We at Rainbow Studios were tasked with the job of giving the Carisma Discount Store a lick of paint, the aim to create a warmer more inviting atmosphere for ladies that like their lingerie.

                        

Own and run your own online store selling products available from a range of suppliers from books to tools, pet products to fancy dress and lingerie !

For only £14.95 a month you too can become an online entrepreneur, the store will be under your ownership after the initial years contract, with the option to pay off the balance at any time within that first year. Complete with a years hosting and 2 domain dedicated email addresses togteher with a selection of templates we provide you with a fully stocked website and supplier details to enable you to hit the ground running. Full support is available in marketing and running your store as well as contact and support from some of the best and most reliable  Dropshipping companies within the UK.  You can begin selling your items today.

Dropship computers and peripherals from one of the UK’s leading computer dropshipping companies offering next day delivery to your customers nationwide within the UK !!

With other ranges available for dropshipping to include Silver Jewellery and Costume Jewellery, Lingerie, Health and Beauty, Books, CD’s and DVD’s.

If you would like to broaden your range and invest a little more money you can even start your own niche  today based around your hobbies and interests to build a completely unique store,  even venture into  dropshipping the dark world of Goth !! We are now pleased to announce we are in the process of dipping our toes into the dark world of Gothic Dropshipping, with a full range of Fairy Figurines and Gothic style Jewellery and accessories .

                        

From a range of different product lines from pet supplies to Jewellery , Alternative Clothing and Gifts there is bound to be something that will ‘tickle your fancy’.

The stores will come ready to trade with full support from the team at Rainbow Studios.

If you would like further information or want to be notified when the first few are ready to trade and up for sale please feel free to register your interest using our contact forms. If there is a range you cannot see on our pages that you would be interested in retailing please do not hesitate to get in touch and we shall see if we can help you to find a supplier.

Subscribe to our newsletter to be kept up to date with all the latest e-commerce design and build offers available from Rainbow Studios.

                        

first you will need a good FTP client like filezilla, you can download this for free here
http://sourceforge.net/projects/filezilla/

and here is a video tutorial on how to use filezilla
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr_u2iKfAt0

now you have filezilla and have an idea how to use it, heres what you need to do to customise your zencart,

first things first, if your a UK seller you will probably want to change zip code to post code, state to county etc, on the register page,
here is how you do that
depending on whether you are using the classic template or another template you have installed, you will need to edit one of these files,

/public_html/includes/languages/english.php
or if you are using a different template to the classic green one that zencart comes with it will be,
/public_html/includes/languages/YOUR_TEMPLATE/english.php
YOUR_TEMPLATE would be the name of the template you are using, eg cool_steel or sexy_pink or whatever the template is called

ok, in english.php find this piece of code

define('ENTRY_POST_CODE', 'Zip/post code:');
  define('ENTRY_POST_CODE_ERROR', 'Your zip Code must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_POSTCODE_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');
  define('ENTRY_POST_CODE_TEXT', '*');
  define('ENTRY_CITY', 'City:');
  define('ENTRY_CUSTOMERS_REFERRAL', 'Referral Code:');

  define('ENTRY_CITY_ERROR', 'Your City must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_CITY_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');
  define('ENTRY_CITY_TEXT', '*');
  define('ENTRY_STATE', 'State:');
  define('ENTRY_STATE_ERROR', 'Your State must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_STATE_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');

and change all the text from zip/post code to post code, state to county,  it should look like this when you have finished

define('ENTRY_POST_CODE', 'Post Code:');
  define('ENTRY_POST_CODE_ERROR', 'Your Post Code must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_POSTCODE_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');
  define('ENTRY_POST_CODE_TEXT', '*');
  define('ENTRY_CITY', 'City or Town:');
  define('ENTRY_CUSTOMERS_REFERRAL', 'Referral Code:');

  define('ENTRY_CITY_ERROR', 'Your City or Town must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_CITY_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');
  define('ENTRY_CITY_TEXT', '*');
  define('ENTRY_STATE', 'County:');
  define('ENTRY_STATE_ERROR', 'Your County must contain a minimum of ' . ENTRY_STATE_MIN_LENGTH . ' characters.');

make sure you keep the single quote marks arount the text like this ‘Post code:’
if one of the single quote marks are left out, it will cause the template to break, small details like this can have a massive impact on php the slightest error can leave you with a blank white screen where your website should be, so pay attention to how the code is entered, before changing anything, and always save an unaltered copy of the file you are editing, to your computer, just incase you need to replace the file with the original, if somthing does go wrong.

save the edited file and upload it back to the server

ok, your login/register page is now suited to a UK buyer, next the look of your website

the classic template will still have “Congratulations! You have successfully installed your Zen Cart” across the top of your main page,
here is how to remove that, go into
/public_html/includes/languages/english/index.php or if you are using a different template it will be
/public_html/includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/index.php (YOUR_TEMPLATE being the name of the template you are using)

and at the bottom of the page look for this code

// This section deals with the "home" page at the top level with no options/products selected
/*Replace this text with the headline you would like for your shop. For example: 'Welcome to My SHOP!'*/
define('HEADING_TITLE', 'Congratulations! You have successfully installed your Zen Cart™ E-Commerce Solution.');
} elseif ($category_depth == 'nested') {
// This section deals with displaying a subcategory
/*Replace this line with the headline you would like for your shop. For example: 'Welcome to My SHOP!'*/
define('HEADING_TITLE', 'Congratulations! You have successfully installed your Zen Cart™ E-Commerce Solution.');
}

and replace both lines of the “congratulations” text with what ever message you want, making sure you keep the single quote marks at either end of the phrase you are entering

save the edited file and upload it back to the server

if you want to change the “Sales Message Goes Here” or “Tagline Here” text, here is how to do that
go into
/public_html/includes/languages/english/header.php or if you are using a different template go into
/public_html/includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/header.php
and find this code

define('HEADER_SALES_TEXT', 'Tagline Here');

and change the ‘Tagline Here’ to any text you want to see on your site, keeping the single quote marks at each end of the phrase
then upload the edited file back onto your server

you may also need to go into includes/languages/english/classic/header.php
to change the ‘Sales Message Goes Here’
find this code in header.php

define('HEADER_SALES_TEXT', 'Sales Message Goes Here');

and change  ’Sales Message Goes Here’ to what ever you want, again keeping the single quote marks
then upload the edited file back to your server

ok, you might want to change the colours and maybe the width of your zencart, heres how you do that,

changing the width, if you feel that the template you are using is to skinny, (like the classic green really is) go into
/public_html/includes/templates/classic/css/stylesheet.css       or if you are using a different template go into
/public_html/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css

and find this code

/*wrappers - page or section containers*/

#mainWrapper {

	background-color: #ffffff;

	text-align: left;

	width: 720px;

	vertical-align: top;

	border: 1px solid #202020;

	}

and change 720px to what ever width you would like the center of the page to be, somthing like 900px is a good size
save the changes and upload the file back to the server,

header logo,
the easiest way to do this is by using just the logo and getting rid of the header background image,
to remove the header background image go into here
/public_html/includes/templates/classic/css/stylesheet.css       or if you are using a different template go into
/public_html/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css
and find this code

#logoWrapper{
	background-image: url(../images/header_bg.jpg);
	background-repeat: repeat-x;
	background-color: #ffffff;
	height:75px;
	}

and remove the ../images/header_bg.jpg just leaving ()

save the file and upload it back to the server,

its always best to leave the code for the background-image and just edit out the file path, just incase you want to add an image in there at a later date, the code is still there for it

then to add your own logo, create a logo the same width as you set your zencart (as above)
say you set your site to 900px then your logo should be 900px wide, make it any height you like, 150px, 175px somthing like that
upload it to
/public_html/includes/templates/classic/images or if you are using another template
/public_html/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/images

then you need to go into
/public_html/includes/languages/english/classic/header.php or if you are using a different template go into
/public_html/includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/header.php

and find this code

define('HEADER_LOGO_IMAGE', 'logo.gif');

and change logo.gif to the name of the logo you created and uploaded
save the file and upload back to the server

colours,
how to change the background colour,
/public_html/includes/templates/classic/css/stylesheet.css       or if you are using a different template go into
/public_html/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/css/stylesheet.css
find this code

body {
	margin: 0;
	font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;
	font-size: 62.5%;
	color: #000000;
	background-color: #e5edf5;
	}

simply change the #e5edf5 to what ever colour you want,
here is a list of colours you can use
http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_colors.asp

changing the box headers, now there are two ways to do this,
the easy way to do this is to copy the tile_back.gif to your computer, you will find that in
/public_html/includes/templates/classic/images or if its a different template
/public_html/includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/images

use what ever photo editing software you have to change the colour of that image, and upload it back to the same folder it came from,

you can get some free image editing software from here
http://www.gimp.org/

the other way to change the box headers is to find all references to tile_back.gif in the stylesheet.css you are using for your template and delete the ../images/tile_back.gif just leaving the () and change the background-color: #abbbd3; and enter what ever colour you would like inplace of the #abbbd3

here is the code you need to change

#navMainWrapper, #navSuppWrapper, #navCatTabsWrapper {
	margin: 0em;
	background-color: #abbbd3;
	background-image: url(../images/tile_back.gif);
	padding: 0.5em 0.2em;
	font-weight: bold;
	color: #ffffff;
	height: 1%;
	}

and

#navEZPagesTop {
	background-color: #abbbd3;
	background-image: url(../images/tile_back.gif);
	font-size: 0.95em;
	font-weight: bold;
	margin: 0em;
	padding: 0.5em;
	}

and

.leftBoxHeading, .centerBoxHeading, .rightBoxHeading {
	margin: 0em;
	background-color: #abbbd3;
	background-image: url(../images/tile_back.gif);
	padding: 0.5em 0.2em;
	}

and

.productListing-rowheading {
	background-color: #abbbd3;
	background-image: url(../images/tile_back.gif);
	height: 2em;
	color: #FFFFFF;
	}

its always best to leave the code for the background-image and just edit out the file path, just incase you want to add an image in there at a later date, the code is still there for it

theres a start for any one wanting to customise thier zencart.

                        

Allows cross selling at a discount; a product can be linked with another specific product, another product from a specific category, or any other product, with an associated discount (in dollars or % off) if both are purchased together. The associations must be hard coded, but once they are, generic logic can be added to the product_info page to display any available better together discount.

Give your customers a choice of free gifts when they spend x.xx in your store.
Dangling Carrot allows you to specify which items are gifts, set a discounted, or zero price for them, and then set a threshold at which they are eligible for the gift.

                        

It has sections dedicated to all aspects of e-commerce from cart software to dropshipping and wholesale.

So pop along a join up, join the friendly online community of small business owners looking to make a success of their online ventures.

                        

After a rather disappointing performance over previous months we are pleased to announce that SimplyGorgeous is now under NEW ownership. The site is currently undergoing an overhaul but is already gaining back old customers and attracting new.
Their range is due to increase considerably over the coming months and they are already proving that customer service is their top priority. Stocking a Range of fancy dress and sexy Lingerie.

Click here to view the full list ..

Interested in dropshipping? View our article on how dropshipping could work to increase your range and target audience for your e-commerce store.

                        

PC Dropship

Computer Dropshipping

PCDropship the UK’s fastest growing computer drop shipper supplying components from

* Ocz
* Cooler Master
* Asus
* Lian-li

and many other top brands.
Offering next day delivery on a wide range from computer cases to keyboards.

Click here to view the full list

Interested in dropshipping? View our article on how dropshipping could work to increase your range and target audience for your e-commerce store.

                        

Set up your categories categories carefully. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

**Most online shoppers do not want to click endlessly before they can purchase an item. Categories and sub-categories are necessary to keep your content organized but try to keep the levels of sub-categories to less than three. A customer should be able to add an item to their basket in three clicks or less.
** With Zen Cart, items can be linked to and listed in multiple categories, so best to only list an item in one category then go back and link them to another category later.
*Once a category is added at a level, products can not be added at the same level, (this is where it helps to revert to old fashion pen and paper to plan your category structure before hand)

With your category list in hand, log in to your Zen Cart admin panel and take the following actions:

* Hover over “Catalogue” and click on “Categories/Products” in the drop down menu that appears.
* If you are a novice a use the WYSIWYG editor, select “HTMLarea” from the “Text Editor” drop down box if you are confident in using the html editor.
* Click on “New Category”
* Fill in the “Name” field and add a Category Description if you wish.(remember thses at a later date if you do not use them to start they are a handy place to use keywords within a decent description to help with search engine rankings)
The category description will be placed above the sub-categories or products for the category.
* If you wish, assign a sort order for the the Category. If a sort order is not assigned then the categories will be listed alphabetically.
*upload an image if you desire one to represent the category.
* Click on the “Save” button.
* Repeat the steps for each category at the top level

To add sub-categories to categories follow these steps:

* Click on the folder icon for the category for which you would like to add a sub-category.
* Click on “New Category”
* Fill in the “Name” field and add a Category Description if you wish.(remember thses at a later date if you do not use them to start they are a handy place to use keywords within a decent description to help with search engine rankings) The category description will be placed above the sub-categories or products for the category.
* If you wish, assign a sort order for the the Category, as above.
* Upload an image for the ctegory if you wish,
* Click on the “Save” button.
* Repeat the steps for each sub-category at this level.
* Note that once there is a category present at any level, the “New Product” button is no longer available.

Your Categories and Sub-Categories are now set up.

In Zencart you can add manufacturers to a product listing but in order to do this you need to add the manufacturers to the database in order for them to appear as a drop down list in the add a product screen.

You really should do this before you add any products unless you dont mind editing each product at a later date.This will also give your visitors an alternative way to navigate to your produts.

** Hover over “Catalogue” and click on “Manufacturers”.
** Click on the “Insert” button
** Fill in the name field. If you have a logo for the manufacturer, you can browse and add that image here also.
** Click on the “Save” button.
** Repeat the above steps until all of the required manufacturers are added to the database.

With the category and subcategory structure in place and manufacturers added if required you can now go ahead and add your products.
**hover over catalogue and select categories and products from the drop down menu.
**from the resulting screen click on the top level category your product will appear in, then select the subcategory if applicable.
* If you are a novice use the WYSIWYG editor, select “HTMLarea” from the “Text Editor” drop down box if you are confident in writing html.
* Click on the “New Product” button, this will bring up an edit product screen.
* Fill in the fields in the following way:
– Products Status: select In Stock or Out of Stock
– If the item is Out of Stock, select the date available, Zen cart will automatically send the product live and change its status on the date entered.
– Products Manufacturer: Select the relevant manufacturer from the drop-down list or leave as none,(see now why we did that first )

_ Products Name: Enter the title of your product, (keep in mind the terms people will use to find your product when searching)
– Product is Free, Product is Call for Price, and Product Priced by Attributes Select Yes or No.
– Tax Class- Select None or Taxable Goods
– Enter the Products Price
– Product is Virtual, Always Free Shipping, and Products Quantity Box Shows- Select Yes or No for each. Virtual products are downloadable products such as eBooks or software.
– Product Qty Minimum – If you sell your items in lots, enter the minimum amount here.
– Product Qty Maximum – Maximum amount of items you will sell to a customer. This is not the same as Quantity in Stock.
– Product Qty Units – Do you sell your item in lots only? Enter the lot amount here.
– Product Qty Min/Unit Mix – Leave as yes.
– Products Description – Enter the description for the product. Add as much information as possible. Remember that search engines read like humans, make it informative and relevant.
– Products Quantity -Enter the amount of items in stock.
– Products Model: Does the manufacturer assign a model number for the product? If so, enter the model number.Remember, this information is picked up by search engines, and as such will allow people to compare products via a search by product number.
– Products Image- Browse your hard drive and select the correct image for the product.
– Products URL- entering a web site here will show the following text on the product information page, “For more information, please visit this products webpage.” and will create a link. Only use this field if you want people to leave your web site to purchase a product.
– Products Shipping Weight- If your shipping rates are based on product weight, enter the weight here.
– Sort Order- Enter the sort order of the product. If you want your products listed alphabetically, leave this field blank.
– Click on the “Preview” button.
– If all information is correct, click “Insert”.

You now have products available for purchase

                        

Free to download and use on your Zencart e-commerce store.