Early in May 2010 we expect to release version 1.9.6 of our e-commerce software, Ballyhoo Commerce. This version will include some great new features but primarily constitutes a revamped data structure to improve reliability and efficiency.
Browse by manufacturer
Customers will now be able to browse your product catalogue by manufacturer.
If you sell a lot of items by the same manufacturer your customers will be able to browse through the full range of stock you carry. This benefits customers who may only wish to buy matching products, hold a particular manufacturer in high regard or simply want to see what else they sell.
Shipping regions
Ballyhoo Commerce currently allows you to charge delivery to the whole of the UK at a standard rate and then specify an extra charge through shipping bands for the item weight. However, some couriers charge considerably more to deliver items to distant and relatively remote regions such as the Highlands or UK Islands.
To ensure you do not make a loss sending items through these couriers the UK has now been divided into shipping regions in the e-commerce software. These cover:
- England
- Wales
- Scottish Lowlands
- Scottish Highlands
- Northern Ireland
- UK Islands (Shetlands, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, etc.)
You will now be able to specify your delivery charges to these regions in your administration area allowing the customer to simply select their region from a list while submitting their delivery address.
Data structure enhancements
For this version we have also revamped the data structure behind our e-commerce system. Many of our customers have thousands of customers and orders; as their businesses grow their e-commerce package needs to scale and meet their needs intelligently.
This restructure of the way data is stored will increase the efficiency of Ballyhoo Commerce as well as boost reliability making selling online even more quick and simple.
Content management
We hope with this version of Ballyhoo Commerce you will find managing the content of your online shop much simpler too. The user interface has undergone a number of refinements to make the Content Manager far more user-friendly and intuitive.
