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Export ZenCart products, Import Magento products Part 2

Once your products are in Magento you will probably want to change settings.

For example all my products had a quantity of 0 and were not visible or included in searches. To get started quickly I want to change everything to in stock and display the items in the search and catalogue.

Once again we can do this by exporting and importing a file rather than go through everything individually.

Change 1 item to the way you want it by editing the first product on the page.

Catalogue>Manage products>Edit a product.

For one product I changed the following in the product edit from the menu on the right hand side:

General: Status to Enabled, Visibility to Catalogue, Search

Prices: Tax Class

Inventory:  Quantity, In stock yes.

These are the basics but your item will still not show in Magento. You need to assign the product to your website, or store view even if you only have 1 website/view. This is by using the catalogue, products menu, ticking the box by the product and updating attributes then using the websites option.

I found a detailed explanation of it here: how to display products in Magento and assign products to a store view. They also show a video on where to click if you are not sure what to do.

This is another example of the strange quirks of Magento and how user unfriendly it is. Now we know how to do it and have a product in better shape, lets export the file.

System> Import/Export Profiles>Export All Products>Run Profile

The file is found on the server var/export.

The first product should now have all the values in the columns set up correctly so its simple a case of copy and pasting those values in excel.

My changes to copy and paste down the columns are :

B websites

T status, U tax_class_id, V is_recurring, W visibilty, X eenable_googlecheckout

As these are helpfully together in one block we can copy the whole row from T to X and paste is downwards. I changed all mine to:

Enabled Taxable Goods No Catalog, Search Yes

I have also taken this opportunity to once again paste the stock quantity in from the Zencart file. Ensure the is_in_stock column is all set to 1.

Save the file then re-import it as shown in previously in part 1 importing products to Magento from Zencart.

Products should now be in stock, enblesd, searchalble and showing on your site.

Next I shall be making categories and assigning products to categories using the same export/edit/import method.

Need to use eBay UK new shop display with Google base?

Ebay’s shop display has been updated. From the old 2 item gallery display:

Now you can change to a new 3 item grid layout, shown below. I rather like it. It is cleaner and clearer but there is a problem…

It no longer works with Google Base Store Connector. For sellers who rely upon sales from Google searches this could be a major problem.

But there is a way around it! Instead of using the Google base connector not only can you make use of ebay’s XML feed (included with every shop) you can also schedule it to update automatically.

1. Register a google-base data-feed-file with the name: yourstorename.xml
2. Click on the “Settings” tab in your google-base account;
3. Under “Website URL (Optional)”, replace the existing URL with your store’s XML link generated by eBay. The link should look like this:

http://esssl.ebay.co.uk/GetListings/YOURSTORENAME?fmt=g

4. Click “Save Changes” to confirm your changes;
5. Click the “Data feeds” link on the “My Items” tab;

NB:if you do not have a data feed already set up, which is likely if you have been using google store connector, then you will need to supply a file name. Use yourstorename.xml

6. Click “edit” next to “schedule” beside your “data feed”;
7. Under “URL of file,” replace the existing URL with the ebay generated link as mentioned in step (2) above;
8. Click “Update Schedule” to confirm your changes;
9. Your data feed will be automatically submitted in the correct format, next time and onwards, per your schedule.

Opt in to your new shop display via my ebay, manage my shop, preview new experience. Your listing feed can be found on the manage shop page under marketing tools, listing feeds.

This is not a new feature but using it will really help your store since these changes. Instructions modified to ebay UK from those originally posted at http://celebird.blogspot.com/2008/09/ebay-google-base-feeds.html

Resources you must read when re-designing a web page.

I admit I have neglected my websites look recently and decided it was time for a spring clean. A fresh new look and some SEO love.

There are thousands of web pages dedicated to web design and SEO, here are some worth looking at:

For choosing colour palates I use this scheme chooser and colour scheme generator. They make it easy to select complementing colours.

You can also check your colour scheme used in CSS with this free and easy to use colour contrast tool.

iWebtool have a page dedicated to free on-line tools to analyse your website.

CopyBlogger offer some useful tips on copy writing for SEO success.

If you are unfamiliar with the jargon of web page components there is a a good basic guide to SEO web essentials at webconfs.com

My favourite page is Web Pages That Suck. It’s a humorous and attention grabbing title yet packed with loads of information. By showing you how NOT to design a website you can learn how to do things the right way. It was this site that provoked me to get rid of my red and green theme. They offer a detailed check list to apply to your own web-site design and then suggestions for further action.

And finally if you need some new buttons for your Zen or OS Commerce cart then Advance Software have a free on-line tool where you can create and download an entire button set with correct labels for simple uploading to your site.

Lets go fly a kite.

Well just as I start thinking about what to stock for when the weather improves and have listed some kites we get storm force winds! A bit too strong for kite flying I think.

.Falcon Sports KiteFalcon Sports Kite. The Falcon kite is another great value kite with carbon fibre frame which gives great lift. This is a fast kite. Part of our Sport kite flying range.

Titan Sport Stunt KiteTitan Sports Stunt Kite. Top of the range, a hi-tech performer with a massive 2.2 metre wingspan, the Titan will give a magnificent performance of precision flying with power and speed at hand.

Air Bear KiteAir Bear Kite – Kite With Parachuting Teddy. Not just a kite but a whole new game! Fly Air Bear as a kite for as long as you want – then slacken the line and he will release and come down like a parachute. Who can catch him first!

Skyray Fish Style Kite Skyray Fish Style Spinnaker Nylon Kite Age 6+. The Skyray kite is like a fish on a line and is easy to fly.

Still, I’m sure the weather will improve soon – spring is just around the corner. Here’s hoping for a hot summer. You can view the range of kites here if you wish.

Welcome

I considered for some time reasons for starting this, mainly focusing on time, commitment and content and have finally been motivated to get on and do it by reading the posts on the UK Business Forums so thanks to all the contributors there.

My blog will cover three main areas:

AllGiftsDirect news, products launches, promotions, discounts and other information.

Zen Cart Software – I have quite a bit of experience in running Zen Cart and find I can set up a site and be online with listed stock quite quickly. While not an expert I began with no knowledge of PHP or CSS and others starting out from a similar situation may be interested to pick up tips and shortcuts. I keep my own websites updated to the latest version and will post here what needs changing and how to do it.

E-commerce. Having spent years in the retail industry working in both small and large shops from independents to international chains, I have plenty of customer service experience. Although not strictly customer facing, customer service is still paramount to any business, on-line or not. Here I wish to reflect on e-commerce, eBay, Amazon and business in general.