The Biggest Update in DPD History
- Jason@DPD
- May 11, 2010
- 1 Comment
DPD always strives to make things easier. One of the things that’s always bugged us has been that there were two product lists- one for instant and one for cart. That’s not easy. It’s kinda confusing. It makes features like custom emails and delivery pages nearly impossible.
So in this update we set out to fix that and ended up making the largest change in DPD history. This update is five months in the making, with over 125 new features, bug fixes, and tweaks, and over 335,000 new lines of code!
So, starting early Wednesday, May 12, you will see a few changes at DPD when you login. We’ll start with the major changes.
New Product / Website User Interface
The product list has been completely overhauled. Gone are the days of two product lists. Everything is now on one page. We’ve added filters to help you find the product or website you’re looking for in a jiffy. We think this will make using DPD even easier.
Speaking of the product list, we’ve renamed “storefront” to “website.” We feel this is a better description of how you use them. We’ve also added websites to all products; they’re no longer limited to just cart products. This allows all products to be customized in the same way. Which is a nice segue into the next feature…
#1 Requested Feature: Email Customization
Email customization is here! This was the #1 requested feature in the feedback forum, and we just had to add it to this release. From your product list, click on Edit Website and then click on the Emails tab. Edit to your heart’s content. If you mess up, click on the reset link and start over. Look for pre-made themes in the near future.
#2 Requested Feature: AWeber Integration
Since we tackled the #1 requested feature, we decided to tackle the #2 most requested feature- AWeber integration. Click on Edit Website from your product list and fill out the Notification Email and then follow the Learn More link for how to setup AWeber to parse the emails.
We’d also appreciate it if you would contact AWeber and request that they add a global email parser for DPD. They’ve promised us one if we can get 10 people to ask.
The Notification Email can be used with any service that can parse emails.
#3 Requested Feature: Google Checkout Support
With #1 and #2 added, we had to add #3: Google Checkout. Add your Google Checkout merchant information to your website profile and Google Checkout will be automatically be presented as a checkout option. You can use it with PayPal, instead of PayPal, or not at all- it’s your choice.
Product Images and Descriptions
Next up, we’ve added product images and descriptions to the product setup. This is a 100% optional feature but we highly recommend you take advantage of it. We don’t use the image or description anywhere your customers see… yet. Look for some sprucing up of the checkout process and delivery pages in the near future. We’ve also got some other big features planned that will use the image and description.
New Button Creators
We’ve made creating add to cart, view cart, and buy now buttons even easier. And we added even more button styles to choose from. You can create buy now buttons for any product in the website, even if the website was cart-only before!
Multiple Prices per Product
DPD now supports multiple prices per product- no more uploading duplicate products if you want to run a special or offer a resale version- DPD accounts are still based on product slots, not prices, so create as many as you need.
Completely New DPD Affiliate System
We’ve added an all new Vendor control panel for better control of your affiliate programs. New features include multiple payout levels, better affiliate management, a new news system that lets you post affiliate news for your affiliates, and more.
We’ve also added an all new Affiliate Control Panel where your affiliates can log in to a custom branded “mini-site” to view their stats, generate hoplinks and buttons, view program news, and lots more.
And More…
We’ve done so many small fixes and tweaks throughout the site its hard to remember them all:
- We’ve added payment history to your profile.
- We’ve totally redone most of the forms on the website to be easier to read and easier to use, with context sensitive help that pops up when you need it.
- The support ticket system / helpdesk has been replaced with a far better system.
- Documentation has been updated throughout.
- We’ve switched email services to improve deliverability to your customers.
We’ve put a ton of time and effort into this release, and it’s just one of many to come. We hope you enjoy using DPD, and as always we’re standing by to help if you need it!
Jason, Jacob and Scott
The DPD Staff
by LeeD
May 12th, 2010
Wow! This all sounds great! I especially like not having to duplicate my products for the shopping cart and single sales – this will be a huge time saver for me!
Lee