What is a 'shopping cart'?
The
shopping cart is your web store (the pages from which customers
will see and order your products). It's actually split into
two parts, as far as functionality goes. The "storefront"
is where the customer selects the items he or she wants to
buy, and the "cash register" presents the customer with the
order form that will collect all of the relevant credit card
information. It is then sent to the gateway for processing.
Why do I need a secure certificate?
Most
customers want a secure environment in which to do their online
shopping. If you don't offer that, customers will be wary
of purchasing your goods. Without a secure certificate, you
won't be able to have a secure (SSL) connection through which
your customers can send their credit card information.
What
do I need to know to set up a Miva Merchant site?
Setting
up a Miva Merchant web site requires the ability to transfer
your files to and from your site. However, you do not need
to know any HTML or CGI scripting or programming to build
a basic site using the adjustable Miva templates. To fully
customize a Miva site, you may need to learn some basic scripting
or use third-party plug-ins. But you can build a fully functional
store using only the Miva interface.
Does Miva or SelectNet offer instructions on
how to build a store?
Miva
offers complete instructions on setting up your store through
the use of very comprehensive help menus. SelectNet provides installation and hosting of your Miva store on our servers. However, if
you need consulting for configuration or customization of your storefront, we can provide it for an additional fee.
Can I change the look of my site?
Yes,
you have complete control over what the site looks like. Miva
provides some basic templates to work from. You can also work
without the templates and create your own site from scratch.
How long will it take to set up my account?
SelectNet
can usually set your account up within two business days.
Does Miva work with my domain name? What
will the URL of the store be?
Yes,
Miva does work with your domain name. If you don't have a
domain name registered yet, you can get one when you set up a
SelectNet E-Commerce Plan (one domain
is included). If you already have a domain name, you should
adjust it so that it is pointing to your SelectNet Commerce site.
If the domain is with SelectNet, we can do that for you. However,
if the domain is hosted elsewhere, you'll have to work with
that ISP to point your domain to your SelectNet e-commerce site (or move the
domain to SelectNet). You can call SelectNet Customer Service at 760-438-9555 for more information.
Is there a limit to the number of products
I can have in my web store?
No,
there are no artificial limits to the number
of products you can display in a Miva Merchant-enabled web
store.
What types of real time payment options are
available?
SelectNet
E-commerce plan customers can use one of the many payment gateways
available, such as Verisign, Authorize.Net and Cardservice International.
To do real-time credit card processing over the Internet you must have some combination
of a gateway and merchant account. Be sure your business' merchant account is compatible with
the payment gateway you choose.
What is a 'payment gateway' and what does it do?
The
payment gateway is the agency responsible for verifying credit card
information and affirming that there are sufficient funds
to cover a purchase. Examples of these are Authorize.net,
Verisign, and Linkpoint API (from Cardservice International). These companies pass the information
to their merchant bank that in turn contacts the credit card
issuer, which approves or denies credit. Notice of approval
or denial is then forwarded back down the chain to the merchant.
You must have a payment gateway attached
to your account to do real-time credit card processing over
the Internet.
What is a 'merchant account' and what is it
used for?
The
last link in the chain is your merchant account. This is an
account held for you by a merchant bank that credits you
for your approved e-commerce transactions. You must have a merchant
account to do real-time credit card processing. Cardservice International provides merchant accounts and
they integrate seamlessly with Linkpoint API. You can also check with your existing bank for information about their merchant accounts.
Please be sure they are compatible with your merchant account.
What support does SelectNet offer for Miva Merchant and Miva Order?
SelectNet
provides the installation of the Miva Merchant or Miva Order software on our servers for your hosting account, but nothing more. You can get any other support
you need directly from Miva. If you would like us to help you configure or customize your site we can provide that service through a consulting arrangement.
What support does Miva offer? How can I
contact them?
Miva
provides technical support for its products through the Miva
Incident Reporting System and sponsored user group forums.
Users that have installation, operational or upgrade issues,
can contact a Miva technical support representative by telephone
or e-mail to receive specific assistance. More advanced users
are invited to contact one of the user group forums that offer
focused discussion on feature usage with experienced members
of the Miva community.
You can go directly to the
Miva
support pages on the web for information and support (and
indeed, this should be your first stop), e-mail Miva support
at support@miva.com,
or call their support department at 858-490-2570.
Why doesn't SelectNet offer full support
for Miva Merchant?
Although
we do a lot of programming and Web development, Miva is a new product for us. The
Miva support group is much more capable of handling any questions
or problems that might arise with your store. If there are issues or problems with our server or your hosting
service in general, support is included with your hosting plan.
What payment methods can I accept online?
You
can accept credit cards in real time using a gateway and merchant
account. You can accept credit cards and run them through
a batch processor at another location, but this will not allow
you to do real-time processing. You can also have the customer
fill out the order form online and send payment (such as a
check or money order) through the mail. Most successful Internet
stores use real-time credit card processing.
Do the SelectNet E-Commerce Plans limit what
credit cards can I accept?
No,
but your merchant account and payment gateway must
support the particular card.
It will be up to you to contact your merchant account company and find out what
cards they accept.
How secure are the SelectNet E-Commerce Plans?
SelectNet
storefronts run at the HTML page level and are therefore compatible
with all security systems in use on the Internet today. On
the HTTP server side, they are fully tested and integrated with
SSL switching using Apache web servers. You
can also download your orders in secure mode using SSL. With
SSL (Secure Socket Layer), all information between the customer's
browser and the web server is encrypted, so that sensitive
information (such as credit card numbers) can be safely sent
across the Internet.
How do I get my orders?
Miva-enabled
storefronts will notify you by e-mail that you have received
an order. You will then be able to securely log on to your
web-based order management system to view, archive, and delete
orders. Confidential information such a credit card information
is never transmitted by e-mail. By using a gateway, credit
card transactions will be processed using industry endorsed
SET secure technology.
Can I use SQL with Miva Merchant?
While
it's technically possible to use MySQL or MSSQL, Miva Merchant
doesn't support those databases. If you choose to run either
one with Miva, neither SelectNet nor Miva can give you support.
Miva comes with its own database that is scalable for most
applications.
Can I add Miva Merchant to my existing SelectNet
hosting account?
No,
you must open a new E-Commerce hosting plan. Currently, we offer Miva on our Unix hosting platform. If you have an NT based account, your site will
need to be moved to the Unix platform.
Can I run multiple stores with my single
Miva Merchant license?
No.
Each Miva store requires its own license.
Why did SelectNet choose Miva Merchant?
What about other options?
SelectNet
chose Miva Merchant primarily for its ease
of use. It's simple enough for anyone to build a basic store,
but has substantial features that provide a very high degree
of customization.
What if I don't like Miva Merchant? Can
I use a different shopping cart?
Our E-Commerce
hosting packages are bundled with the Miva Merchant and Miva Order products in mind. If you wish to
use your own shopping cart or go with another product, there may be configuration issues that affect our
servers, payment gateway issues, etc. However, we may be able to configure a custom hosting package for you. Please contact us at webmaster@select.net to discuss this option.