Comments on: DI Features and Lessons Learned http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/ Musings of a Balding 27 Year Old Entrepreneur Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:57:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-1700 Adam McFarland Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:02:35 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-1700 Dave - I'll do my best to explain how we have it set up. First a little background: we use FedEx to ship, using their API to give our customers quotes when checking out, we use PayPal Payments Pro to process our credit card payments, and we do our accounting in QB. Once an order comes through and payment is verified with PayPal the order goes in our queue to process. We actually do an automated double check with PayPal to prevent false positives leaking through, which do happen from time to time. The next day one of us enters the queue in our Admin system and clicks the "process" button. At that point a PDF pops up with all of the invoices automatically generated, ready for printing and packing with the customer order. A text file also opens in a new window. That file is imported into the FedEx Ship Manager software where the labels are printed as a batch. The tracking numbers are then exported to a different text file, which is uploaded to our site to send our customers tracking emails. The hardest part about all of this is correctly choosing a box size and weighing the order (see http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2008/11/19/the-final-step-in-automated-our-order-processing-that-is/ ). However, it offers a huge advantage in the sense that it takes us 10 minutes to process orders whether we have 2 orders or 200. In terms of accounting, my partner George uses PayPal's Quickbooks export system to export all of the transactions into QB. He usually does this twice per week. Hope that helps! Adam Dave -

I’ll do my best to explain how we have it set up.

First a little background: we use FedEx to ship, using their API to give our customers quotes when checking out, we use PayPal Payments Pro to process our credit card payments, and we do our accounting in QB.

Once an order comes through and payment is verified with PayPal the order goes in our queue to process. We actually do an automated double check with PayPal to prevent false positives leaking through, which do happen from time to time.

The next day one of us enters the queue in our Admin system and clicks the “process” button. At that point a PDF pops up with all of the invoices automatically generated, ready for printing and packing with the customer order. A text file also opens in a new window. That file is imported into the FedEx Ship Manager software where the labels are printed as a batch. The tracking numbers are then exported to a different text file, which is uploaded to our site to send our customers tracking emails.

The hardest part about all of this is correctly choosing a box size and weighing the order (see http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2008/11/19/the-final-step-in-automated-our-order-processing-that-is/ ).

However, it offers a huge advantage in the sense that it takes us 10 minutes to process orders whether we have 2 orders or 200.

In terms of accounting, my partner George uses PayPal’s Quickbooks export system to export all of the transactions into QB. He usually does this twice per week.

Hope that helps!

Adam

]]> By: Dave http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-1697 Dave Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:30:21 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-1697 What sort of automation were you able to do on the backend to incorporate having each order not be put into Quickbooks? Is it just batch loaded into the software? I spend a lot of my time processing each order as well. What sort of automation were you able to do on the backend to incorporate having each order not be put into Quickbooks? Is it just batch loaded into the software?

I spend a lot of my time processing each order as well.

]]> By: How to Prioritize Work - Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-1614 How to Prioritize Work - Adam McFarland Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:49:15 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-1614 [...] limited experience in projects of this scale, we were able to go from planning in June 2007 to a launch in September 2007.  How?  Because we focused on improving the user experience more than our experience.  Time was [...] [...] limited experience in projects of this scale, we were able to go from planning in June 2007 to a launch in September 2007.  How?  Because we focused on improving the user experience more than our experience.  Time was [...]

]]> By: My Top 10 Favorite Tastefully Driven Features - Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-699 My Top 10 Favorite Tastefully Driven Features - Adam McFarland Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:35:48 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-699 [...] the launch of Tastefully Driven I’ve been intending to do a post similar to the DI Features and Lessons Learned.  But since this project had less “unknowns” there weren’t a lot of [...] [...] the launch of Tastefully Driven I’ve been intending to do a post similar to the DI Features and Lessons Learned.  But since this project had less “unknowns” there weren’t a lot of [...]

]]> By: Boy Was I Wrong About That Feature at Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-536 Boy Was I Wrong About That Feature at Adam McFarland Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:03:08 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-536 [...] there was no need to have pre-made packages for people if we had our dynamic upsell system.  So we launched in September without packages, and eventually added them in January.  I spent less than a day programming the [...] [...] there was no need to have pre-made packages for people if we had our dynamic upsell system.  So we launched in September without packages, and eventually added them in January.  I spent less than a day programming the [...]

]]> By: Justin http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-399 Justin Mon, 14 Jan 2008 23:34:49 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-399 Adam, thanks for this very informational post. I'm looking to creating my own side ecommerce business and this definitely helps. Will keep you updated! Keep up the good work! Adam, thanks for this very informational post. I’m looking to creating my own side ecommerce business and this definitely helps. Will keep you updated! Keep up the good work!

]]> By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-396 Adam McFarland Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:24:43 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-396 Thanks Ryan. Drop me an email if there's anything I can ever do to help...or if you just want some feedback on a site I'm always happy to give my thoughts :) Thanks Ryan. Drop me an email if there’s anything I can ever do to help…or if you just want some feedback on a site I’m always happy to give my thoughts :)

]]> By: Ryan Christensen http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-394 Ryan Christensen Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:40:55 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-394 Wow Adam, this is one of the most informational posts I have found on the web regarding e commerce! Thanks for taking the time to layout all of the pitfalls you and your team encountered while creating the new features in your DI site! I am a software engineer and I am in the discovery stage of starting my own business. Kudos to you! I have added your blog to my RSS feed and I will be glued to it. Wow Adam, this is one of the most informational posts I have found on the web regarding e commerce! Thanks for taking the time to layout all of the pitfalls you and your team encountered while creating the new features in your DI site!

I am a software engineer and I am in the discovery stage of starting my own business.

Kudos to you! I have added your blog to my RSS feed and I will be glued to it.

]]> By: Detailed Image Redesign at Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-378 Detailed Image Redesign at Adam McFarland Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:58:03 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-378 [...] we’ve been spending a lot of time improving our shopping cart for Detailed Image.   When we launched the site back in September our primary goals were to get the site indexed properly and to automate the back-end shipping [...] [...] we’ve been spending a lot of time improving our shopping cart for Detailed Image.   When we launched the site back in September our primary goals were to get the site indexed properly and to automate the back-end shipping [...]

]]> By: Figuring Out How To Be Great at Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/comment-page-1/#comment-193 Figuring Out How To Be Great at Adam McFarland Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:00:54 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2007/09/10/di-features-and-lessons-learned/#comment-193 [...] are a great operations company. The primary reason we overhauled the Detailed Image site was because of the back-end automation.  Most e-commerce sites have several steps from purchase to [...] [...] are a great operations company. The primary reason we overhauled the Detailed Image site was because of the back-end automation.  Most e-commerce sites have several steps from purchase to [...]

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