IndieCommerce

Independent Bookstore Day 2024

IndieCommerce and IndieLite stores have a platform-exclusive feature for those participating in Independent Bookstore Day.  This all-in-one feature:
  • Creates a custom IBD Product class
  • Creates all of the IBD-exclusive items as products of that custom product class with all available metadata - title, images, price, and description.
  • Creates a landing page containing all of the products in a booklist
  • Creates a block for stores to use to promote the upcoming event

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a tool created by Google that allows bookstores to gain valuable insights into their website’s performance, user behavior, and marketing efforts.  Leveraging this data can help you make data-driven decisions, improve your store’s online presence, and enhance overall online customer experience.

All sites are compatible with Google Analytics 4 (previously, sites utilized Universal Analytics).  We encourage you to set up your own Google Analytics account if you don’t already have one.

USPS Realtime Shipping Estimate

If you have an USPS account for your store, you integrate your IndieCommerce website with your USPS account to retrieve shipping quotes in real time when customers go through checkout on your site. This integration will add these 3 new shipping rates to your website - Priority Mail, Express Mail, and Media Mail through USPS. By connecting directly to USPS Webtools, the quotes for these rates will be based on product weights and will adjust based on the total weight of the package.
 

Ship As Available

Updated: This document has been updated as of 9/30/2022 with instructions on how to include Ship as Available as a taxed line item in states where shipping is taxable.
 

Sales Tax Holiday

Many states have annual sales tax holidays! On these holidays, purchases can be made tax free and now you can offer these sales tax holidays through your website. With the Sales Tax Holiday feature, it is quick and easy to set up a period of time during which customers on your website will not be charged sales tax.
 
This feature could also be used as a promotional opportunity if you would like to waive sales tax for customers during a certain period of time.
 

Living Wage Fee

You are now able to add an additional fee to orders that will be automatically added at checkout. This fee can be used as an offset to additional costs of doing business, such as recent increases to the minimum wage in some states.
 
Stores will be able to set the fee as an amount or as a percentage. You will also have the option to customize how the fee will be labeled for customers in checkout.
 

WordStock Giftcards

This feature will allow you to offer gift cards as a payment option during checkout. This payment option also comes with a real time balance check which informs customers about the balance on their gift card and ensures the gift card covers the balance of the order. It also comes with real time redemption, meaning gift cards will automatically be adjusted when the customer’s order is submitted.
 

Switching Credit Card Processor - Checklist

CHECKLIST

►Select a credit card processor

►Sign up for Authorize.net

►Configure Fraud Detection Suite settings

►Generate API Keys

PayPal - Old

To offer Paypal as a payment option you (the store) must have your own Paypal account. If you do not have one already you can create one here.  Once registration with Paypal is complete, please send us a request from the Store Features page (Store > Configuration > Account Information and Preferences > Store Features) to enable the Paypal module. We will confirm once the module has been enabled so that you may begin configuring it.
 

Free Shipping - Easy To Configure! Easy To Use!

A New Feature! Easy to configure! Easy to use!
 
The new Free Shipping feature will create a shipping method called ‘Free Shipping’ in your list of shipping quotes, with a base rate and per product rate of $0.00. You can set a minimum order total for this free shipping. The highlight of this feature is that it will display a message alerting customers to how close they are to be eligible for free shipping.
 

Getting Ready for the Holidays: Part 4

Getting Ready For the Holidays: Part 1
Getting Ready For the Holidays: Part 2
Getting Ready For the Holidays: Part 3

As stores continue to prepare for the upcoming holiday season, the IndieCommerce team has put together a list of recommended tools and practices IndieCommerce and IndieLite stores can use to maximize their holiday marketing and communication efforts.

Getting Ready for the Holidays: Part 2

 
In preparation for the upcoming holidays, the IndieCommerce team has put together a list of recommended features that stores can use to promote products and sell their gifts and non-book items. There are several ways to ensure customers have the widest selection and access to your online products, making your website shoppable and easy to browse.
 
Catalogs

Getting Ready for the Holidays: Part 1

 

As the holidays approach we recommend reviewing some key settings on your IndieCommerce site to prepare for inevitable supply line issues and the ever changing holiday shopping schedule. You have several ways to adjust what stock shows, from simple things like disabling backorders to more advanced things like limiting stock to what is available in specific Ingram warehouses and limiting sales to your in-stock items..

Adjusting settings related to backorders and hard to find titles is handled in two places:

Gift Receipts

Customers can request a gift receipt to be included with their order, with a (optional) gift message. Customers will also have the option to hide their address in the gift receipt.
 
The Gift Receipt pane on the checkout page:

Enabling Gift Receipt feature

Santa Rosa Theme

We are expecting a significant number of holiday shoppers at IndieCommerce websites this year. The appearance of your website can have a big impact on sales. To assist with this endeavor for IndieCommerce stores interested in a new look for their website, we’re introducing two new templates/themes.  The second new theme is the Santa Rosa theme.

Pages

About ABA

American Booksellers Association is a national trade association that supports and advocates for the success of independent bookstores. We provide members with education, networking opportunities, advocacy, resources, and technology. In turn our members support local schools through book fairs, donations and author visits; promote literacy; provide inclusive community centers; connect readers and books; add character to neighborhoods; champion and center diverse and new voices; and contribute to the local economy. We feel honored to support them in their work.

Contact

PRESS INQUIRIES: [email protected]

INDIECOMMERCE: [email protected]

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES: [email protected]

 

 

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