FAQ Affiliate ShopWindow
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Frequently Asked Questions by Affiliates, for Affiliates - Admin
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All information you find here is relevant to Affiliate Window products and services only |
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How do I sign up to the ShopWindow Toolset?
To sign up to ShopWindow Toolset you must have an affiliate account with us. If you do not have an account please visit http://www.affiliatewindow.com. Please login to your account and apply by clicking on the ShopWindow Toolset link on the right and follow the instructions in the red box.
How do I set up the ShopWindow Client Software?
To begin working with the ShopWindow software you will first need to download this from your affiliate account. Navigate to Client Software in your affiliate area and then download the template you please. Please refer to the following document that will guide you the rest of the way, ShopWindow Integration and Setup Guide.
How do I migrate the ShopWindow Toolset from v2 to v3 Community Edition?
Migrating from ShopWindow v2 to v3 Community Edition is a simple process.
The steps you need to go through are documented here.
How do I block a merchant from my ShopWindow Toolset?
There are two ways to block a merchant from an affiliate account. The first is explained in another area of the FAQ, Interface FAQ - How do I leave a merchant? Alternatively to that method you can block a merchant from just your ShopWindow account and to do this you need to navigate to the "ShopWindow Toolset (beta)" and then select "Merchant Manager" and block the retailer from there.
- What is the difference between Merchant Manager and blocking via Current Merchants?
The merchant manager will only block the retailer from your ShopWindow install so that that merchants products do not appear at all in your ShopWindow site. Leaving them live under "Current Merchants" will allow you to still promote the merchant via other methods (i.e. banners).
- When I block a merchant, how long will it take for the change to go live?
When a merchant is blocked this needs to be processed via our system in order to remove the products and relationship from your affiliate account. We estimate that it takes an hour maximum for these changes to go live.
- Can I unblock a previously blocked merchant?
The short answer is Yes. To unblock a merchant, simply follow the same procedure as you did to block that merchant in the first place. As is the case with blocking a merchant, this needs to be processed via our system in order to re-add the products and relationship to your affiliate account. We estimate that it takes an hour maximum for these changes to go live.
What is Quota?
Each affiliate begins with a quota of 2500 calls per rolling 24 hours from 5pm to 5pm.. Each call that your ShopWindow install makes to the ProductServe API is one quota unit. With the test threshold set at 2500 it means that you have 1000 calls to the API to be made. When you opt to go into Live Mode it means you get the maximum quota allowance of 250,000 calls. An example of a call on the homepage would be the "Category Tree element", "Search element", "Hotpicks element" and "Retailer Map element" would constitute four calls to the API. The more visits, the more quota usage, the more quota usage the higher the impact made on the ShopWindow servers.
- What happens if I use up my quota?
When your quota allowance has been used up and you go over your threshold it means that your install can no longer make calls to the API until the next 24 hour period begins at 5pm. This will effectively break your site.
In your ShopWindow Toolset Management Area, available in your Affiliate Administration Area, you are able to set a Quota Alert. If this is set to "on", you will get an automatically generated email when your remaining quota falls below 10%.
- Can I get more quota?
If you consistently keep falling below the 10% mark and eventually breaking your site then you can petition to have your site reviewed by ShopWindow. We will review your site and then decide any action to be taken.
- How do I upgrade my Quota?
In order to request a quota upgrade you will have to navigate to your affiliate area and click ShopWindow Toolset (beta). Here you will see a red box that will likely indicate that you are in test mode. Follow the instructions within this box to send a review request through to ShopWindow. Please be patient when requesting an upgrade, we will get round to it but due to the volume of reviews that need to be carried out it can sometimes take up to 24hours.
- What is in a Quota review?
This is where ShopWindow will deem whether you are allocated quota above the maximum 250,000 threshold. Many things will be taken into account here such as:
- Your earnings and conversion
- Traffic passing through your site
- The level of modification to your install
- Whether you have disabled bots
- The time you have been with ShopWindow
- Additional activity outside of ShopWindow on the network
What is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. An API is an application that allows one program to communicate with another, in order to provide facilities and features from that program. The ShopWindow API allows you to access ShopWindow Data in order to integrate product comparison functionality within your website.
- What are the minimum requirements to include Shopwindow API on my site?
In order to integrate ShopWindow within your website the following skill requirements must be met: - Be able to upload files to your web server - Good programming skills using a scripting language such as PHP or ASP - Sound understanding of HTML - Knowledge of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) - Understanding of template engines (desirable). The current template engine used in the ShopWindow Client is SMARTY.
- Where can I get information on the various Headers and Requests for ShopWindow API?
Please refer to the document entitled Web Services: ShopWindow API..
Where can I get further information and support on the SMARTY template framework?
As a user of SMARTY, a moderated forum is available where you can post your questions and share feedback with other users. The forum is available at http://www.phpinsider.com/smarty-forum. For further information including documentation on SMARTY please visit http://smarty.php.net.
How do I create and populate a Content Widget?
In order to create and populate Content Widgets you will first need to be logged into your affiliate account. Using the following document will guide you the rest of the way, Creating and Populating Content Widgets.
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