Virtual Showroom™ is meant to be effective, and needs to be visible to all types of users of your website. Giving Virtual Showroom™ proper exposure to your consumers will result in a successful online store. This article is here to help display the components that will help you make the most of our Friends & Colleagues™ Affiliate Program.
The Virtual Showroom™ elements you will want to install:
- Product Browser on the Virtual Showroom™ page
- Vertical Navigation Widget
- “Virtual Mall” link in the main navigation of your website
- Drop menu from the “Virtual Mall” link to common categories that apply to your consumer base
- Link Generator icon on your homepage or sidebar of website
- Hero/slider image on your homepage
The Product Browser
Installing the Product Browser code snippet will allow your user to see all, or selected Virtual Showroom™ categories on a page in your website. Along with the Product Browser, you will also get a Product Search bar to make it easy for users to search for a product by name.
Vertical Navigation Widget
The Vertical Navigation widget can be installed on the same page as your Product Browser code snippet. Installing this will allow your users to see where they are compared to all the categories, and makes it easy to jump to any category in a single click. The example below shows how the Vertical Navigation widget highlights the current category being viewed in the Product Browser.
Main Navigation Link
Adding a “Virtual Mall” or “Store” link to your Virtual Showroom™ in the main navigation menu ensures that your visitors will see that you in fact, have a store on your website. This is an important part of the install as your navigation is one of the most read components on a website. The example below shows how Woodstock Physical Therapy used the store in their main navigation.
Drop Menu From Main Navigation
To make your “Virtual Mall” link most effective on your website, it’s a great idea to add a drop menu that leads to sections that pertain to your customer base. Since website visitors usually know what they are looking for when they go to your site, it’s best to make it as easy as possible for them to find what they are looking for. Woodstock Physical Therapy added a drop menu to their site that makes it very easy for their customers are most likely looking for.
Link Generator Icons
North Coast Medical has created icons for the most common places an icon could be used on a website homepage, or sidebar that is visible on every page. You can find the Link Generator in your affiliate dashboard in the main menu. This offers Virtual Showroom™ visibility in the form of a graphic, and increases store exposure to your visitors by linking it to your Virtual Showroom™. Here is how North Coast Medical links to the Virtual Showroom™ using a Link Generator icon.
Hero Slider
Many websites have a spot on the homepage for hero/slider images. They are an effective use of space as you can rotate many images throughout the space of a single image. Adding a Virtual Showroom™ hero image to your website brings great visibility to your website visitors. They create visual interest, and also emphasizes that the company believes in it’s e-commerce solution.
Color-Matched Virtual Showroom™
Virtual Showroom™ was meant to adapt to any website. With very little CSS coding, your Virtual Showroom™ can be color-matched to your website design color scheme. This seamless customization makes Virtual Showroom™ look completely integrated to your existing website. See how Athletic Training Center’s Virtual Showroom™ is matched to their website:
White Glove Technical Support
If you are interested in incorporating any of these components into your website, but do not have the web development capabilities, we are here to help! All you have to do is fill our White Glove Support form in your Virtual Showroom™ Affiliate Program dashboard. Our technical staff is here to help ensure that your Virtual Showroom™ installation looks and performs perfectly.
