ecommerce GUIDE
ecommerce Guide Introduction 1. Signing In 2. Registering a Username 3. Home Page and Account Options 4. Product Searches Browsing The Hierachy Standard Search Advanced Search Refine Search 5. Configurators / Product Search Assistants 6. Comparing Products 7. Product Technical Specification 8. Ordering Products 9. Completing Your Order 10. Checking The Progress Of Your Orders 11. Customised Page For Account Holders 12. Site Features 12.1 View Invoices 12.2 Parcel Tracking and Proof of Delivery 12.3 Save Basket for Later 12.4 Favourite Products 12.5 Bundles 12.6 E-Quotes 12.7 Add Invoice Address 12.8 Manage Delivery Addresses 12.9 Requisition Approval System 12.10 Changing Your Details 12.11 Confirmatory E-mail 12.12 E-mail a Basket or Product Specification to a Colleague 13 ecommerce Solutions
Introduction PC orld Business has been trading over the web for over six years at our e-commerce site http://www.pcwb.com/ The site enables our customers to find products, check prices and availability, and order products for delivery. Our site is connected directly to our back-office system so all prices and availability are shown in real-time. In addition to the core operational functions described in this document, PC World Business are constantly adding to and improving the functionality of our site in order to cater for the changing needs of our customers. Recent changes and additions include; More responsive faster search results A new web engine has allows you to grab search results, move between pages and display more graphical information far faster than before. Improved Product Data We hold over 50,000 products on our website, a great number of which we have improved with more extensive product data. Improved Search Results We have updated our product search facility, now showing products images, and allowing you to sort your results by price, product or even stock order. SMS,Text / Email Notification Stay informed of your order shipments by opting to receive email or text message notifications. Comprehensive Workflow process PCWB.COM can be built to match the order process within your own organisation. Approval or requisition only functions can be set for your users. Adding a financial limit too can ensure an even more secure process for buying on-line. Read on for more information on our site s features.
1. Signing In The starting point for all our customers ordering via the internet is the home page at www.pcwb.com Logging in to pcwb.com gives you access to information directly from our back office systems. Information such as price and stock availability are fed in real time to our site to ensure that the latest information is at your fingertips. To access you account online you will need to log in. If you do not have a password, you can create one immediately by clicking the New Customer? link beneath the login box on our homepage. Further details on how to obtain a password are provided in section 2. If you already have a password, enter your details into the login box near the top right of the screen and click the Login button.
2. Registering a Username To gain access to our website individuals within an organisation simply register as users against their company account number. After clicking the New Customer? link on our homepage, you will be taken to the Register as a web user page. The registration process captures key contact details and validates those details before creating your username and logging you in. Your username will be your e-mail address.
3. Home Page and Account Options Upon logging in, a welcome back statement can be seen in the top right of the screen. You can return to this screen at any time whilst logged in by clicking the Home button. From here you can choose to search for products using our extensive search facilities which include a standard search, browsing the product hierarchy and using one of our configurators (for more information on searching see section 4), or choose one of the many site features on the menu displayed by placing your cursor over the Your Account button. These functions are there to help you to manage your account (for more information see section 12). These features include: -View Your Orders -View Your Invoices -View Saved Baskets -View Your Favourites -Manage Your Bundles -View Quotes (when available) -Add Invoice Address -Manage Delivery Addresses -Approve Requisitions (where applicable) -Change Your Password -Change Your Details -Change Your Order Confirmation Emails -Log Out
4. Product Searches There are a number of ways in which you can use our site to find the products that you are looking for. These range from generic free text searches, to specifying precise components of a machine using our product search assistants (see section 5). Browsing the Hierarchy You can drill down through our product sections using the links on the left hand side of the site. These start with generic ranges such as computers & notebooks, and open up more options as you progress. As you browse the hierarchy, at any point you can use the Refine search facility on the right of the screen to specify search criteria and search within a category. Standard search Our standard search facility allows you to enter a PC World Business product code, manufacturers part number, or free text into the search field. Results for a free text search are displayed under categories, indicating how many results are contained within each. At this stage or after clicking through to the category itself for a product listing, you may wish to use our Refine Search facility to narrow down your results further. Advanced Search Use our Advanced Search facility to search for products by price, stock availability and keyword. If you click this whilst in an area of the hierarchy, you will be given the option to search the whole catalogue, or just within the section that you are in. Refine Search Using our Refine Search facility from within search results, you can narrow down your search results by price, stock availability and keyword, in the same way that you would use the Advanced Search.
5. Configurators Our configurators make choosing products and accessories easy. Reach these by clicking the configurators link on the left of the website. Here are just a few of the configurators available on pcwb.com. Memory Assistant Quickly and easily find the right memory. You can specify your make and model of hardware, ranging from desktop PCs to mobile phones, and our wizard will find the compatible memory. You can also search by type of memory, and manufacturer s part number. Office Supplies Assistant Find the compatible supplies for your printer, fax or multi-function device. Simply select the make and model, and our wizard will quickly find the compatible supplies. Projector Bulb Assistant Our projector bulb assistant makes finding the correct bulb unit quick and easy. Simply enter your projector type and model to obtain the part number required. Hard Drive Assistant The correct hard drive for upgrading your machine can be located by specifying your computer make and model. Compatible drive options available are then displayed. Select A Screen Assistant Helping you to choose the right presentation screen for your office environment.
6. Comparing Products The compare facility enables our customers to select a number of products from a search result, and compare the technical details. Checking the compare box alongside each product, and then clicking the compare button will display the comparison for you.
7. Product Technical Specifications By clicking a product code from a search result or by searching for a specific product code, users can see product technical specifications with, in most cases, an image of the product. On many of our products we have improved our technical data to show more comprehensive information, including extended list of specifications. On this page you will also see our up to the minute pricing and stock availability along with on many products, compatible options.
8. Ordering Products The ordering process works like many websites, with a basket system. Simply click the Add to basket button when viewing a product and this will be added to your basket as shown below. You can then find other products and add these to your basket until you have all the products that you require. To change the quantity of a product when in the basket, enter the quantity required and click the Update button. Products can also be deleted from the basket using the Remove button. If you leave your basket at any point to go to another part of the site, or leave the site altogether, your items will remain in the basket for when you return. To proceed with the purchase simply press the Go to checkout option, where you can then: 1. Pay on Account we will send you an invoice for your order 2. Pay by credit card Pay for your goods online, also ideal for Procurement or Purchasing cards.
9. Completing your Order The final part of the ordering process is to select the delivery address for the goods, enter who the goods should be delivered for, and enter your Purchase Order Number (if you do not have a PO number, input a reference of your own). If you are a business account holder, to change the delivery address for your order, simply use the drop-down list and select an alternative. Only addresses that have been added to your account on our back-office system will appear in the list. If you need to add or change a delivery address, click home and go to the Add Delivery Address section to complete a request form. Once you have chosen your delivery address, enter the name of the person to whom the delivery should be made, and enter your PO or reference number. The next screen will show a final summary of your order from where you can click the final place order button and asked to check the box relating to our Terms & Conditions. You will then be given a confirmation number, which should be noted down should you need to contact us. Other options here also allow notification of order despatch: by SMS (text message) or email.
10. Checking the progress of your orders Orders placed on your account can be tracked using the View Your Orders link, found on the Your Account menu when logged in. After clicking this option all orders placed on your account, both online and over the telephone, can be seen with any delivery date information. This screen also shows expected date information for any outstanding items. By default the page will display all orders placed on your account in the past 10 days. At the top of the screen there is an order status search filter, which allows you to search for orders by Product Code, Customer Purchase Order Number, PC World Business Order No, Order Status and Date. Parcel Tracking On orders which have been despatched, a Track your parcel link will appear which enables you to track your parcel after it has been despatched from our warehouse. For more details, see section 12.2.
11. Customised Page For Account Holders By customising a standard landing page for our customers, we can display unique information to users from that company. This may include your account team, their contact details and even an overview of each persons responsibilities. The requirements for your customised page can be discussed with your account manager in more detail.
12. SITE FEATURES 12.1 View Invoices To view and print invoices for your account, click the View Your Invoices link, found on the Your Account menu when logged in. By default the page will display all invoices produced for your account in the past month. The search filter at the top of the screen can be used to find Invoices by Invoice Number, Order Number, Date and Customer Purchase Order Number. Once the relevant invoice has been found, click the View Invoice link. From here you can print the invoice if required. If the relevant invoice is not available, details can be obtained by emailing customerservices@pcwb.com.
12.2 Parcel Tracking and Proof of Delivery To track the progress of an order that has been despatched from our warehouse, click the View Your Orders link, found on the Your Account menu when logged in. This will take you to your Order Status page. By default the page will display all orders placed on your account in the past 10 days. To search for an order, use the search box at the top of the screen. Once the required order has been found, click Track My Parcel. This will then display despatch information for your order. For each shipment that has been made for this order, a Parceline consignment number link will appear. Click on these links to find out the current Parceline delivery status. If the parcel is still in transit, it will give the current progress. For orders which have been successfully delivered, signature information will be available. If shipment has been made by a method other than Parceline (such as direct delivery, customer collection etc), tracking details may not be available. In this event details can be obtained by emailing customerservices@pcwb.com.
12.3 Save Basket for Later Once you have found the items that you require it may be that users need to gain authorisation to place an order, or check with a colleague on the technical suitability. To this end, we offer the ability to Save a basket for later. In the basket screen area users will see the Save basket as a quote link. Simply click on this link, give the basket a description, and the basket will be saved for seven days. To access your saved baskets simply click the View Saved Baskets link from the Your Account menu.
12.4 Favourite Products Our site gives users the opportunity to create and manage lists of their favourite or standard products. When viewing a product, there are two buttons to the right of the screen, offering you the chance to Add to Personal Favourites or Add to Account favourites. Personal Favourites is a list of products only visible to the user who created it. Account Favourites is a list of products viewable by all users on an account. To access either list of Favourites, simply select View Your Favourites from the Your Account menu. You can add, remove and reorder products in the favourites lists. If a product becomes obsolete, it will be highlighted so that you can choose an alternative product.
12.5 Bundles Our site gives users the opportunity to create and manage bundles of more than one item. When viewing a product users have the option to Add to bundle on any product page. To add another item to the bundle simply find the next product and repeat the process. Once the bundle is complete simply save it giving it a product code of your choice and a description.
12.6 E-Quotes Within our site s functionality, we have the ability to create a quotation on-line and e-mail you notification to let you know the quote is ready to view. Within the e-mail is a direct URL link to the quotation on the website. After clicking this, and once logged in, you can view the quotation, and decide whether you wish to accept or reject it. When you accept the quotation, the products on that quote are passed into your shopping basket, and you proceed with the purchase in the normal manner, entering your delivery address and Purchase Order Number or your credit card details.
12.7 Add Invoice Address For customers who have the need to buy for more than one account, it is possible to switch between different business accounts without the need to have multiple password or to log out and then log back in again. By clicking on Add Invoice Address the user is given the option to select the relevant business and if necessary feature it as a default address too. 12.8 Manage Delivery Addresses Requests can be made to add, edit or delete delivery addresses on the site. This can be done by clicking the Manage Delivery Addresses link from the Your Account menu. Here users may also select a default address which they use more than others.
12.9 Requisition Approval System Via www.pcwb.com we can help customers to map a basic purchasing process. We understand that within organisations there are: Some people who specify but cannot buy. There is a hierarchy to approving IT buying. Requirements to restrict user access to our website The Requisition Approval System provides a basic requisition approval system. This functionality recognises that within an organisation, different users will have different purchasing rights and responsibilities. Some users will be purely specifiers and will never be able to buy directly. These users will fill a basket with their required items. This is then forwarded to their superior or purchaser who will approve the basket and complete the order process. If you require any further information on this functionality please contact your account team who can put you in touch with a web representative. 12.10 Changing Your Details You can use the Change My Details section to amend the details of your user profile. In this section you can amend your name and e-mail address. To update your password, click the Change My Password link. 12.11 Confirmatory E-mail Upon placing an order, PC World Business will send by return an e-mail confirming the details of your order request i.e. Products Purchase Order Number Delivery Address Invoice Address Total Cost You can choose not to receive this e-mail if you wish.
12.12 E-mail a Basket or Product Specification to a Colleague Users have the option to e-mail either a basket of products or an individual product specification to a colleague at any time. On both the basket screen, and the product specifications screens, users will see links offering this functionality. This means that if validation is needed from a colleague that items are suitable, the exact detail can be sent via email.
13. E-Commerce Solutions Beyond our website, PC World Business has extensive experience in integrating with e-commerce solutions. Many of our customers are now implementing their own e-procurement strategies, and we have played an instrumental part in the deployment of those technologies. We are currently working with customers who are working with organisations such as: Ariba Biomni Oracle SAP Elcom Whether you plan to implement a locally hosted catalogue solution, or an integrated punchout solution, PC World Business have the knowledge and experience to work with you as a supplier in an e-commerce solution. For more information please contact your account manager and ask for guidance from the web team.