Click to explore:

Using our Templates, Blocks and Placeholders

Our CMS has three core building elements: Templates, Blocks, and Placeholders.

Create new Pages using block-builder functionality

Use your Templates, Blocks, and Placeholders to create new Pages on demand.

When creating a new Page, you’re first asked to input the Page Title and URL, then choose a Template for the Page.

Once the Template is confirmed, you can add Blocks to the page.

Blocks come with customisation settings, allowing you to control variables like element colours, padding widths, and alignments, as well as core content like text and images.

Preview Pages before publishing them

Our CMS includes a multi-device previewing system that allows you to review your page across the following dimensions:

• Desktop (1250px x 1000px)

• Tablet (1000px x 700px)

• Mobile - Portrait (3250px x 500px)

• Mobile - Landscape (568px x 300px)

Manage your Page Settings

You can perform the following management tasks through the CMS in addition to managing the page's content and layout.

Filters configured during your website build

We will create a specification that covers the filters your new Product Listing Pages (PLPs) will use.

Unlike a template website that automates filters from your , our approach ensures that your website only displays the right filters on the right categories, avoiding irrelevant or meaningless options.

This tailored configuration enhances the user experience and ensures customers can easily find the right products.

Publish rich Blog Articles using a block-builder

Use our CMS block-builder system to produce visually compelling Blog Articles.

The CMS supports Article Templates that are composed of various layout Blocks.

Templates can be created for your different blog objectives, such as:

• A generic article template for all purposes.

• A how-to guide template for content with instructions.

• A product review template to market focus products.

• An interview template to display a conversation.

These Templates are composed of various layout Blocks that you can customise to build the structure and content of your blog articles, e.g., Text, Full-Width Images, Quotations, and Product Embeds.

This approach allows you to tailor each article's layout to suit its content, rather than being bound by a rigid, plain editor.

Run multiple Blogs from one CMS

You can run multiple Blogs from the CMS–either across one website, or several–without having to log in and out of different systems.

For example:

1. One website contains separate Blogs for 'Company News', 'How-To Guides', 'Product Reviews', and 'Lists'. Each Blog exists independently on the website and is managed through the Venditan Commerce CMS.

2. One retailer operates multiple websites, each containing one or more Blogs, which are all managed through the Venditan Commerce CMS.

Embed shoppable products into your Blog Articles

The Product Embed Block allows you to embed shoppable products into your Blog Articles.

Using the CMS, you add the Block and then select the products you wish to feature.

This feature allows you to display one to four products in a row, enhancing your articles by visually displaying focus products.

The Block includes variation options and add-to-basket callouts to encourage conversion. It automatically uses the product information stored in our platform, eliminating the need for manual data entry.

This is particularly beneficial for industries like fashion, sport, beauty, home goods, and electronics, where showcasing products within informational content can drive engagement and conversions.

Link Blog Articles to Related Products

Set up Related Products for your Blog Articles to feature the blog content on the product display page.

This feature helps you create meaningful relationships between your informational content and the products they explore.

Manually control your Related Articles

Manually select which Blog Articles display as related content on your Blog page.

This allows you to tailor the user experience more precisely, ensuring the most relevant content is shown.

This is automated based on categorisation and published date by default, but manual control provides flexibility for special cases or specific content strategies.

Create and manage your Authors

Create Authors and assign them to Blog Articles.

You can store the following information for each Author:

• Name

• Email

• Author Photo

• Bio

We can also add custom fields to personalise your authors further.

For example, if you run a confectionery store, you might include a ‘Favourite Chocolate’ field to add extra personality to your content.

Collect and manage your Blog Comments

Add a Comments section to the foot of your Blog Articles and manage or reply to comments using Venditan Commerce.

This feature remains useful for brands with an established community and regular readers of their blog content. It helps generate discussion and encourages input that may influence the next customer to purchase.

This functionality is also used to power our feature.

Preview your Blog Article before you publish it

Our CMS includes a multi-device previewing system that allows you to review your Blog Article across the following dimensions:

• Desktop (1250px x 1000px)

• Tablet (1000px x 700px)

• Mobile - Portrait (3250px x 500px)

• Mobile - Landscape (568px x 300px)

Manage your Blog Settings

Control the following standard settings for your Blog Articles.

Upload Blog Articles via HTML file

Upload blog content via HTML, which is particularly useful if you produce detailed, rich newsletters and want to avoid duplicating work when creating blog posts.

The converter ensures SEO best practices by automatically adjusting headings to the appropriate H tags, streamlining the process of transforming your newsletters into blog content.

Provide filterable Search Results

Enable customers to refine their Search Results with relevant Filters, helping them find the exact product they want.

When a customer enters a query, the website's search engine generates a results page with various Filters to narrow the search results.

This is particularly useful for industries with extensive or complex product mixes, such as fashion (filter by size, colour, brand), electronics (filter by brand, specifications, price range), and home goods (filter by category, material, price).

Manage your Menu and Footer

The CMS controls your website’s Menu and Footer.

You can edit existing Menu/Footer items or add new ones.

Nodes

Menus and footers are comprised of Nodes.

There are four Node types:

Menu Tree View

Venditan Commerce uses a tree view to display the structure and content of your Menu and Footer.

The interface supports drag and drop for easy rearrangement of the Nodes.

Your website's Menu will display across all devices as standard, but you can hide specific Nodes on mobile if you prefer.

Footers are managed in the same format, and you are given the same freedom to edit and add to the footer as you wish.

Create and manage your 301 redirects

When you change a page or blog's URL, use the 301 Redirect Tool to set up permanent redirects.

This is crucial to pass equity to the new link, ensuring your SEO isn’t negatively affected by the change.

Our redirect tool allows you to manage simple redirects without our assistance.

Manage your Media Library

Review and organise the Media (Images, PDFs) you've added to Pages and Blogs.

Media is stored in a library, neatly organised by URL for easy access.

Venditan Commerce has built-in compression, automatically optimising images upon upload.

We provide guidance on image dimensions, and uploads will be declined if they exceed a specified size limit.

Venditan Commerce supports the following file formats: JPG, PNG, WEBP, PDF

Create and manage your Events

You can use Venditan Commerce to market Events through your website.

This is ideal for merchants who regularly run events and want to manage them efficiently by consolidating the information into their eCommerce platform.

You can create Events with the following details:

• Event Name

• Venue

• Start Date

• End Date

Venues can also be created and managed separately for repeat use.

This information is then linked to an associated Blog Article using an event Template to communicate the Event details to your customers.

Quiz Funnels: Help customers find products

Ask customers questions, then use their answers to provide personalised Product Recommendations that encourage action.

This helps customers quickly find relevant products and promotes a sense of ownership over their browsing experience.

This feature can be adapted to suit any product mix and is particularly useful for high-ticket items or those with a broad selection.

For example, if you sell fitness equipment:

After answering the questions, the customer receives a curated product listing page containing only products that match their responses.

Hotspotting: Tag products into an image

Merchandise products by adding interactive Hotspots to images.

This feature, known as ‘hotspotting’, is perfect for technical products or systems with multiple components.

It's also ideal for industries like fashion (outfit tagging) and home decor (room styling).

Upload your image into Venditan Commerce and use an intuitive tool to tag specific locations within the image.

Then, search for and assign the relevant product to each hotspot.

The tool generates HTML code that can be easily pasted into your CMS Page or Blog, displaying the tagged image.

Comparisons: Compare products based on their Product Attributes

Allow customers to compare product information side-by-side for two or more products.

They select products and generate a comparison interface that presents a detailed table of their Product Attributes.

The interface includes call-to-action buttons within the comparison table, allowing customers to proceed with their chosen product.

It also supports a copy link that you can share with others or use when discussing options with your support team.

Support Questions: Collect FAQs and publish your responses

Allow customers to Submit a Support Question about your products and publish your responses as FAQs on the product page.

This feature allows customers to ask questions and read answers that may aid their purchasing decision, turning your support enquiries into valuable content.

Questions are collected into Venditan Commerce for you to answer and publish.

Wishlists: Create Wishlists and send automated reminders

Customers can add products to their Wishlist and review their saved items from their Customer Account.

Wishlist functionality can be customised to suit your needs, such as adjusting it to a 'Project List' for B2B purposes.

Set up automated reminders for ‘wishlisted’ products at a timeframe of your choosing, reminding Customers to return and complete their purchases.

Returns Portal: Capture Returns Requests through your website

Establish a dedicated area on your website where customers can initiate returns using their order ID.

They will be prompted to select a Return Reason and Venditan Commerce can automatically generate a shipping label for them.

All returns are captured into Venditan Commerce's RMA System for processing.

Delivery Timer: Promote your delivery cut-off times

Display a Delivery Timer on your product pages to motivate customers to complete their purchases quickly.

The timer, based on Lead Times, counts down to a specific cutoff time, such as:

“Order within <X hours> to receive by <date>."

This feature creates a sense of urgency, encouraging customers to act fast to ensure they receive their products within their desired timeframe.

Content Hub: Offer downloadable resources through your website

Upload media like PDFs, images, and videos, and offer them as downloadable resources through a searchable Content Hub.

Banners: Set up editable sitewide banners

Add a customisable banner below your header or Menu to highlight your USPs or latest offers.

This banner can promote key benefits across every page, e.g. ‘Free UK Delivery’ or ‘Same Day Delivery Available.’

You can use the CMS to update the content anytime to reflect current promotions or essential information.

Comparative Pricing: Display your price vs. another

Show Comparative Pricing on your product pages to give customers clear value insights.

For example, you can display the manufacturer’s price alongside your selling price, or show the retail price versus your discounted price.

This feature leverages your product data to highlight savings, value propositions, or competitive pricing.

Custom PLP Design: Add rich content to your product listing pages

Enhance your product listing pages by integrating rich content such as header, footer descriptions, and other relevant information using our CMS.

You can break up the PLP layout with custom content, manage it directly from the CMS, and choose specific pages for its placement.

The drag-and-drop interface allows you to position content exactly where you want it within the PLP.

PLP Quick Links: Add quick links to your product listing pages

Add Quick Links to the top of your PLPs to fast-track the customer’s navigation.

These links direct customers to specific, pre-set PLPs or automatically apply filters if the designated PLP doesn’t exist.

This functionality reduces customer effort, allowing them to swiftly access targeted categories or product sets without manually applying filters.

PLP View Switch: Change the PLP view from row to single

Switch between viewing product listings in a row format or as single products on your product listing page.

This feature highlights products that benefit from individual attention, such as high-ticket items, complex products with detailed attributes, or limited-edition releases.

Custom PDP Design: Add rich content to your product display pages

Enhance your product details pages (PDP) with additional content to tell a compelling story and add extra marketing elements.

For many products, especially high-value items with higher purchase consideration, a simple product description and size guide may not be enough–you should highlight the unique selling points (USPs) and engage your customers with more detailed information.

In this case, we can provide additional content management functionality for your products.

For example, you could use the CMS to:

• Add extra content sections to your PDPs to emphasise key features.

• Incorporate rich media like videos, high-quality images, and customer testimonials.

• Include detailed product stories, manufacturing processes, or brand heritage.

• Integrate related articles, how-to guides, and FAQs directly on the product page.

This functionality allows you to create a more engaging and informative product page, driving higher customer engagement and conversions.

Instagram Embed: Display your Instagram feed on your website

Integrate your Instagram feed directly into your website to showcase real-time social media content.

This feature allows you to display photos and videos from your Instagram account on your website, enhancing visual appeal and engagement.

Ideal for promoting brand aesthetics, user-generated content, or social proof, it helps keep your site fresh with dynamic content and encourages customers to follow your social media channels.

Product Reviews: Collect product reviews and display them on your website

Automatically gather and showcase Product Reviews on your product pages through integration with your review platform of choice.

This feature sends automated follow-up requests to customers, encouraging them to leave feedback on their purchased products.

Reviews are collected and displayed directly on the product pages, providing valuable social proof and helping potential buyers make informed decisions.

Live Chat: Integrate your preferred Live Chat for support

Connect your preferred live chat system directly to your website for real-time customer support.

Review Order and Transaction History

Customers can access detailed information about their past Orders and current Order Statuses from their Accounts.

In-store, if an operator assigns the sale to a Customer during checkout, the transaction will also be visible in their Order History.

Add and update multiple Billing Details

Customers can add and update their billing information, including their:

• Name.

• Multiple delivery addresses.

• Contact details.

All changes are immediately reflected in the Customers area of Venditan Commerce.

Review and purchase Wishlisted products

Customers can review their list of Wishlisted products and add selected items to their shopping basket ready for purchase.

You can optionally choose to display the date and time the Customer added the products to their Wishlist.

Review accrued Loyalty Points

Customers can view their accrued Loyalty Points, monitor their current tier status (if applicable), and check expiry dates.

This feature helps customers keep track of their rewards, plan their spending to maximise benefits, and stay informed about their Loyalty progress.

Review available E-Vouchers

Customers can view a list of assigned to their Account, including expiry dates, monetary values, and applicable products or categories.

Download PDF invoices for Orders

Customers can download PDF invoices for their Orders directly from their Account area.

Customers can browse their Order History and easily download detailed PDF invoices for each Order when using Venditan Commerce as your Invoicing system.

Re-order previously purchased products

Customers can easily re-order items from their Order History with a single click.

Customers can view their past Orders and select the option to re-order products. This functionality enables them to either replace their current basket with products from a previous order or add them to their existing basket, making repeat purchases quick and convenient.

'Remember Me' functionality on sign-in

Customers who log in from a new device will receive an email notification with their device details.

From their Account, they can view a list of all devices currently logged into their account and have the option to sign out individual devices or all devices simultaneously, ensuring control and security over their sessions.

Review submitted Support Questions

If your website has our feature enabled, Customers can view a thread of all the Support Questions they have submitted from their Account.

This allows them to track responses, check the status of their enquiries, and follow up as needed.

Submit a Return or Exchange Request

With our Returns Portal enabled Customers can start the Return or Exchange process by selecting the relevant Order and providing a reason for the return or exchange.

Venditan Commerce will collect all Return Requests into the platform for processing and can autogenerate returns shipping labels for the Customer.

Enable biometric login for mobile users

Venditan Commerce supports biometric authentication, such as facial recognition or fingerprint scanning, for customers accessing their online accounts.

When enabled on supported devices, biometric login offers a quick and secure way for users to sign in without needing to enter a password, improving both convenience and account security.

Update marketing communication preferences

If integrated with your email marketing system, such as Mailchimp or Klaviyo, Customers can opt in or out of marketing communications directly from their Account.

Create PLPs and populate them with Display Groups

Venditan Commerce includes a dedicated Product Listing Page Creation System, enabling you to:

1. Generate new PLPs on demand.

2. Control the products that will be featured on the page.

Display Groups

You define the products within the PLP by setting up a Display Group.

Display Groups give you the flexibility to display products that belong to one or multiple combinations of:

• Product Categories

• Brands

• Departments

• Sales Audiences

For example, you could set up a Display Group to use products that contain the following information:

• Men (Sales Audience)

• Adidas (Brand)

• Trainers (Product Categories)

The result would be a PLP containing all Mens' Adidas Trainers.

This functionality allows you to create custom PLPs that aren't restricted to a single data point, such as a Product Category or Department.

Instead, you can combine multiple criteria to create dynamic PLPs aligned with how your customer searches.

PLPs automatically populate with products that match your strategy and continue to update in real-time as product eligibility and availability change.

You can create an unlimited number of PLPs.

Managing your PLPs

Created PLPs are organised into a tree system.

You can expand and collapse the rooted structure to manage the content and products within the PLP.

You can manage a PLP in the following ways.

Set the order of products on your PLP

Use rules to control the order in which products appear when your customer loads a PLP.

This allows you to highlight products strategically and reduces the workload of manually arranging your PLP.

Available Ordering Rules:

• Newest products first

• Sale products first

• Relevance

• Retail price (Descending or Ascending)

Manually arrange our PLP using drag-and-drop

Take full control over the order of your PLP with a convenient drag-and-drop interface.

This feature is as simple as dragging the ‘Unmerchandised’ products to ‘Merchandised’ and arranging them in the desired order.

There may be times when you need manual control over the order of your PLP.

With this flexibility, you can highlight the most essential products precisely where you want them.

Manually link products for controlled product relationships

Set up Related Products to link products as part of your promotional strategies.

How this appears on your website will entirely depend on how we have configured the feature for you. This functionality drives useful front-end messaging and functionality, including:

• Manual Product Recommendations

• Product Add-Ons

• Specialised Promotions

Available linking strategies are:

Merchandise products with Product Callouts

Enhance your PLPs and PDPs by displaying Product Callouts highlighting important product information.

Product Callouts can be:

1. Automated based on Product, Stock and Pricing Data

2. Managed manually using Product Tags.

Examples of Automated Product Callouts:

• '-X%' to promote the percentage discount applied to a product.

• 'Selling fast' when the low stock threshold is reached.

• 'Last one left' when only one item is in stock.

Automated Product Callouts are ideal for managing widespread promotions and urgent stock alerts.

Examples of Manual Product Callouts, driven by Product Tagging:

• 'Suitable for outdoors'

• 'As seen on TV'

• 'Eco-friendly’

• ‘Customer favourite’

This functionality is fully customisable, and if you have an intended use, it can be built for you as part of your switch to Venditan Commerce.

Bundle two or more products together

Use the Product Bundle Product Type to combine two or more products at a Member level.

Customers can then select from their associated variations on the PDP page (such as Colour and Size) and purchase their chosen combination as one, bundled product.

Set up Volume Pricing for your products

Offer customers a decreased unit cost as their order quantity increases.

You can implement unlimited price breaks (the quantity at which the price changes) across any structure of unit quantities.

Run Offers and Promotions

Venditan Commerce has a powerful offers and promotions engine. It’s covered in detail in our section.