Web to Print (eCommerce) Workshop

During these Workshop Practice sessions, you will learn how to manage a sample Business-to-Business (B2B) storefront — from initial setup to processing customer orders. To complete this process, you'll explore several administrative tasks, including both global settings (applicable across all stores) and store-specific configurations. Additionally, as needed, you will gain hands-on experience with prepress software and build upon the skills developed in the Personalized Print Workshop.

Workshop Required Software: Access to the internet and uStore Backoffice with appropriate permissions. Adobe InDesign, XMPie uCreate, and access to the XMPie uProduce Dashboard are needed for dynamic products. Access to Xerox FreeFlow Core with appropriate permissions is needed to create and use prepress workflows.

Allotted time (based on your purchase) for these Practices ranges from 8 to 24+ hours.

Web-to-Print (W2P) Hands-on Practices:

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 4: Customer/Shopper experience and Backoffice access

Implementing successful marketing portals or ecommerce website starts with an understanding of the storefront user (shopper) experience and ordering products.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have a basic understanding of what products will be on your store(s) and how those products will be ordered.
Practice Takeaway: How to use a customer-facing storefront to order products.
Estimated Effort: 1-2+ hours, depending on Q&A.
Learning Materials: XMPie Kiosk demo stores and the Piece of Cake training store (if applicable). (Optional) A small PDF document to upload as an ordered product.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the customer/shopper experience using various store interfaces.
    • Logging in to the storefront (before shopping or later)
    • Navigate through categories and products
    • Order various products, up to and including using the shopping cart
    • Review storefront options (user account profile, drafts, shopping cart, etc.)
  • Review requirements for an e-commerce site based on store types.
    • Types of stores and login methods
    • Out-of-the-box stores verses those with expanded functionality (ex. demo stores)
    • Storefront URLs vs Backoffice
  • Review store setup and other requirements.
    • Discuss Backoffice users vs Store users (aka customers/shoppers)
    • Discuss user permissions, passwords, store managers, order operators, etc.
    • Discuss Store Themes/Branding, Languages, and other requirements for shoppers
    • Discuss options for pricing, shipping, store development, etc.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 5: Introduction to the uStore Backoffice (initial startup)

This initial walkthrough of the uStore Backoffice administrative interface (/uStoreAdmin) covers creating users, reviewing the essential global tasks and discussing other set up options.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts. 
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 4.
Practice Takeaway: How to perform some of the necessary tasks in the uStore Backoffice.
Estimated Effort: 1 hour, depending on experience and immediate/required learning goals.
Learning Materials:

Learning Objectives:

  • Review the uStore Backoffice (/uStoreAdmin) interface and navigation.
    • Review navigation, action buttons and links
    • Setup Admin Users and review group permissions
  • Discuss and setup required global presets.
    • Configure PersonalEffect Connections
    • Implement language/culture localization presets (as needed)
    • Setup SMTP, as needed (System Setup > Mall)
    • Review other global presets (as needed)

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 6: Basic store setup

In this Practice, we setup and configure a new store. Then we cover how changes to the store and how/when changes are implemented.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts. 
Required Software: Access to the uStore Backoffice as an administrator with permissions to create and modify stores.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 5.
Practice Takeaway: How to perform the necessary start up tasks for new stores and how to modify current store setups. 
Estimated Effort: 1-2 hours, depending on answers to general questions for store setup.
Learning Materials:  Optional, a logo to use on the store's simple theme.

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss requirements for a new store and their options.
    • Store Name and Type, store options, login setup, connections
    • Theme, Localization, Locations, Culture, and other options
    • Dicuss Clearing (payment method)
    • Delivery Settings, Services and options
    • Discuss Permissions and Advanced options
  • Create a new store and review or modify its settings. 
    • Implement required settings
    • Modify other settings as needed
    • Save and place store online
  • Review how to modify store settings.
    • Modify a setting, take the store offline and the save/place online
    • Discuss the best times to make modifications
    • Discuss working with the store while offline

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 7: Product groups (categories) and Static product setup

All products have a few general setup steps in common. This Practice includes creating product categories (groups), creating a new product (using a static product as an example) and its required options, and testing the new product in the store.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 6.
Practice Takeaway: How to setup a static product in a store.
Estimated Effort: 1-2 hours, depending immediate/required learning goals.
Learning Materials: A small PDF document to use as a static product (or a JPG/PNG image to represent a product).

Learning Objectives:

  • Create and modify product groups (aka categories).
  • Create and modify one (or more) static store products.
    • Discuss and implement product setup options
    • Discuss and implement product properties, pricing, prepress, and other product options
    • Discuss how Product Profiles could be used
  • Understand and test new product(s).
    • Access the new store, using the URL (where appropriate)
    • Access the new store via the Backoffice
    • Select and order the new product
    • Review orders in the Backoffice
  • If the product requires changes, modify the product and retest the ordering process.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 8: More uStore Backoffice Administration

After learning some basics about setting up stores and products it is appropriate to review global settings that affect all stores and the functionality of the backoffice in more detail. 

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts. 
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 4.
Practice Takeaway: How to make global changes to the uStore settings that may apply to all stores.
Estimated Effort: 1-2 hours, depending immediate/required learning goals.
Learning Materials:

Learning Objectives:

  • Review options for product and product property creation.
    • Discuss and create a new product through duplication
    • Discuss or implement Product Profiles (if needed).
    • Discuss product related Presets
      • Global Product Property
      • Property Options Icon Management
      • Manufacturer Setup
  • Review non-daily administrative tasks in more detail.
    • Discuss or implement new users, user groups, and group permissions (eg hide products)
    • Discuss or implement (if applicable) a simple order approval setup
    • Discuss setup of other types of clearing methods
    • Discuss theme management and GitHub
    • Discuss triggers and email templates
  • Review occasional administrative tasks.
    • Generate predefined reports
    • Discuss or generate coupons codes (eg discounts)
    • Discuss other Presets (as needed)

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 9: Easy Upload product Overview and Setup

An easy upload product setup can generically fit most upload document requirements. This product has many default options and has a special pricing method that need to be reviewed.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 4. Optionally, must have completed Practice 8.
Practice Takeaway: How to make and modify an easy upload product.
Estimated Effort: 1-2 hours, depending on product setup requirements.
Learning Materials: PDF documents to test the product after setup.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review as needed:
    • Understand the different product types, specifically the differences between Easy Upload and Composite, their advantages and disadvantages
    • Create and modify product groups (aka categories)
    • Discuss Product Profiles (if needed)
  • Create and modify an Easy Upload product.
    • Discuss and implement product properties, pricing, prepress, and other product options
    • Review and discuss using the Excel spreadsheet for pricing of this product type
    • Review Global Product Property presets that are specific to Easy Upload
  • Test and order the new product.
    • Access the store, using the URL (where appropriate) or from Backoffice
    • Select and order the new product
    • Review where orders show in the Backoffice
  • Modify the product and retest the ordering process, as needed.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 10: Dynamic Product setup overview

There are two types of dynamic products; Customizable-only and Customizable with Personalization (requires mailing/recipient list) This Practice, and those that follow (11-13), will use variable document template(s) to use as products based on your immediate store needs. Both types of dynamic product setups will be discussed, and one or both products will be created.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 1 and 4.
Practice Takeaway: Preparing to build a dynamic products.
Estimated Effort: Approximately 30-45 minutes.
Learning Materials: XMPie Kiosk demo stores or the Piece of Cake training store (if applicable), a previous campaign or building a new campaign.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review the requirements of a dynamic product.
    • Discuss customization vs personalization requirements
    • Discuss the two types of dynamic product setup
    • Decide what product type is critical immediate store setup
  • Review campaign requirements and/or changes to a current campaign
    • Gather or create necessary resources for the dynamic product(s).
    • Discuss designing for uEdit customization and how that works with and differs from XLIM functionality.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 11: Basic VDP for Web2Print (part 1 - template creation)

Continuing from the previous Practice, this Practice will prepare a variable document template to use as a dynamic product in uStore. This Practice can be repeated for both types of dynamic products depending on immediate priorities.

Audience: All trainees that will be creating variable templates to use in a storefront and the administrator(s) that will create products from those templates.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 1, 2, and 10. Based on template requirements, Practice 3 might be required or reviewed.
Practice Takeaway: How to build a variable template to use as customizable and/or perssonalized dynamic product in uStore.
Estimated Effort: 2+ hours, depending immediate/required learning goals, and complexity of the campaign and/or campaign modifications.
Learning Materials: Create or use the campaign template(s) discussed above.

Learning Objectives:

  • Collect template components (design, data, business rules, assets).
  • Create or modify a template.
    • Link data to a new template or open a previous template to implement changes
    • Implement new Content Objects/ADORs as needed
    • Add required internal plan variables to use as campaign dials
    • Use campaign dials for customization and discuss/test different values for dials
  • Save the template to the server using packages or connectivity.
  • Prepare the template to use as a product.
    • Proof and process the template.
    • Discuss settings that uStore uses or overrides based on product setup.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 12: Basic VDP for Web2Print Campaign (part 2 - product creation)

This Practices includes new product options available for dynamic products; setting up customization and recipient list setup (if applicable). Product setups will be reviewed.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 7. Optionally, must have completed Practice 8.
Practice Takeaway: How to setup a dynamic product and modify as needed.
Estimated Effort: 2+ hours, depending on complexity of campaign and product customization.
Learning Materials: Use the templates created for use as customizable products.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review topics only as needed:
    • Discuss permissions to uProduce for an individual store.
    • Understand the different product setups.
    • Create and modify product groups (aka categories).
    • Discuss Product Profiles (if needed).
    • Review Global Product Property presets.
    • Discuss or create a new product through duplication.
  • Create and modify a dynamic product with data upload (recipient list).
    • Discuss the uProduce account, campaign and template used for the product.
    • Configure customization input and validation options for campaign dials.
    • Configure recipient data set up and options.
    • Implement product properties, pricing, prepress, and other product options.
    • If needed, discuss or configure uEdit set up.
    • Implement standard pricing for dynamic products with a recipient/mailing list.
  • Test and order the new product.
    • Access the new store, using the URL or Backoffice
    • Select and customize the template
    • Review if changes are needed and how to fix them before ordering
      • Review the necessary changes to the design, business rules, or both
      • Review any changes to the output setup on uProduce

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 13: Making changes to VDP/W2P products

This Practices reviews and implements changes to an existing variable product. There are typically two types of changes, change to the actual campaign or template, and those related to product setup.

Audience: The administrator(s) that will create products from the previous template. Optionally, trainees that will be creating variable templates to use in a storefront. 
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 12.
Practice Takeaway: How to implement changes to a dynamic product's campaign or template and other customization options.
Estimated Effort: 2+ hours, depending on complexity of product changes.
Learning Materials: Use a current product (tested in Practice 11).

Learning Objectives:

  • Review the workflow to fix or modify a variable template used as a dynamic product (from previous Practice session.
  • Modify a dynamic product and template.
    • Take the product offline (or not) and discuss why/when
    • Template:
      • Open the template, using connectivity or downloading files
      • Modify the Content Objects/ADORs, plan variables, campaign dials to implement changes
    • Product:
      • Edit Product (setup if needed)
      • Modify the product customizations and other options to implement changes
      • Place product online
  • Test and order the modified product.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 14: Other product setups

Composite with (standard) upload products, 3D or packaging products, uEdit and Kit products are discussed. If time allows, and as needed one or more of these types can be created during the Practice session(s).

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts. 3D, uEdit and any dynamic products may need the template creators to attend.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 4. Optionally, must have completed Practices 8, and 10-13.
Practice Takeaway: How to make and modify another product type, based on your store's purpose.
Estimated Effort: 2-8 hours, depending on required learning goals and number of products to be setup.
Learning Materials: To be determined during training.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review topics as needed:
    • Understand the different product types
    • Create and modify product groups (aka categories)
  • Create and modify one of the other product types.
    • Composite:
      • Discuss the requirements for a Composite product
      • Create a standard upload product (vs easy upload)
      • Ensure access to the Preview Campaign on uProduce
    • 3D designs for packaging:
      • Discuss the requirements for a 3D product
      • Discuss 3D model files, and setup a dynamic template
      • Create a 3D product, provided we have all the required files
    • Kits:
      • Discuss the requirements for a Kit product
      • Discuss the different types of products that can be included in a kit
      • Create products to be included in the Kit
      • Create a Kit product
  • Create a Discuss and implement product properties, pricing, prepress, and other product options.
  • Test and order the new product.
  • If the product requires changes, modify the product and retest the ordering process.

 

 

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Hands-on Practice 15: Using Xerox FreeFlow Core and Core Workflows (optional)

Processing orders often generates an output file(s) that may need additional prepress steps to be print-ready. This Practice discusses using FreeFlow Core to build prepress workflows, which are then used by uStore to send output for processing. As time allows, this Practice will include creating a simple workflow and assigning it to a product.

Audience: All trainees that will be implementing and supporting your storefronts. Often it is best to include a prepress operator that can help discuss prepress requirements.
Learning Prerequisite: Must have completed Practice 7.
Practice Takeaway: How to create, use and implement a FreeFlow Core workflow.
Estimated Effort: 2+ hours, depending on prepress workflows needed.
Learning Materials: Multiple types PDF documents (samples) to test workflows.

Learning Objectives:

  • Review FreeFlow Core modules, components, and capabilities.
  • Access the FreeFlow Core server as an administrator.
  • Create user accounts and assign the appropriate permissions and test logins.
  • Review the FreeFlow Core interface.
  • Create and save a new workflow.
  • Review component presets, how to duplicate and modify new presets.
  • Test a new workflow. 
  • Assign the new workflow to an existing product in uStore (if appropriate).
This Web-to-Print ILT is typically sold with these solutions/product suites: PersonalEffect StoreFlow Cloud, PersonalEffect StoreFlow, PersonalEffect StoreFlow Pro, and Enterprise Print with uStore.