WVU's eCommerce site is now using TouchNet Marketplace as the new eCommerce tool at West Virginia University. WVU's eCommerce site is a self-contained e-commerce solution, combining online storefronts with inventory control, order fulfillment, and financial reporting. Implementation of the new eCommerce tool is being coordinated by Shared Services, Finance, and ITS. Migrations began with several pilot groups on August 30, 2021.
Preparing for the move
What will be the process for getting a store in the new WVU eCommerce software?
Submit the TouchNet Marketplace Request Form.
After you submit the request, Shared Services, Finance, and Tax Services will review your request. If they have any questions, they will email you, from your submission Ticket in step 1, for clarification. Please watch your email and respond promptly to help ensure your store is created in a timely manner.
After your request has been approved, ITS will be notified to create your shell store. In this step, ITS staff will email you if they have any questions, and to find out what categories need to be set up in the new store. Please watch your email and respond promptly to help ensure your store is created in a timely manner.
Employees with a role in the new store (as identified in the store request form) will receive an email notifying them that their account has been set up.
They will need to set up multi-factor authentication the first time they log in. This is separate from the WVU Login authentication. See instructions on setting up the multi-factor authentication.
The store manager will receive an email notification (from the submission Ticket) when the shell store has been created. The shell store will contain the categories and products that were migrated, but the store manager will then need to:
Review the details that were migrated for each product and make any necessary changes.
Depending on the product, create modifiers to capture additional information from the shopper, such as names of attendees, email addresses, and dinner preferences.
Depending on the product, create options, such as color or size preferences.
Depending on the product, add images.
Attend a training session or refer to training materials in building the store.
You will be building out your products in the production system; however, shoppers will not be able to see the items nor any payments made until after the go-live validation.
An eCommerce team member will contact you to schedule your Validation date. On the validation day, a payment will take place and will be monitored to verify that it has moved properly throughout the entire accounting process. (This could take up to five business days.)
After you have been notified that the validation was successful, you can advertise your site to your customers.
Do I need to do anything to prepare my existing store in AbleCommerce for the move to the new software?
If you have more than one store, decide if you would like to combine them or keep them separate.
Mark old products that will not be needed again as “hidden” so they do not get recreated in the new store. You can hide a single category or an entire category to hide all its products. (View the article on hiding a category for more information.)
If you plan to offer a former event again in the future, mark the product’s visibility and its category as public. Alternatively, manually copy the product information into a document for reference during product creation in the new store.
Download images and digital goods from AbleCommerce that are desired in Marketplace; images and digital goods do not migrate during the new store creation. To download images in AbleCommerce:
From the Manage menu, choose Images and Assets.
Click images, one by one.
As each image appears in the File Details region, right-click the image and choose "Save As."
Determine what product categories you will need in the new eCommerce site such as “clothing," “conferences”, and “virtual training” by reviewing your existing store catalog. Store managers will not be able to create their own categories in the new eCommerce site; the eCommerce administrators will create categories when the store is created; additional categories can be requested later via submission of a service request ticket.
Will employees with access to AbleCommerce automatically have access to the new eCommerce site?
No. As part of the move, each store manager will complete the TouchNet Marketplace Request Form to request access for their team as needed for the various roles.
What roles are available for the team managing the store?
Store Manager: Person(s) responsible for adding products and managing inventory.
Accounting and Reporting: Person(s) who will have access to store level reports including reports needed for accounting and reconciliation
Fulfiller: Person(s) responsible for processing orders that need to be shipped.
Fulfiller with Refunds and Cancel rights: Person(s) responsible for canceling orders or completing refunds. Access to fulfill orders are part of the role by default.
Note that the same person can fulfill multiple roles.
How long will I be able to run reports from the current eCommerce system after my store has been migrated to the new system?
Once your store in WVU's new eCommerce site is live, the AbleCommerce store will be turned off and all access will cease. Existing store managers should run and download any historical data reports desired before the new store goes live.
Will the products set up in my existing store be automatically transferred over to the new store?
We will attempt to move active products in AbleCommerce to WVU's new eCommerce site. However, every item will still need to be edited as the new tool has new fields that do not exist in AbleCommerce. In addition, configurable items do not migrate. For example, products that were set up in AbleCommerce with options and variants will have to be recreated from scratch as those items cannot be created from an import file.
Any questions asked as part of a product template will have to be recreated as modifiers for each product as there is not a way to link to a set of established questions in the new tool.
Images and digital goods, such as files that can be downloaded, will have to be added individually to each of the products.
Will I need to change links to my current store?
Yes. Determine all the web pages or communications that link to your current AbleCommerce store. Be prepared to update the link to ‘http://touchnetmarketplace.wvu.edu ’ which will redirect the customers to the new WVU eCommerce site. If you wish for the customers to go directly into your departmental store, the direct store address will be provided when your store is initially created.
Will the GL account set up for my existing store be automatically set up in the new eCommerce tool?
Yes. On the TouchNet Marketplace Request Form you will specify what GL string you want to use as the default for the store. All imported products and newly created products will use that GL string.
The new system has the option of having more than one GL string per store. Once your store is set up, you can decide if you wish to be more granular with GL strings and request additional ones be created by submitting the TouchNet Marketplace Request Form intake form and choosing "Updating Existing" and then "Update Items Sold and Funding Information."
Once Finance creates the GL string and associated detail code, the eCommerce administrator will add the detail code as an option to choose within your store. Note that you will need to update each product within your store with the new detail code as desired.
General
What do I need to do to get a new store?
If you have an existing store in AbleCommerce, the project team will be contacting the store manager to arrange the time frame for the move. We will try to accommodate your peak business cycle if possible. The process starts with a new in-take form, TouchNet Marketplace Request Form, to verify who will be performing each role and respective access.
If you would like to set up a new store, the process starts with a request form to verify who will be performing each role and respective access. View the request Form here.
Will I log into the new system with my WVU Login credentials?
No. Store Managers must use the TouchNet eCommerce tool to manage and maintain their store. TouchNet uCommerce requires a local login with its own two-factor authentication. See instructions on setting up your TouchNet multi-factor authentication login account. WVU has requested that TouchNet integrate with WVU Login in the long term, but it is currently unavailable.
What should I do if I get an HTTP 404 error after logging in and selecting Marketplace from the Applications menu?
If you get an HTTP 404 error after you login when you select Marketplace from the Applications menu, try
clicking in the address bar and pressing the backspace key until you just see https://secure.touchnet.net/central/ Then press Enter.
What type of products or services can I sell in WVU's eCommerce site??
Physical goods as well as services, such as camps or events, may be sold, as long as they are legally allowed by WVU and the State of WV.
Can my customers access my store from a phone or tablet?
Yes. WVU's eCommerce site is mobile responsive.
What browsers can be used to set up the site and/or make purchases?
TouchNet recommends using Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge when accessing the web-based TouchNet U.Commerce suite of products and services. These browsers are all supported for the current version and one previous version. Users may experience connectivity and performance issues when using Internet Explorer. TouchNet does not recommend using Internet Explorer. Please use one of the recommended browsers instead.
Is there a report that displays names and email addresses of customers who have purchased a product or service?
By default, the purchaser’s name, email address, and address (city, state, zip, country) used for the credit card transaction will appear in the By Products report when you export it to csv.
If your product is a conference or event and you need to capture the actual attendees’ information (because sometimes an administrative assistant places the order on behalf of others), then you can choose to add modifier questions to the products to ask for attendee names and attendee email addresses. The responses to these questions would then appear in the By Products report in separate columns to the right of the purchasing information.
View instructions on adding modifier questions.
View instructions on running a By Products report.
Setting Up
Can my revenue be deposited into more than one GL account?
A single GL account will be used as the default for all items for the store. However, the GL account can be changed at the line-item level for exceptions. Note that robust reporting exists within WVU's eCommerce tools for item level reporting. Please consult with IARA for advice on the best grouping for financial needs.
When setting up a product, should I choose manual fulfillment or auto-fulfillment?
Choose manual fulfillment for any physical product that must be shipped to the customer and a store employee must mark the shipment as having been made. At the time of purchase, an authorization hold will be placed on the credit card but the actual payment occurs only when the employee marks the shipment as having occurred.
Choose auto-fulfill for products that will not be shipped, such as conferences or events, and for products that will be picked up by the customer. The credit card will be charged immediately.
In both cases, the payment will not appear as a transaction on departmental reports for 2-3 days as the transaction needs to move through an interface.
Will products, which includes all goods and services, be taxed in WVU's eCommerce site?
Yes, all products for sale in WVU's eCommerce site will default as taxable. State consumer and any applicable local municipal sales taxes will be calculated and collected on every sale.
Per WV State consumer sales tax law, all goods and services sold in West Virginia are subject to consumer and any applicable local municipal sales tax unless there is an exemption available for that particular good or service.
For the sale of items that will be shipped, taxes will be calculated based on the delivery address.
Items shipped to a delivery address within West Virginia that does not have a local municipal sales tax will be charged the 6% WV state consumer sales tax rate.
Items shipped to a delivery address within West Virginia that does have a local municipal sales tax rate will be charged the 6% WV state consumer sales tax rate plus the applicable municipal sales tax rate based on the delivery address.
For the sale of items not being shipped, customers will be charged the 6% WV state consumer sales tax plus any applicable local tax. For items picked up in Morgantown, this will be a 1% municipal sales tax rate on every sale.
What do I do if I feel that a specific product for sale in my store is a product that should be exempt from the consumer sales tax?
All products will default to taxable in the new WVU eCommerce site. When setting up a product, store managers and other team members should not change this default setting unless approval is received from WVU Tax Services.
When you complete the form to request a new store or migrate your existing store, you will be able to list any items you propose to be tax-exempt and the justification for tax-exempt status. Your request for tax-exempt status will be evaluated by WVU Tax Services and you will be notified of the decision. (See the "Sales and Use Tax Exemptions" document on the West Virginia State Tax Department web site for general information on tax-exemptions. The final decision on whether a product is considered tax-exempt will be made by the WVU Tax Services office.)
If you already have a store and want to add a new product that you feel should be exempt from state consumer and, if applicable, local municipal sales tax, you will need to request approval from WVU Tax Services by completing the TouchNet Marketplace Request Form and mark “Update Existing” and then “Update Tax Information." Your request for tax-exempt status will then be evaluated by WVU Tax Services and you will be notified of the decision.
How do I make a sale to a tax-exempt customer?
All sales of products, including all goods and services, are subject to consumer and, if applicable, local municipal sales tax unless the individual good or service is exempt under WV State consumer tax law or the customer is a tax-exempt entity such as WVU.
A sales tax exemption certificate should be collected from all tax-exempt customers with every sale transaction.
Sales tax exemption certificates should be maintained by the Department for a minimum of four calendar years and must be available if and when requested by WVU Tax Services.
Exception – a sales tax exemption certificate does not need to be collected when the customer is WVU, WVU Research Corporation or WVU Innovation Corporation.
Exception – a sales tax exemption certificate does not need to be collected when the customer is a repeat customer and the Department has already collected the certificate. However, a new certificate should be collected on an annual basis.
For the specific products that the tax-exempt organization wishes to purchase, store managers should create a duplicate of the product in the store.
Note - This process will not need to be followed for products that are already tax exempt. For example, under WV Consumer Sales Tax law, the sale of grocery items is exempt from consumer and, if applicable, local municipal sales tax. Therefore, if a tax-exempt organization is purchasing a grocery item, there is no need to create a duplicate product in your store because the original product listing would already be marked tax exempt. The consumer and, if applicable, municipal sales tax exemption would already apply based on the product being sold.
The duplicate product should then be marked tax exempt.
A link should be sent to the tax-exempt customer for them to purchase the duplicate product that has been marked tax exempt.
This process will need to be repeated for every product that the tax-exempt customer wishes to purchase.
We realize that this will mean two listings of some products available for sale in your store and this can create confusion and inventory issues. However, WVU's eCommerce tool does not have the ability to process a sale to a tax-exempt customer at this time and these are the required process steps to follow.
Please do NOT complete the sales transaction and collect the calculated sales tax and then attempt to refund only the sales tax to the tax-exempt customer. A refund of only sales tax cannot be completed in WVU's eCommerce tool. Additionally, refunds should NOT be completed outside of WVU's eCommerce tool.
The duplicate product created for the sale to the tax-exempt customer that has been marked tax-exempt in WVU's eCommerce site should NOT be made public in the store nor available to other customers to purchase. The duplicate product's web location should be sent via link to the tax-exempt purchaser once they have provided the appropriate sales tax exemption certificate. Only the original product with the default setting as taxable should be visible to all customers through the on-line store.
To reduce confusion and multiple listings of the same product in a store, it is recommended that store managers do not create duplicate products in their stores until the need arises with the sale to a tax-exempt customer.
WVU Tax Services at tax@mail.wvu.edu and ITS is available to provide assistance if and when a sale arises to a tax-exempt customer.
How do I capture information from the customer at checkout, such as t-shirt size or lunch preference?
Store managers can add product modifiers when they create or edit a product. These questions are asked after the customer puts the item in their cart. If several products need to collect the same information, store managers might want to create a “template product”, add the modifiers, then clone it to create the individual products to avoid the repetitive work of adding modifiers to each individual product.
How will refunds be handled?
Departments can now perform their own refunds in WVU's eCommerce site up to one year after the sale. If a refund is needed after that time frame, the department will need to work with Shared Services. If the card used to purchase the product is no longer valid, the Department will need to request a manual refund.
Are reports available showing a record of sales?
Yes. Detail reports at the product level is available within WVU's eCommerce site.
Can I "ghost" a conference after it's over, but will need to display it again next year?
Yes. The store manager can disable a product’s web availability. This will hide it from the list of products visible in the store. If the customer has saved the direct link to the product, they will be able to view the product but will not be able to put it in their cart for purchase. Next year, the store manager can enable the web availability as part of editing the product to make it available for purchase again.
What credit card fees will be charged to my store?
Credit card processing fees and related bank fees and discounts will be assessed against the main MAP General Ledger account associated with the store based on the chart shown below. (These fees are subject to change.) (When completing the store request form, you can specify which GL account should be charged the fees.) When WVU is invoiced, the total fees will be prorated to each department based on their total sales for the period.
Please note that for the non-American Express cards, there is also a 15 cent fee per individual transaction.
If a transaction is refunded on the same day as the purchase (before 10 pm), a credit card fee will not be assessed. However, transactions refunded on subsequent days will still have a fee assessed, even though the refund means the store did not receive income for the product or service.
Example: If the transaction was a product purchased with a Visa card for $120, the credit card fee for that purchase would total $2.19 (2.04 + .15). Store managers can build this cost into the price of their products ahead of time since they will not be able to charge the customers a credit card fee separately; to ensure the correct calculation of taxes, product prices should be an integer value.
Estimated Annual Volume | Proposed Cost | ||||
Service | Count | Amount | Unit Rate | % Rate | Annual Cost (Count x Unit Rate or % Rate) |
Merchant Discount Rate | |||||
Visa | 2,200,000 | $260,000,000 | $0.15 | 1.7% | $3,396,538 |
Mastercard | 850,000 | $0.15 | 1.7% | $1,312,299 | |
Discover (including Diners & JCB) | 120,000 | $0.15 | 1.7% | $185,266 | |
Pin Debit | 1,000 | $0.15 | 1.7% | $1,544 | |
American Express (Separate Contract Maintained) | 125,000 | $27,000,000 | 2.25% | $607,500 | |
Customers
Can I check out with products from multiple stores in one cart?
No. You can browse multiple stores but any items in a cart will be removed once you leave a store. You must complete your purchase before returning to the main mall menu.
When checking out I received the error “Items must share a common delivery method”
All items in a cart must have the same delivery methods. If you wish to buy items with different delivery methods, you must check out separately. For example, a t-shirt being delivered via UPS to your home cannot be in the same check out as a digital file download purchase.
0 Comments