How to Create a Product on the FLECS Vendor Dashboard

Welcome to the FLECS Vendor Dashboard guide. This step-by-step manual will assist you in creating a product, enabling you to seamlessly integrate your offerings with our platform. Let’s begin:

Accessing the Product Creation Page

1. Log into the Vendor Dashboard. Start by navigating to your vendor dashboard.

2. Initiate Product Creation. Select Products from the left-hand menu, then click the Add New Product button located in the top right corner. A form will open for product creation.

Vendor Dashboard Product View

Entering Basic Details

• Title: Begin with entering the basic information about your product. This field is mandatory.

• Price and Discount Price: You have the option to schedule discounts over a specific period. Input a starting and ending date for the discount to be applied automatically.

Add a new product

Enhancing Your App's Presentation with Images

Product Image: Your App's First Impression

The product image acts as the face of your app in the FLECS Marketplace, appearing in small view across various locations where your app is featured. This image is crucial as it represents your app in thumbnail form, providing a quick visual reference for potential users. To ensure the best first impression, select an image that is both eye-catching and reflective of your app’s functionality.

Add the product image

Gallery Images: Tell Your App's Story

The gallery images come into play on your product's page itself, offering a deeper dive into what your app has to offer. This is your opportunity to showcase your app in action, highlight key features, and demonstrate its value proposition. While the product image is not displayed on the app’s main page to maintain focus on these detailed visuals, ensure each gallery image is thoughtfully chosen to communicate the unique aspects of your app.

Add the gallery image

Tips for Selecting Images

• Resolution & Quality: High-resolution images ensure your product looks professional and appealing.

• Relevance: Choose images that directly relate to your app's features and benefits.

• Diversity: Use the gallery to showcase different aspects of your app, including various use cases or features.

• Consistency: Maintain a consistent visual style across all images to support your app’s branding.

Images are a powerful tool in conveying the value of your app to potential users. By following these guidelines, you can significantly enhance your app’s presentation on the FLECS Marketplace, making it more engaging and appealing to your target audience.

Selecting a Product Type

Simple Product

• Definition: Ideal for standalone items without variations, a Simple Product is straightforward, encompassing single items with a set price, SKU, and stock levels. Occasionally, shipping details are also required.

• Usage: Best suited for selling unique, individual products.

• Configuration:

  • Choose Simple as the Product Type.

  • Enter the List Price.

  • For volume discounts, click Add Tier, specifying minimum quantities and respective prices.

Set prices for a simple product

Variable Product

• Definition: Use this for products with variations like sizes or features. This type enables customization through attributes, leading to multiple product options.

• Process:

  • Select Variable as the product type.

  • Define attributes to represent variations, deciding their visibility on the product page and if they're used for creating variants.

    

    Create Attributes
  • Variants can be created individually or in bulk, with the ability to set a default variant.

    

    Create Variants
  • Expand variant details to add pricing, price tiers, SKU, and more.

Simple Subscription

• Overview: A model for recurring payments for a service or product without variations. It's designed to build customer loyalty and provide a consistent revenue stream.

• Features:

  • Set Price and Period (day/week/month/year).

  • Optional: Expire date, Sign-up Fee, Free Trial.

  • Synchronize renewals to align subscription end dates (e.g., the 1st of each month).

Subscription options

Variable Subscription

• Overview: Expands on the Simple Subscription by offering multiple subscription options, each with distinct pricing and terms. It's suitable for tiered memberships or services.

• Advantages: Delivers flexibility in subscription offerings, catering to diverse customer needs.

External/Affiliate Products

Function: Allows the creation of products that serve as redirects to affiliate links. Specify the destination URL and button text for redirection.

Add new External Product

Categories and Tags

• Category Selection: Choose a category from the dropdown menu. According to best practices for SEO and UX, assign only one category per product to avoid confusion and improve searchability.

  

  Add new category
• Creating Tags: Under the Select Product Tags field, type a tag and press Enter. Each tag will be added separately. Note that categories and tags must be pre-created by the admin; vendors can only select them.

  

  Select product tags

General information

Descriptions

• Short Description: Craft a concise summary of your product. This appears in the Marketplace View on FLECS devices.

• Long Description: Provide a detailed description of your product's features, benefits, and specifications.

Inventory and Variants

• SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): Establish a unique code for each product to streamline inventory tracking.

• Stock Management: Activate this option to manage inventory levels, enabling backorders if necessary.

  

  Stock Management

Documentation URL

In the Documentation tab, FLECS allows vendors to link the Asset Administration Shell (AAS) entry from Twinsphere directly to their products. By adding the URL of your product’s Twinsphere AAS entry, the related information will be prominently displayed on the marketplace. This feature ensures that all necessary documentation is easily accessible to users.

Author name

Enter the name of the company or vendor responsible for the product. This name will be displayed on the FLECS device, associating your brand or company directly with the product.

App Logo

Upload the logo associated with your app, which will appear in the frontend or on FLECS devices. While company logos are commonly used, if your product features a distinct logo, you are encouraged to upload it here to enhance product recognition and branding.

Taxation

Tax Class: Select an applicable tax category from predefined options to ensure accurate tax collection.

Virtual product

Overview: Virtual products are intangible and exempt from shipping requirements. Ideal for services or digital goods, they simplify the creation process by eliminating the need for physical specifications.

Make a product virtual

Downloadable product

• Definition: This category includes items available for digital download, such as software, media files, or documents.

• Setup:

  • Activate Downloadable Options to attach files.

  • Customize file names for user convenience.

  • Specify hosting, either on your server or via external platforms (e.g., Dropbox).

  • Set download limits and expiration dates to control access.

    

    Set downloadable files

Connecting Your App to Files in the FLECS Repository

To seamlessly integrate your app with images or files hosted in the FLECS App Repository, follow the instructions below. This process ensures that your app can dynamically access and utilize resources from our centralized repository.

Using the 'Reverse-Domain-Name' Attribute

1. Attribute Setup: Assign the 'reverse-domain-name' to your app's metadata. This unique identifier follows the reverse domain name notation commonly used in package naming (e.g., com.vendorname.appname).

2. Repository Connection: Once assigned, this attribute acts as a key to link your app with its corresponding assets in the FLECS App Repository. Ensure the identifier matches the naming convention of the files you intend to connect.

3. Integration: With the 'reverse-domain-name' attribute in place, your app can automatically fetch and display the correct images or files from the repository. This integration facilitates dynamic content updates and centralizes asset management.

Add reverse-domain-name

Additional Guidance

For detailed instructions on implementing the 'reverse-domain-name' attribute and troubleshooting common issues, refer to our comprehensive developer documentation available on Overview

Finalizing Your Product

• Order Limits: Set minimum and maximum quantities for orders and sales.

• Visibility & Reviews: Adjust product visibility settings and enable or disable customer reviews.

• Product Status: Choose Online for immediate listing or save as Draft for later publication.

• Catalog Mode: Opt to disable the "Add to Cart" feature or hide pricing information.

• Saving: Confirm all details are correct, then click Save product to complete your listing.

  

  Finalize Your Product