Yahoo! Merchant Solutions provides both a quick online Getting Started Guide overview and an extensive downloadable Getting Started Guide. The online overview is intended to give you an idea of the steps you will complete in order to build, manage, and promote your store. The downloadable guide provides in-depth, step-by step instructions. You can request a copy of the Getting Started Guide from customer care. We recommend looking over the online guide to get an idea of the materials you will need and decisions you will need to make in building, managing and promoting your store. Then, read the downloadable guide as you begin to build your store.
Here is a brief outline of the topics appearing in the online Getting Started Guide overview:
| Step 1 | Sign up for Yahoo! Merchant Solutions. |
| Just pick a Yahoo! Merchant Solutions package and speed through our sign up process to get started fast. You'll choose your store domain name (like www.your-store.com). Learn more. |
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| Step 2 | Explore the Manage My Services page |
This is the central headquarters for your business where you can oversee:
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| Step 3 | Prepare to accept online payments. |
| You must have a merchant account to open for business and process credit card transactions online. You can sign up for an account through PayPal Website Payments Pro (our preferred provider), Chase Paymentech, or use an existing provider. Be sure to establish your payment options early so they're enabled when you're ready to open for business. Learn more. |
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| Step 4 | Organize and load your products into the Catalog Manager. |
| The Catalog Manager is a powerful built-in tool that allows you to manage your inventory of products, including pricing and detailed information about each item. You can enter your products one by one or upload them from a database. Learn more. |
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| Step 5 | Plan and organize your web site content. |
| A world-class web presence requires clear content that makes your products sound appealing and sets expectations for your customers. You'll find it's easier to build your store if you outline your web site and write out the necessary content prior to building your pages. Learn more. |
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| Step 6 | Start building your store! |
| Our flexible design options make it easy for every business to build a professional, well-organized, online store where customers enjoy shopping. Learn more. |
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| Step 7 | Set up backend systems and operations. |
| Yahoo! Merchant Solutions makes serious business seriously easy. Automatically set up tax and shipping options, integrate your online store into your existing business infrastructure, establish your checkout preferences, and more. You can also determine how you'd like to receive orders: online, or via fax, email, or your own servers. Learn more. |
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| Step 8 | Develop your merchandising strategy. |
| Just like a brick and mortar business, you need to design your online store to effectively merchandise your products. Yahoo! Merchant Solutions offers a powerful set of tools that will help you improve your product presentation and boost incremental sales. Learn more. |
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| Step 9 | Open for business and attract new customers. |
| After launching your store you'll leverage our comprehensive marketing services to attract customers to shop in your new online business. Learn more. |
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| Step 10 | Accept and manage your orders. |
| As soon as you open, customers can start placing orders. Depending on the preferences you've established, you can receive these orders via the Store Manager, your own servers, fax, or email, and process the orders accordingly. Learn more. |
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| Step 11 | Learn from your success and grow. |
| Congratulations on taking the first steps towards your online goals! Now that you've gotten started, the best way to ensure your success going forward is to monitor your site sales and performance, and to integrate this learning into your evolving business strategies. Learn more. |
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| Get detailed information in the downloadable Getting Started Guide | |
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The Getting Started Guide provides in-depth information and instructions to help you build, manage and promote your store. With the guide you will:
Learn more. |