Actinic in detail

The following is a pretty detailed list of the features and functions of Actinic Business.

Note that whilst there are other Actinic products that either carry less or more features, for the purposes of a standard consultation contract, this is the ideal product.

General Features

Windows-based application installs on a standard PC
Based on Microsoft Access database
Quick start set-up wizard
Easily accessible help facility
Compatible with most commercial web servers
Fast upload facility for Actinic Hosting and compatible specialist hosts

Flexible Product Catalogue

Support for up to 20,000 products with product images
Explorer-style 'drag and drop' interface to access product items quickly and easily
Support for downloadable, digital products such as mp3 music files
Multiple page layout options, including product list with single 'add to cart' button
Enter and display product prices exclusive or inclusive of tax
Display prices in two currencies simultaneously, using a fixed exchange rate
Create unlimited number of product sections and subsections
Define unlimited product variations such as size and colour
Display product choices as radio buttons, drop downs or button grids
Define additional components for each product
Use one product as a component of another
Product Options Wizard to speed up new product creation
Optionally assign different prices to different product variants
Add shopper definable fields for personalised products
Add additional text or images in a supplementary page or a pop-up window
Specify delivery costs by weight, geography, order value and quantity
Import and export product and section data
Create links to external files or urls
Categorise products to set specific data only for that product e.g. author for books
Hide products and information items from selected customers or customer groups

Customisable Store Design and Layout

Design Wizard to help you choose your site layout, buttons and colour scheme
Real-time preview of your store as you build it
Full site customisation using an intuitive 'point and click' interface
Multiple preview modes provide easy navigation and instant access to any part of your store
Select from a range of pre-designed themes or mix and match elements to create a unique design
Complete flexibility to edit of site colour scheme, product/section layout and variables
Create your own variables for product-specific data fields, design objects and many other functions
Library of design snippets to be used in creating a design
Create additional content and information pages - build a complete web site
Word-style toolbar for changing fonts and text styles
Easy to use 'point and click' HTML code editor
Create conditions for specific content to appear on the web site
Integrates with Adobe Dreamweaver enabling design to take place in Dreamweaver

Efficient Order Processing and Customer Management

Built-in order-processing module processes orders from receipt to shipment
Full range of payment options for online orders, including support for Actinic Payments and PayPal
Print invoices, packing lists and address labels
One click order processing to allow fast processing of orders, with user-definable actions
Edit order details
Monitors stock levels during order processing, with alerts for low stock levels
Add reminders to orders for actions on specific dates e.g. call the customer
Create and view sales reports such as fastest selling items and best customers
Generate customer emails with support for unlimited custom email templates
Prompted backup and restore feature
User logon for catalogue management
Import customer account information
Mail and telephone order (MOTO) screen for processing telephone, fax and mail orders
Direct credit card payment processing for telephone, fax and mail orders (requires Actinic Payments account)
Postcode lookup on the desktop for offline orders (Postcode Anywhere account required - annual fee applies; exclusive discount available)
Customise the fields and tabs shown on the order summary screen
Make notes under customer details and create and sort on action-due dates
Barcode support to enable order tracking by scanning the barcode
Set up a range of customer groups and apply specific criteria (discounts, messages, payment methods) to each group
Real time stock control enables stock management (website, MOTO and retail outlet) for the merchant and up-to-date visibility of stock levels for the shopper.
Handle components independently provides flexibility to partially ship an order if any of the components of the order are not currently in stock.
Credit Card Shredder for enhanced security by deleting the majority of credit card details from the order database leaving the last four digits for future card identification
Order filter speeds up loading of relevant orders by not loading the complete order database
Quick find on orders speeds up locating orders based on criteria
Queue order email sending for large volumes of order emails provides facility to send emails over a period of time to prevent them being marked as spam
Add order number to custom email so shopper has visibility of order number in subsequent email correspondence

Powerful Marketing Features

Generates search-engine-friendly web sites.
Meta keywords, meta description and title tags are automatically generated
Meta keywords, meta description and title tags can be edited by the user
Image alt tags automatically generated from product and section names
Create customer accounts to increase shopper loyalty
Google Analytics integration provides comprehensive monitoring of site performance and ROI (requires free Google Account)
Create Best Sellers list for publication to the web site
Create Related Product lists to encourage additional purchases
Automatically generate a New Products list and publish to web site
Apply discounts based on order value and display in the shopping cart
Specify discount start and end dates
Set up a range of trigger values for a discount
Create Also Bought lists to show products other shoppers have purchased
Apply discounts based on quantity or specific products ordered
Apply merchandising discounts such as 'buy one get one free', date-expiring discounts and multiple use coupons
Advanced mailing list generation allowing filtering based on a variety of criteria
Recently viewed products provides an improved shopping experience and assists in increasing sales by making it easy for shoppers to return to products that they were interested in.
Customer feedback increases shopper trust and likelihood of purchase by demonstrating the retailer’s commitment to good customer service.
‘Condition’ Field for Google Product Feed. New, used or refurbished condition feed now added as standard.

Integration with other Systems

Interface directly with Sage 50 Accounts system to transfer orders and import product and customer data
Interface directly to an Actinic EPOS application
Dynamically link products to an external database
Google Checkout integration

Customer Friendly Stores

Online shopping cart with industrial strength security
Automated site navigation features including menu bar, section list, site map and 'breadcrumb trail'
Automatic email confirmation of order
Remember me option for returning visitors
Cart content summary visible on every page
Cart contents can be saved for later completion, or as a 'wish list'
Fast product search
Fully integrated with all the leading online Payment Service Providers
Postcode lookup on the web site for online orders (Postcode Anywhere account required - annual fee applies; exclusive discount available)
Streamlined checkout improves the shopper experience by speeding up the checkout process.
Include product images in the checkout provides shopper visibility of products ordered