NorthStar Solutions Upgrades Server, Adds More Features
NEW SERVER
As many of you know NorthStar Solutions has been very busy adding new features to our e-commerce system for the past several months, all the while keeping our fees exceptionally low. Consequently we have experienced a substantial surge of new providers wanting to use our services, which presented a "nice-to-have problem" for us: we outgrew our server. So, we are very pleased to announce we have upgraded our server to better accommodate the additional demand.
The switch was very seamless for our mutual customers, as we carefully set up and tested our new server, mirrored the data from the old server, and then switched the domain DNS settings (after several weeks of testing and adding new features).
While the DNS settings were being propagated across the Internet, both servers were happily processing orders to ensure no down time was experienced. Once the propagation was complete, we combined the orders so they would all be reflected on the new server.
Meanwhile we also purchased our own SSL certificate to replace the shared certificate we had been using, and added a
SiteSafe
TM
SSL Pro Seal at the top of our web pages to provide customers with additional confidence during their payment experience.
If you bookmarked your login to point to https://mmm1422.sanjose14-verio.com/nstars..., you should update it to point to https://www.nstarsolutions.com/store/provider (or just choose the "Provider Area" link located at the top of our
home page to conveniently take you to a page where you can securely sign into your account).
ONE-PAGE CHECKOUT FEATURE
While the new server was being set up and tested, and not yet in production, we took advantage of the situation and added a major new feature that will be sure to make the customer purchasing experience extremely friendly and efficient. The new feature simplifies the checkout process into one easy step and is built using modern AJAX technology. The new technology conveniently provides customers with immediate feedback during their purchase -- without them having to submit multiple pages or use the back button on their browser to correct and resubmit information.
Studies have shown that when a checkout has multiple steps or is otherwise difficult for customers, there is a higher likelihood they may change their mind about their purchase. Although our previous checkout process was good, our new checkout process is absolutely fantastic and, in fact, is so simple and intuitive that it can be completed in less than a minute.
EASILY CUSTOMIZE YOUR STORE
While most of you are quite content with the look and feel of our default order pages, some of you have indicated you would like to customize the pages to more closely resemble your own web site.
In response to that, we have simplified the process by which you can customize your store by enabling you to easily add your own header images.
We offer you virtually complete control over the look and feel of your store area, but replacing just the two images at the top of the page will essentially "brand" the page to look like your own site (and is often all that you will need to do to ensure the transition between your site and your store area at our site is seamless from the customers' perspective).
When you link to your store using the parameter of provider={Provider Name} in the URL (e.g. http://www.nstarsolutions.com/store/home.php?provider={Your Username}, not only will just your products be listed; but the look and feel will reflect any customizations you have made to your store.
Additional details and instructions are located in the Help Area of the Provider Area under the section entitled "
Customizing Your Store".
If you need any help at all concerning that, feel free to contact us and we'll be glad to help.
REMAINING FEATURES
All of these new features were added without removing any existing features from our system.
For example, you are still easily able to use coupons (either directly in the links you give customers, or by having customers enter the codes during checkout).
The use of optional CD-ROM's being offered to your customers is also available to you, as are quantity discounts, etc.
THANK YOU
As always, thank you for choosing NorthStar Solutions for your e-commerce needs! We are very excited about our future and the new features we continue to add to our services, all the while keeping our fees exceptionally low for you.
