In this Guide: Company Policies
Summary
There are a variety of reasons for posting your company policies and contact information clearly on your MonsterCommerce storefront.
- Many Merchant Accounts require that various policies are posted on your web site prior to account approval
- Some search engines have begun looking for privacy and other policy page links on sites
- Customer confidence in your company and the checkout process increases when company information is available
This QuickGuide outlines various options for including your Company Policies on your MonsterCommerce storefront.
Recommended Company Information
While your individual site needs may vary, there are four primary types of information recommended to be included on any MonsterCommerce site: a detailed Contact Us page, a Return Policy, a Shipping Policy, and a Privacy Policy. This information can be combined on one general ‘Policies’ page or broken out into separate pages.
Below is a content example for each recommended policy:
Contact Us
Example Content:
- Business Name
- Business Mailing Address
- City, State, Zip
- Phone Number
- Fax Number
- Email Address
- Business Hours
Shipping Policy
Example Content:
“All orders will be processed within three business days. In the event that an item is backordered, we will contact you with an estimated delivery time.”
Return Policy
Example Content:
“We strive to do our best, however, if there is an error on your order, please accept our apologies, contact us upon receipt, and we'll gladly fix it. Exchanges and returns are accepted within 30 days with a prior RMA (Returned Merchandise Authorization). Customer is responsible for all shipping charges.”
Privacy Policy
Example Content:
“We agree not to share or sell your information. This information is collected for the sole purpose of billing and shipping needs. All items on this web site are to be considered the property of the webmaster and may not be used without prior authorization.”
What policies do I need on my site?
For each site the policies to include will depend on your individual business needs. Check with your merchant account provider to determine what policy statements they require for approval. Also, review the merchant requirements for any credit cards that you will accept for payment. Your state/local business regulations may require additional information be provided based on your product type or business origin.
Creating Company Policy Pages
Within your MonsterCommerce store there are a variety of options for including your company policy information on your site. The three most frequently used methods are covered below.
Custom Pages Editor
Custom Pages are pages where you can define your own custom content for a page within your MonsterCommerce storefront. When viewing a Custom Page you will see the content you defined within the center area, surrounded by the overall design of your site (i.e. the Top of Page, Left/Right column content, etc.)
To create a new Custom Page go to Admin Panel >> HTML >> Custom Pages Editor under the Design Manager section.
Company Information or Contact Us Pages
The Company Information and Contact Us pages are existing pages within the MonsterCommerce Admin Panel where you can define your own custom content for a page within your storefront. When viewing either of these pages within the storefront the content appears within the center area just as the Custom Page content does.
The added benefit to using one of these pages for your policy content is that by default links to these pages are included within the Horizontal Navigation Bar that displays at the top of each storefront page.
To add content to these pages go to Admin Panel >> HTML >> Company Information Editor and Admin Panel >> HTML >> Contact Us Editor under the Design Manager section
Custom HTML Pages
The additional design flexibility of your own custom HTML pages is available within your storefront. Creating your own HTML files which are then uploaded to your site offers you the ability to display your policy information outside of the overall design of the storefront. This is especially useful when opening the policy page in a new window, as for example you might do within a Checkout Question.
Adding Links to the Policy Pages
Once you have created your policy pages, you will need to provide a link to the pages for your customers to be able to view the content.
Links can be placed in a variety of places within your site to give you optimal freedom of design, including:
- Layout >> Left / Right Column Link Editor
- HTML >> Left / Right Column HTML Editor
- HTML >> Top of Page HTML Editor
- HTML >> Bottom of Page HTML Editor
To enable the “Company Information” and “Contact Us” page links within the Horizontal Navigation Bar, go to Admin Panel >> Settings >> Site Wide Settings >> General Storefront Tab under the Design Manager section.
On this tab you have options to display the Horizontal Navigation Bar as well as to show/hide the individual available links.
Link Format
When linking to your policy information, the link format will differ based on where you created the content. The various link formats are listed below:
- Custom Page
index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=<ID#>- Company Information
index.asp?PageAction=COMPANY- Contact Us
index.asp?PageAction=CONTACTUS- Custom HTML Page
shipping_policy.html
Note: When determining whether you should use an absolute or relative link, the rule of thumb is if the link is to a page within your domain use a relative link. If the link is to an external page use an absolute link.
Can I require customers to view a policy before checking out?
Yes. Using a required Checkout Question you can prompt your customers during Checkout to review your company policies in a new window.
To create this type of Checkout Question open the Admin Panel and go to Checkout>> Checkout Questions under the Sales Manager section.
Checkout Question Example:
Question: Do you agree to our <a href="shipping_policy.html"
target="_blank">Shipping Policy</a>?
Answers(s): Yes
Answer Type: Checkbox
Required: Checked
Sort Order: Your preference
Hide: Unchecked
When creating required Checkout Questions, please keep the following in mind:
- When creating a required Checkout Question where the Answer Type is either “Checkbox,” “List box” or “Drop down,” the “Answer(s)” field must have content specified. If no Answer is defined your customers will not be able to complete the checkout process.
- If including a link to another page be sure to set
target="_blank"to have the page open within a new window. - The maximum number of characters within the Checkout Question field is 255.
- The maximum number of characters within the Checkout Answer(s) field is 255.