Contents

1. Demo access and important links

Live demo domain: https://slategrey-sheep-954524.hostingersite.com/. Paths stay the same on any host.

Page	URL
Storefront	https://slategrey-sheep-954524.hostingersite.com/
This user guide	/user-guide
Buyer / vendor login	/login
Register	/register
Become a seller	/start-selling
Vendor dashboard	/dashboard
Add product	/dashboard/add-product
Admin login	/admin/login

Demo logins (change these on a live site)

Role	Email	Password	Notes
Admin	admin@example.com	admin123	Full control panel
Vendor — NovaTech Store	novatech@shop.example	vendor123	Electronics
Vendor — Urban Threads	urbanthreads@shop.example	vendor123	Fashion
Vendor — Nest & Home	nesthome@shop.example	vendor123	Home
Vendor — Glow Lab	glowlab@shop.example	vendor123	Beauty

Security: These passwords are for demonstration only. Before going live, change every password, use real emails, and turn on HTTPS.

2. Buyer guide

Browse and search

1. Open the homepage. Use the top menu for categories (Electronics, Fashion, Home & Living, Beauty, Sports, Kids).
2. Use the search bar to find a product or a shop.
3. Open a product to see price, brand, photos, description, and options such as size or colour.

Create an account

1. Click Register or go to /register.
2. Enter name, email, and password.
3. Log in from /login.

Buy a product

1. Open a product. Choose variation options if they appear (Size, Colour, Shade).
2. Click Add to cart.
3. Open the cart, check quantities, then continue to checkout.
4. Enter shipping address.
5. Choose a payment method (for example Cash on Delivery if it is enabled) and place the order.
6. Track the order from the buyer profile after login.

3. How to become a vendor

Any registered member can apply to open a shop. Shop verification is on, so Admin must approve the request before the seller can list products.

1. Register and log in as a normal user.
2. Go to /start-selling or click Sell now in the header.
3. Enter shop name, first name, last name, phone, and location.
4. Accept the terms and submit.
5. Wait for Admin approval. Status messages:
   • Request sent — waiting for review
   • Approved — account becomes a vendor
   • Declined — seller cannot open the shop until Admin changes it
6. After approval, open /dashboard to add products.

Admin approves shops here: Admin → Membership → Shop opening requests.

4. How a vendor adds a product

Log in as a vendor, then go to Dashboard → Products → Add Product, or open /dashboard/add-product.

Step 1 — General information

1. Upload product photos (first image is the main thumbnail).
2. Choose product type: physical (shipped) or digital, if both are enabled.
3. Choose listing type: usually Sell on site.
4. Select Category, then the subcategory if it appears (example: Electronics → Audio).
5. Select Brand if it applies (example: SoundMax, UrbanWear).
6. Enter the product title and description. Fill SEO title/description if you want better search results.
7. Save and continue.

Step 2 — Details

1. Enter price, discount, VAT, SKU, and stock.
2. Fill custom fields if they appear (Colour, Size, Warranty, Material, Skin Type, Age Group). These come from the category Admin linked.
3. Add variations if the product has options:
   • Click Add variation
   • Name it (Size, Colour, Shade)
   • Choose type: dropdown or colour buttons
   • Add options (S, M, L or Black, White) and stock per option
   • Mark one option as default
4. Set shipping class / delivery time if shipping is enabled.
5. Submit. Products go live immediately in this demo (approve before publishing is off). If a client turns that setting on, products wait in Pending products until Admin approves them.

Edit a product later

Dashboard → Products → edit the item. Use the same two screens to change category, brand, price, stock, custom fields, and variations.

5. Vendor: orders, shipping, earnings

Dashboard menu	What it is for
Products	All listings, drafts, hidden, sold
Bulk product upload	CSV upload of many products
Sales	New and completed orders
Quote requests	Price-request listings, if used
Earnings / Withdraw	Balance and payout requests
Shop settings	Shop name, description, cover
Shipping settings	Zones, methods, delivery times
Comments / Reviews	Buyer feedback on the shop’s products

Fulfil an order

1. Open Sales and click the order.
2. Confirm items and shipping address.
3. Update status as you pack and ship (processing → shipped → completed, depending on settings).
4. Earnings are added to the seller balance after the sale is completed, minus commission.
5. Request a payout when the balance is above the minimum. Admin pays out from Payout requests.

6. Admin: categories, brands, fields, variations

Log in at /admin/login. Catalog tools are in the left sidebar.

Categories

1. Go to Categories.
2. Use Add category for a main category (Electronics, Fashion, …).
3. To add a subcategory, choose a parent while adding (Mobiles under Electronics, Men under Fashion).
4. Upload a category image if you want it in the menu and homepage tiles. Keep images as photos or plain graphics. Do not print the category name on the image — the site already shows the name as text.
5. Drag to reorder. Set featured / show on homepage if you want it on the home page.

Brands

1. Go to Brands.
2. Enter the brand name and optional slug, then save.
3. Vendors pick this brand when they add or edit a product.
4. The brand also shows on the product page and in the admin product list.

Demo brands already created: Apex, SoundMax, UrbanWear, Oak & Linen, Lumina, FlexFit, TinyTown.

Custom fields

1. Go to Custom Fields → Add custom field.
2. Name it (Colour, Size, Warranty, Material).
3. Choose type: dropdown, checkbox, text, number, date.
4. Add options if it is a dropdown.
5. Link the field to one or more categories so it appears only on matching products.
6. Optionally add it to product filters on the shop listing page.

Product variations

Admin does not create a global variation list. Vendors add Size/Colour on each product. Admin can still open Products → Product details to see which variations a listing has.

To allow variations: Settings → Product settings and keep Variations enabled (already on in this demo).

7. Admin: users and shop approval

Menu	Use it to
Shop opening requests	Approve or decline new vendors
Vendors	See all approved shops
Members	See buyers / members who are not vendors yet
Administrators	Add extra admin users

Approve a new shop

1. Open Shop opening requests.
2. Review shop name and applicant details.
3. Approve. The user role becomes vendor and they can add products.

8. Admin: orders, payouts, settings

Orders

1. Orders — all marketplace orders.
2. Transactions — payment records.
3. Bank transfer notifications — if buyers pay by bank transfer.
4. Invoices — download or review invoices.

Payouts

1. Seller balances — what each vendor is owed.
2. Payout requests — vendor asked to withdraw.
3. Mark paid / complete the payout after you transfer the money.
4. Payout settings — PayPal, IBAN, SWIFT, minimum amounts.

How to customize

Log in as admin@example.com / admin123, then use these Admin screens. Digital Creatorss can also apply branding, payments, and catalog setup for you — see Contact.

Homepage and look

Setting	Where
Slider banners	Slider
Featured categories / homepage blocks	Homepage manager
Site colour, logo text is the shop name	Visual settings
Fonts	Font settings (storefront uses Poppins in this demo)
Site name, contact, about	General settings / Pages
Payments and COD	Payment settings
Currency	Currency settings
Email SMTP	Email settings
Languages	Languages and translations

Product settings that matter

• Approve before publishing — currently off. Turn on if Admin must approve every new listing.
• Vendor verification — currently on. New shops need Admin approval.
• SKU, variations, shipping — enable/disable marketplace features.

9. Go-live checklist

1. Point the domain to hosting and enable HTTPS.
2. Change admin and vendor passwords. Delete demo shops if they should not stay.
3. Set real company name, email, phone, and address in General settings.
4. Upload a real favicon. The header logo is the site name as text.
5. Configure SMTP so order and shop-request emails send.
6. Enable live payment gateways (Razorpay, Stripe, PayPal, etc.) with live keys.
7. Set commission, currency (INR if needed), and COD rules.
8. Replace sample products, categories, and slider with the client’s catalogue.
9. Use real product photos. Do not bake titles into images; the site prints names as text.
10. Add privacy policy, terms, refund, and shipping pages.
11. Test: register buyer → add to cart → checkout → vendor sees sale → payout request.
12. Test: new vendor applies → Admin approves → vendor adds a product with category, brand, and variations.

10. Support — contact the team

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