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Dear Yahoo! Store Merchant:
Greetings! This email contains news and information for Yahoo! Store merchants. As you may have noticed when you opened the message, we are now publishing in glorious, colorful HTML. There's a different look, but we're still providing news you can use.
Most email clients (web-based or stand-alone) let you change your viewing preferences to read clickable HTML. It's your choice - adjust your email settings or continue to read plain text if you prefer. Our goal, as always, is to keep you informed of feature changes and technical updates, and to help you do business effectively using Yahoo!'s network of products and services.
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| A D V E R T I S E M E N T | Oracle Small Business Suite
Learn how to save money for your small business
The Oracle Small Business Suite (click on the Netledger Accounting link in your Store Manager) is the one application you need to streamline your entire business. The Suite includes accounting, sales and service and employee management. Sign up for a free trial today to learn how to manage your Yahoo! Store more efficiently.
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| Spotlight |
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Give Them What They Want - A Yahoo! Store Gift Certificate
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The perfect cure for gift-giving anxiety is available at your Yahoo! Store, just in time for the holidays. The wait is over! You can start creating and selling online gift certificates in your store right now. We've built Store Manager tools that make it easy to create gift certificates and keep track of how many are sold, redeemed, or still outstanding.
Here's a bare-bones description of the gift certificate service:
- Go to the Regular or Advanced Editor and create a brand-new item. Warning: Do not change the "Gift-certificate" variable for existing items - this will not set up a certificate for the item.
- Give this new item a name and price. Then scroll down to the Gift-certificate variable and switch to "Yes."
- When you publish your Store, the gift certificate system automatically sets the "Taxable" and "Need-ship" variables to "no," because gift certificates are non-taxable items that are delivered by email.
- If you choose, you can create a Gift Certificates section in your Store to list all gift certificate offers on a single page. Consider creating a distinctive page with a holiday look and feel, and promote it as a special on the front page of your Store.
Once you've created a gift certificate, go to the Store Manager and click on the "Gift Certificates" link under the Process column. Here's where you'll manage different settings and view gift certificate sales.
When you create a gift certificate and publish it in your Store, it is available to your customers for purchase like any other item.
When a shopper orders a gift certificate, our checkout system generates a unique gift certificate code. This code is emailed to the recipient with the purchaser's personal message and a subject line that identifies it as a gift certificate. Here's an example:
"Dear Nancy - These scented candles will help you relax and unwind at the end of the day. But I can't remember if you like vanilla or citrus and spice - you decide. Love, Sluggo."
Your gift certificate orders are on display in the Gift Certificate Manager. You can view the date issued, amount, balance, gift certificate code, order ID, and certificate status. Check a convenient gift certificate sales summary or access gift certificate statistics via the Graphs link under the Statistics column. You'll see numbers for total orders and total gift certificate revenue.
Visit the Gift Certificate Help Pages to learn more.
Have you started selling gift certificates? How's it going? Please send us your feedback.
| Holiday Preparedness Tip |
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Spruce Up Your Contact Information
Now more than ever, it's essential to provide customers with contact information that's thorough, accurate, and up to date. This year, shoppers are particularly concerned about shipping delays and mail safety. Customers should be able to contact you quickly and directly. Make sure your Info Page includes hours of operation, customer service turnaround times for phone and email, phone numbers, email and physical addresses, and all other relevant information.
Here's how to update your Info Page:
- Go to the editor in your Store Manager.
- Click on the Info Page. Type in a greeting or even a custom seasonal message for shoppers. Make sure your address, phone number, email address, and hours are visible.
- Publish your changes.
It's also important to keep your Account Info up to date within your Store Manager. We depend on this information to contact you and keep you informed of updates, customer concerns, and complaints - critical communications for solving problems swiftly and effectively during the holidays or any time of year.
To review and update your Account Information go to the "Account Info" link under the Site Settings column in your Store Manager. To make sure your changes are saved, click on "Update" after you make changes.
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| A D V E R T I S E M E N T | Got Marketing
Boost your holiday traffic with smart email marketing
Maximize traffic to your store this holiday season! Use email to tell new and existing customers about your business. Send text or HTML mail to boost revenue and move inventory. It's easy, it's fast, and it's affordable. Simply click on "Email Marketing" in your Store Manager, or learn more about Got Marketing Campaigner.
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| Short Take |
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New Format for Your Itemized Billing History
Maybe you've already noticed the change - the Billing History for your account now displays each charge associated with your monthly bill. For a detailed look at transaction fees, Yahoo! Network revenue share charges, and item insertion fees, simply click on each individual link for an expanded itemized view.
To get there, click on the "Account Info" link under the Site Settings column in your Store Manager. Scroll down to the "Billing History" button and click to see the new interface.
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| Design Resource |
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Holiday Clip Art for Your Store
Maybe there's no such thing as a free lunch, but there's still a lively culture of sharing in many corners of the Web - especially in the realm of clip art and graphics. These resources can help you create a custom Gift Certificates promo page with a seasonal theme.
Be a considerate web citizen! Read the terms of use before you begin downloading and publishing other people's images on your commercial web site. Make sure it's legal - you may be required to email for explicit permission or to add an attribution link to acknowledge your source. In nearly all cases, you'll be asked to download the graphics files and not to link directly to images on someone else's site! Email the clip art provider and let them know how you plan to use their offering. Your courtesy could even result in a little cross-promotion.
We found an abundance of attractive holiday-themed icons, buttons, borders, and backgrounds listed on sites in the holiday clip art categories. Don't forget about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, and other special occasions.
Visit the Yahoo! Directory for a collection of carefully selected Christmas Clip Art sites from around the Web. |
| Request for Testimonials |
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Looking for a Few Good Stories
Got a compelling story from the retail frontlines or an e-commerce experience you'd like to share? We'd love to hear how you're coping with economic turbulence and global uncertainty: no triumph is too small, no problem solved too insignificant.
Please send us your testimonial.
We'd like to share what you've learned to educate and inspire other business people who are just getting started on the Internet. Who knows? Your hard-won success story might find a spot in the limelight.
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| Feedback and Subscription Information |
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Let Us Know...
We always welcome your feedback, questions, and suggestions at: store-newsletter@yahoo-inc.com.
Subscribers: You've received this email because you're listed as the contact address for a Yahoo! Store. If you do not want to receive future updates, please go to your Store Manager and click on "Account Info" under the Site Settings column. Uncheck the Yahoo! Store Newsletter box located under Contact Information, and you will be removed from future updates.
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