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The Commerce Engine is a scalable fault-tolerant ready-to-run online catalog, order entry, and pricing engine geared for rapid deployment and integration. The flexible commerce engine provides the scalable front end, or "shopping cart", for the overall MiDAS Framework.
MiDAS was originally built to enable web savvy design firms, experiencing high demand for everything from basic to ultra-sophisticated ecommerce solutions, to deliver them quickly, profitably, and with relative ease. By eliminating the need to worry about core commerce functionality, scalability, or support, MiDAS delivered a way for design firms to quickly produce solutions focused on good design and client specific needs. Since then, MiDAS has evolved into a full commerce framework that can be run standalone, integrated with a variety of back-end systems, and quickly customized to meet specific RFP needs. Plus, it has been enhanced with capabilities that allow it to scale across multiple servers or locations with ease, allowing never before possible levels of fault tolerance.
The core of MiDAS is the Commerce Engine, designed from the ground up to be light, fast, highly compatible, and rich in features. Based on high-speed in-process components, an open data model, and a highly customizable end user (shopper) interface, the MiDAS commerce engine provides the transactional platform for building and integrating commerce solutions of all kinds.
MiDAS is the completely customizable solution of choice for any organization that wants to deploy an ecommerce system that provides a highly professional appearance, an excellent future path, and confident scalability.
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- User specific pricing engine allows prices on any product or category of products to be set at different levels for specific users or groups.
- Price deltas can be set as price multipliers, percentage discounts, and simple flat amount reductions, product by product, or for just one product.
- Contract pricing models, tiered pricing, and timed deltas (this weekend only, etc.)
- Optional red-lining shows visitors the discounts they are receiving. This is a solid loyalty builder.
- Coupon Codes: Manageable and very definable coupon codes allow you to give specific discounts to anonymous or logged in shoppers via the presentation of specific coupon codes that you can provide to them. Feature can be numerically limited (first 100, etc.) as well as date range limited (next Monday only, etc.).
- Built-in pricing safeguards prevent typos from allowing products to sell for less then they cost the merchant, etc.
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- Unique User Profiles.
- User and group specific pricing.
- Automated Password Recovery (email to address on file).
- Automated Redirection: Once logged in, the user is automatically redirected to last page viewed before clicking a “login” link or image.
- Self Signup Feature.
- Configurable Login Requirements (4 Options):
- No login required: Anonymous shopping.
- Login for discounts.
- Login Required to Order: B2B Hybrids, wholesale “account required” commerce models, also commonly used for public catalog and private commerce combos.
- Login Required to View: private catalogs or wholesale only commerce models.
- Configurable session timeouts.
- Cookies NOT required, built in session manager works without cookies for security sensitive visitors.
- Shipping address management: Multiple addresses can be saved and edited, and defaults can be set or changed on-the-fly during checkout process.
- Billing address management: Multiple addresses can be saved and edited, and defaults can be set or changed on-the-fly during checkout process.
- Order history and status: Detailed review of order status, complete order history, and line item review, including click-through for repeat items.
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- Active/Inactive categories: Only active categories are displayed, allowing the creation and management of seasonal or promotional categories, etc.
- Multi-level category associations: Categories can be placed at the top level and/or at various levels within an infinitely deep category tree.
- Built-in sample code for dynamic multi-level drop down category quick menu, shows sub-categories as sub-menus, etc.
- Category Sequencing allows best selling categories to be displayed ahead of others in display maps, search results, etc.
- Category Level Login Requirements allow you to put special buys in specific categories and then require login to access and/or order from those same specific categories.
- Category level discounts for unique users and/or groups.
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- Full dynamic index of product names, SKU’s, and descriptions.
- Search results are categorized and sortable.
- Only active products are displayed.
- The products listed in search results can be sorted (or reverse sorted) within their specific category according to Item #, Name, Description, or Price.
- Automatic paging for large result sets.
- Quick Jump menu lists the categories that contained products that matched the search and lets visitors jump to a specific product category within the search results.
- View entire category: Clicking on the category name within the search results will take the customer to that category's display page.
- Selecting a product will send the customer to the product's display page.
- Order one or more products directly from within the search results, one step, or view details.
- Cookie crumb navigation shows all categories in the category tree above the current category.
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- Product level discounts for unique users and/or groups calculated real-time at the moment of display. This allows a customer service rep to alter pricing for a customer on-the-fly.
- Product display (category view) can be sorted (or reverse sorted) by Item #, Name, Description, or Price.
- Thumbnail and multiple image display features.
- Default images: If the product does not have an image setup, the default (merchant defined) product image will appear.
- Variant features: If a complex product has variants that must be set then the visitor will be taken to the product display page to select those options before the item is placed in the basket.
- Inventory Features: Optional, customizable and dynamic “In Stock” messages, etc. allow merchants to assure visitors of the availability to fulfill.
- Variant deltas: This sophisticated feature allows merchants to make certain optional features (upgrades, etc.) of a product to modify the price when selected.
- Custom text attributes: If a product is defined to have an attribute of the type “custom text attribute”, the customer can type in the requested value for the product. This is useful for monogramming, inscription, gift notes, or custom requirements, etc.
- Related products: Automatic display of the thumbnail image/link to related products enables cross sell, up sell, etc.
- Quantity on hand display: If inventory features are enabled, and the product is 'in stock', the real-time quantity available can be shown.
- Out of stock messages: If the product is 'out of stock', a customizable out of stock message will appear, MiDAS macros allow you to dynamically show typical lead times, expected arrival dates, etc.
- Cookie crumb navigation shows all categories displayed on way to current product.
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- Real time discount calculation: If a customer, entitled to special discounts, creates an order anonymously, and then logs in, that customer’s discounts will be dynamically applied right away, etc.
- Coupon Codes: Manageable and very definable coupon codes allow you to give specific discounts to anonymous or logged in shoppers via the presentation of specific coupon codes that you can provide to them. Feature can be numerically limited (first 100, etc.) as well as date range limited (next Monday only, etc.).
- Tiered discounts: Allows a merchant to offer their customers incremental discounts for larger purchases.
- Intelligent and easy to use recalculation and removal features forgive common user errors, if you change the quantity of an item and forget to recalculate before continuing, the system will do it for you. Multiple along-the-way confirmations prevent common errors and dissatisfaction.
- Solid data validation: Non-numerical and other non-standard entries into Quantity fields do not register, cause errors, or otherwise negatively affect the order.
- Built in 'Login' link for anonymous users.
- Built in 'Register' link for anonymous users.
- Built in 'Return to Catalog' link for logged in users.
- Built in 'My Account' link for logged in users.
- Built in 'Order History' link for logged in users.
- Built in 'Logout' link for logged in users.
- Attribute value display allows buyers to be assured that their selected options were registered, includes custom text attributes.
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- Rapid Checkout for registered customers.
- Quick switch to previously saved shipping or billing addresses, or enter new ones on the fly.
- Easy access to account maintenance (add, edit, or remove saved addresses, etc.).
- Dynamic shipping options presentment.
- Message facility for displaying optional merchant configurable reminders or alerts throughout the checkout process. This popular feature was customer driven to allow merchants to remind customers of pre-holiday shipping delays, or to alert customers about new return policies, etc.
- Great looking printable receipts, and email copies.
- Gift message feature: This optional feature is typically used for retail oriented business to allow the buyer to request that the merchant place an overall gift message in the shipping package, on behalf of the purchasing party,
- Required fields bolding and validation that just works.
- Built in help explains what the Credit Card Security Code is.
- If a required field is not filled out, the customer will be notified with a red marking next to the required field.
- Confirmation email address for billing is able to be changed to a different address than used for the shipping notifications.
- If the card/account number has been specified by the Merchant as requiring a Mod 10 check, and the entered number does not pass, then the customer will get a notification that the card number is invalid, unverified and requires a correction.
- Automated built in real time credit card processing.
- Built in integration points allow easy decoupling of built in features for integration with external shipping, financial and order processing system.
- Advanced basket view displays all order details as-you-go and allows the customer to see all charges before they are finalized.
- 'Save my profile' option: If a first time customer desires to save their information, they are conveniently provided with the opportunity to do so at the end of the checkout process via the click of a single button that sends the customer to a registration form with the person's name and email address already entered. The customer needs only to set a new username and password to complete the initial account creation/registration.
- User specific pricing engine allows prices on any product or category of products to be set at different levels for specific users or groups.
- Price deltas can be set as price multipliers, percentage discounts, and simple flat amount reductions, product by product, or for just one product.
- Contract pricing models, tiered pricing, and timed deltas (this weekend only, etc.)
- Optional red-lining shows visitors the discounts they are receiving. This is a solid loyalty builder.
- Coupon Codes: Manageable and very definable coupon codes allow you to give specific discounts to anonymous or logged in shoppers via the presentation of specific coupon codes that you can provide to them. Feature can be numerically limited (first 100, etc.) as well as date range limited (next Monday only, etc.).
- Built-in pricing safeguards prevent typos from allowing products to sell for less then they cost the merchant, etc.
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MiDAS comes with a working set of IIS reference templates that allow you take an order within 5 minutes, but don't let that fool you into thinking that you have to work with some canned tool to get at the design of your MiDAS based site. MiDAS is designed to integrate into your existing design with ease. The reference templates give you a great starting point, or you can bypass them completely and simply "include" the MiDAS functionality wherever you want to in your existing site. All of the MiDAS HTML output is stylesheet based so that you can quickly customize it with Dreamweaver, or any other HTML editor.
No other ecommerce framework provides an easier or faster way to integrate with great site designs. The professional looking MiDAS components will help you deliver credibility but will never hold you back when you want to take it up a notch.
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Documented Advanced Programmers Interfaces (API), and Application De-Coupling Points (ADCP) allow MiDAS to be used in conjunction with or quickly leverage existing infrastructure, systems, and business processes. MiDAS can be programmatically extended to manage digital delivery, rights management, real-time inventory integration, supply chain integration, etc.
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(1) Dual XEON [P4] processor server with 1 GB of RAM has been tested to easily host 50-250 typical unique MiDAS commerce sites (depending on traffic levels) and/or to easily handle aggregates of 500-50,000 simultaneous users (graphical heavy designs may reduce overall load capabilities). MiDAS has been tested by millions of real users, and has even been tested to run 1 site with 500 simultaneous virtual (test) users just fine on a Pentium 166 (single processor) server with 128 MB of RAM (Windows 2000 Server, IISv5).
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