Frequently Asked Questions
- Phone Numbers
- Forgot your password
- How does the OBN Dealer Website Solution work
- New Dealer Website Setup
- OBN Dealer Website Solution Fees
- Design
- Payments
- Product Catalog
- Inventory Management
- Storage Space
- Security
- Other Administration Area Functionality
- Existing Web Domains, Stores and Websites
- Customer Support
- Marketing Your Web Site
- Other Services
- Miscellaneous
Phone Numbers
Potential customers: Call 1-800-699-0820
Current customers: Call 1-800-699-0820. You can find the training and dealer areas and access the support forums by clicking Training/Support links from within your OBN Administration area.
Forgot your password
What do I do if I forgot or lost my password?
Call or email us and we will email your password to the administrative contact listed for your account.
How does the OBN Dealer Website Solution work
Why do I need a website?
Every business NEEDS a website. The internet is no longer just for computer geeks; just about everyone uses the web now. More people than ever before are using the internet at work, at home, and even on their cell phones. People use the web for product research, finding a local store, and purchasing products online. If your business does not have a professional website you are not only behind the times, but you are letting your competitors have the edge.
What exactly does your solution provide to the dealer?
The Outdoor Business Network Dealer Website Solution provides the dealer with a powerful website which is custom designed to promote their store image and includes a managed distributor catalog set up for e-commerce with 10,000 to 40,000 items.
What distributor catalogs do you have available for use on the dealer websites?
Please call us for a current and up to date list of available catalogs. We are always growing and adding new distributors that our dealers ask for.
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New Dealer Website Setup
What if my needs change after I choose the OBN Dealer Solution?
Outdoor Business Network is designed to grow with your business. It is always kept up to date with the features dealers want. It is scalable to fit any size business.
How do I choose a new domain name or move my current domain to my OBN store?
Each OBN Dealer Website Solution requires its own domain name and IP address. If you already have a domain name: you need to point it to our nameservers, transfer it to OBN (it stays in your name, it just allows us to administer it for you), or provide us with the information required for us to do the above for you. If you need a new domain name we can help you find a good one and register it in your name.
I already have my own SSL certificate. How can I install it on my OBN Web store?
Our solution includes a standard SSL certificate. We will administer any SSL certificates. If you would like a more comprehensive SSL certificate than the standard one you may tell us to upgrade to it for you at an additional cost. Installation of the standard SSL is included in the setup fees.
Note: All OBN Dealer Solutions come with an SSL Certificate and are fully secure.
Is there any sort of hands-on demonstration store that shows how the OBN Dealer Solution Works works, i.e., page updates, product uploads, order processing, etc.?
Yes. We have demo stores available. Call us and we can walk you through an on screen live demo of the front and backend of the stores.
After completing the setup paperwork for my store, how long is the wait before my site is completed?
Sites can be completed in 30 days or less. It can take longer based on the complexity of your design, availability of design materials and content, and the speed of return contact from you.
How do I start building my OBN Web store?
You don’t have to build it, we do it for you. When you receive the launch email from us, your store is turn key and ready to sell.
How do I update my OBN Web Store?
One hour of professional update time is included with your OBN store each month. All you have to do is email us the updates. You can perform your own updates, add products, and add additional pages yourself. You have full control over the administration of your site.
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OBN Dealer Solution Fees
How much does it cost to open and operate an OBN Dealer Website?
There are two basic fees charged to all dealers who choose the OBN Dealer Website Solution: (1) an initial setup fee and (2) a monthly service/hosting fee. Unlike most other e-commerce companies, we do not charge any fees based on sales.
The initial setup fee is due at the time of paperwork submission and covers all of the setup of your site, web design, and dealer training. The monthly service/hosting fee covers your web hosting fees, email, one hour of free update time, support, and catalog maintenance. The monthly fee begins as soon as your website is live on its IP address. For additional information please give us a call and we can send you our complete list of options, services, and fees.
Do I have to commit to a long-term contract?
Yes. We require a two year contract term. We require this to ensure your success. Just like any portion of your business, it takes time to build; we want to make sure that you commit to your website for a long enough term to be successful with it.
How do I get out of the contract if I am unhappy?
You can get out of the contract if you are not happy with our services or would no longer like your website. It is similar to a cell phone service contract, meaning you just pay a cancellation fee equivalent to one half of the remaining month’s service.
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Design
I don't know HTML or web design. Can I use the OBN Dealer Solution?
Yes. Your store is professionally designed for you. If you would like to add pages or update your store you have two options (1) call or email us the updates as you have one hour of free update time by a professional web designer each month or (2) update the pages yourself using the built in text/html editor in the administration area.
How customizable are OBN Web store pages?
Your store templates are completely customizable. We can make your store look just about any way you want it to within the limits of the base e-commerce solution. Tell us your idea and we can make it happen. There are some restrictions as each store must include navigation, product areas, etc. You can also add your own custom pages. If you would like features that are not included in the base e-commerce solution, OBN will provide custom programming at an additional charge.
How many pictures can I list per item using the OBN Dealer Website Solution?
With the OBN Dealer Solution, only one product image per item is supported in the distributor catalogs. Additional images can be added through HTML code in the product description for the items you choose to upload.
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Payments
Does real time credit card processing mean that I do not have to have my own credit card processing system?
No. If you plan on processing payments in real time online, you will need a merchant account with an online gateway or a PayPal account to accept credit cards and you will not need a POS system or keypad. We recommend Authorize.net as an online payment gateway which allows the use of your current merchant account. You can use a POS system or keypad to enter orders manually if you choose not to process the cards online.
Which payments can I accept from customers through my OBN Web store?
You can accept any credit card your merchant account allows (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover), check or money order, cash on delivery, PayPal and 2Checkout.
Can I use PayPal?
Yes. Paypal is supported.
What payment gateways are integrated into OBN?
Outdoor Business Network Dealer Website Solutions are fully integrated with the following popular payment gateways. This means that no additional software is required for you to install. In fact, some of them incorporate online merchant account applications directly into their solution. If your payment gateway of choice is not listed below, OBN can provide custom programming at an additional charge to integrate your gateway.
- FastCharge
- LinkPoint
- Authorize.net
- PSiGate
- PayPal
- 2Checkout
- Google Checkout
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Product Catalog
Does my OBN Web store come with products already in it?
Yes. All of the products in the distributor catalog you choose are included, maintained and ready to go in your OBN Dealer Website Solution.
Is it possible to import or convert items from my current online storefront?
If the items can be exported from your current storefront into an Excel or CSV file, the file can be imported into OBN Web store. It will most likely need to be reformatted to fit our backend needs. You will need a directory with all of your images as well.
Do I have to enter my products individually?
No. Your store is loaded with all of your distributor's products already. If you with to add your own products you can enter your products into an Excel file which we can upload for you. Sometimes it is best to add your own products individually to ensure they look the way you want them to.
How many pictures can I list per item using the OBN templates?
With the OBN distributor catalogs, only one product image per item is supported. If you are uploading your own products and you have more than one picture, you could incorporate HTML links to additional images as part of the product description. Those images could be stored locally on your OBN server or they could be stored outside of the OBN hosting environment and linked into the product description.
How many products does the OBN Dealer Website Solution support?
Our stores can support an almost unlimited amount of products. Most stores are pre-loaded with between 10,000 and 40,000 products from the distributor of their choice. You can add as many products as you like.
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Inventory Management
Does the OBN Dealer Website Solution track inventory?
Yes and No. You can choose to track inventory on your own products. Inventory feeds are provided from integrated distributors which provide inventory information.
What if someone orders something that is out of stock?
You can always special order products then ship them to your customer if you do not have them in your store. The great part about our program is you are in control of your orders. If you have it in your store you can ship it from there, if not you can ship it out of the distributor, or if it is out of stock everywhere, you can cancel the order.
Note: Not all distributors support fulfillment orders, check with your OBN or distributor representative for details.
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Storage Space
What is the email storage capacity of the OBN email boxes?
Email storage is a component of your OBN hosting package disk space quota. Each email address includes 50MB of storage space and each website has unlimited email accounts.
How much total space do I have on the OBN server?
Each OBN Dealer Website Solution is allotted up to 3GB of server space. And up to 45GB of file transfer. If you plan on exceeding this more space and transfer is available at an extra charge.
Are your servers secure and protected?
Outdoor Business Network web servers are housed in off site secure private data-centers. Our data centers feature: Tier-1 bandwidth with multiple connections, full security with access only allowed to Level 3 technicians, poured concrete walls, underground power routed to a dedicated transformer, on site emergency generators, and filtered and monitored regular air supply. All servers are firewalled, load balanced, and receive security updates regularly. These features, among others ensure our client’s fast, secure and reliable performance at all times.
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Security
I already have my own SSL certificate. How can I install it on my OBN Web store?
Our solution includes a standard SSL certificate. We will administer any SSL certificates. If you would like a more comprehensive SSL certificate than the standard one you may tell us to upgrade to it for you at an additional cost. Installation of the standard SSL is included in the setup fees.
Note: All OBN Dealer Solutions come with an SSL Certificate and are fully secure.
What kind of SSL data encryption security is available?
Outdoor Business Network includes individual Secure Socket Layer (SSL) with all Dealer Website Solutions. This is a 128-bit encryption SSL certificate provided by the Certificate Authority GoDaddy.com. SSL encryption occurs when accessing the store administration and storefront pages that contain or collect sensitive data. An OBN merchant does have the option to upgrade their SSL certificate.
Does OBN support Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption?
Yes. All transactions are supported by Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, also known as secure order protection, secure certificate or digital certificate. Developed by Netscape, SSL is a protocol for securely encrypting and transmitting electronic information between web servers across the Internet, and is the most popular method for ensuring the secure transmission of credit card data and consumer information. Your customers will see a locked security icon on their browser when making payments, so they will know it is encrypted.
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Other Admin Area Functionality
Can I send out newsletters to my customers?
A newsletter manager is included in the administration area.
Are sales reports available?
Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly sales reports are available through the administration area.
How can I charge tax to buyers based on their geographical location?
OBN allows you to enter a tax table with tax by location so that tax will be calculated automatically upon checkout.
Are Canadian taxes supported?
Yes, Canadian taxes are supported.
Does OBN allow for international shipping?
Yes. In addition to the integration with UPS, and USPS you can build your own shipping tables including foreign shipping.
Are real time shipping quotes supported?
Yes and No. The distributor catalogs which have product weight information included will support real time shipping quotes through UPS and USPS. Currently not all distributors supply us with product weights.
I use QuickBooks to manage my business. Is OBN compatible?
Yes, an optional quick books export module is available.
I have regular customers that like to shop in my physical store or place orders over the phone. Can I manage those orders with my OBN Dealer Website Solution?
OBN does not have an integrated POS system, per se, however it may be a possible addition in the future. The system can manage phone and physical store orders if required.
How do I know if an order has been placed in my store?
You will receive an email informing you of the new order.
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Existing Web Domains, Stores and Websites
Can I use my own domain name for my new OBN Web store?
Yes. You will need to transfer the domain or change the nameservers to point to your store.
Can I use my existing design with OBN?
Yes. We can design a store around almost anything you like.
Can I keep the rest of my site on my own server and have the store on OBN?
Yes, you can have links from your website to your OBN website for customers to shop online.
I already have a hosting company and I don't want to switch, is there a way I can keep my current hosting company and still use OBN?
Yes. It's easy to create links from your existing website that directs customers to specified areas of your OBN Web store. Since your OBN Web store is easy to customize, you can mirror the look and feel of your current website so the transition from one website to the other is seamless to your shoppers.
Does OBN provide a static IP?
Yes. OBN Dealer Solution accounts are assigned a static IP.
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Customer Support
What if I need technical support?
All OBN customers have access to online help, priority email assistance, support forums, and toll free telephone support. In addition to technical support, each customer is provided full online training, access to online training manuals, and access to our dealer only internet forums.
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Marketing Your Web Site
Does OBN help me market my new store?
Yes. Each new store is submitted to the major search engines when it is launched. While we can not guarantee your inclusion in every search engine we do our best to submit your site to all of the available search engines. Our dealer only forum has an area dedicated to online marketing both paid and free. If you follow the tutorials your website will reach its market. We also offer paid advertising and search engine marketing upon request.
Can I run promotions in my store?
Yes. You can discount prices and assign specials in your store by individual product or category. You can also create discount codes which customers can use to redeem a discount at checkout.
What if I want to offer special pricing for certain customers?
You can assign discount codes specifically for those customers.
Can I set up an affiliate program?
No. An affiliate program is not available.
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Other Services
Does Outdoor Business Network offer other services to help me?
We are web development, design, and internet marketing experts. We can provide you with any solution you need. Call us to inquire about specialized services.
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Miscellaneous
Do I need special software to run my store?
No. You can manage your store from most web browsers with Internet access. All you need to do is be able to check your email and get online.
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