Base Merchant
The Merchant Mall uses the base iHTML Merchant Enterprise 2.0 system for each individual store. The iHTML Merchant Enterprise 2.0 is a complete product catalog, shopping basket system with browser based admin for the store owner. The iHTML merchant offers over thirty different credit card clearing services including Cardservices, iBILL, Paypal, Verisign, PSIGate, CyberCash, IC Verify and Internet Secure. A store in the Merchant Mall is ALSO a standalone store in it's own right which can have it's own domain. It doesn't have to be associated with the mall in look and feel or web address but still gain the advantages of being in a mall system.

Remote New Store Setup
The setup of a new store is done through a special web based data entry screen. This sets up any required ODBC datasources, copies merchant template files, allows setting of store product parameters, selection of the look and feel from the templates and entering of information about the store owner for billing purposes. The web server may require setup of virtual domain information separately. It has a similar look and feel to the iHTML Merchant 2.0 systems but is more wizard based for store setups.

Feature Limits
A number of features can be turned on and off on a per store basis. This is all done through the web based administration screens for the mall. These include:

Inventory	Image Upload
Shopping/Basket	Customer Management
Discounts	Custom Catalog Capabilities
Affiliate Program	Banner Advertising
Mail Center	Subscription Handling
ESD Features

Other Limitations

Tracks Mall Sales
All stores in the mall can be queried for cumulative sales numbers and sales reports are available to the mall owner for each store. Information Regarding Daily Sales for all stores are be recorded. This is used to keep a running track of Sales Stats for the Mall. This is beneficial in marketing the Mall or in reporting information to current/potential investors.

Inline Malls
Inline will be promoting the iHTML Merchant as a standalone application and as a service. People interested in the store service will be directed to an Inline web site which will offer a selection of Merchant Malls that the visitor can use. Pricing and service information will be provided for the visitor to make a decision on the store mall to use. This will drive additional sales to the Merchant Mall owners. A nominal referral fee applies to this service.

Monthly Billing & Accounting
Each store in the mall can be automatically billed on a monthly basis to credit card information stored for each store. This enables hassle free collection of 'store rent'. Invoices are automatically generated and emailed to the store owner. Different billing option are supported such as flat rate, transactions or percentage of sales. The invoices are automatically generated and emails to the store owners. A store can be suspended for failure to pay their monthly fees if necessary.

Store Templates
The iHTML Merchant 2.0 comes with a selection of 30 templates for different store looks and layouts. The Merchant Mall provides these templates in the Enterprise version of the individual stores. There are specific store templates created for use in the Mall and it's stores. It is also possible to download new templates from the Inline web site in a ZIP file and import them directly through the browser into the Mall system.

Searchable Mall
The Merchant Mall contains a component that is a searchable store listing that allows the categorization of stores. This provides a single interface to all the stores in your mall. An example of this is at http://www.ihtmlmerchant.com. A store could opt to be in the mall listing or not. The description of the store would be pulled from each individual store. There is also an option to search all the stores for a particular product. This has the option for the store owner to make their store invisible to the Mall search and listing mechanism.

Single Mall Shopping Basket
The Merchant Mall also has the ability to provide a single shopping basket to the mall visitors. This allows users to order from multiple stores and the Mall system will put those orders into the individual stores upon check out. If all stores use the same shipping company then a single shipping amount can be calculated.

Email Features
All stores can be sent emails from the mall manager. This can be used as a sort of newsletter to your merchants. Invoices and reminders can also be sent via email automatically to each store. Each store has an option in the admin to email the mall owner about questions, issues etc…. Customers can also be sent updates on new product and specials by the individual merchants.

The iHTML Merchant Mall software doesn’t have to just be used for a traditional shopping mall. It can be used in many other ways as shown below:

For Wholesalers

A wholesaler who represents many manufacturers may want to provide a single shopping experience for resellers or end consumers.The iHTML Merchant Mall can provide this type of environment. This allows management of categories or manufacturers separately by different users if needed.

Example: http://www.builderdepot.com

This client uses the iHTML Merchant Mall in a unique business model that may just give us a glimpse into the future of online retailing. The Builder Depot provides a single shopping basket experience for contractors & consumers to purchase building materials. The advantage to contractors is they can purchase online thus saving time to go to a physical store but they can purchase products with specific delivery dates so the items only show up when needed at a job site. What is unique here is that the stores are manufacturers who manage their own products and pricing information and handle the fulfillment end of the order. There are currently over 50000 products and 500 manufacturers in this system.

For B2B Portal Systems

The iHTML Merchant Mall can be used as a business to business portal product where manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and resellers can gather to transact business among other things. Many different business models can be built on this concept from free access to percentage of transactions done.

Example: http://www.virtualrags.com

This client uses the iHTML Merchant Mall to provide a business to business portal for apparel manufacturers and retail stores that sell clothing. Each manufacturer has a store that they manage with their current and future product lines. The manufacturer can set which retail stores are allow to look and or order particular items or lines. Delivery dates can also be set for different parts of an order. There are currently over 60 manufacturers in the system.

For Manufacturers/MLM Systems

A manufacturer may want to provide online stores for its resellers that are prepopulated with their products so the setup of the store for the reseller is very quick and easy. It is possible to allow the reseller to add other products they carry as well. Online orders from reseller stores can be handled centrally by the manufacturer or by the reseller themselves, it is your choice.

Example: http://www.calstoncyberstore.comWarning: This site sells adult related items.

This client uses the iHTML Merchant Mall to provide stores to individuals that represent their products around the world. The individual promotes their store which is pre-populated with the products and graphics. End user customers can go to the store and place their order. The manufacturer handles all order fulfillment and provides monthly commission cheques to the individual stores.

Note: Some of the above systems have customizations specific to the customers needs, if you are interested in how we can modify the iHTML Merchant Mall to fit your specific needs call us at 905-680-0436 or email to sales@inline.net

Other Mall Examples: