than just pretty websites. I must say having been in control of html in Dreamweaver I am finding it difficult to say the least to think in Actinic language....however with your helpful suggestions I have not totally thrown in the towel.
I am going to continue with this and search through the fact files as suggested to get my head around the component/attributes and choices. To think I used to programme for Olivetti's Information Retrieval systems, but this is turning me into a gibbering blonde!
Thanks again