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GENERAL QUESTIONS
Where can I learn more about AIA's Company Stores?
Who do I contact to start a company store?
Fill out the company store form at https://aiacompanystores.experienceaia.com.
You can also email companystores@aiacorporation.com with any questions.
What information do I need to start a company store?
Client's name
Client's logo
Client's brand guideline (if any)
Client's corporate website (if any)
Product list
Is it standard to have a contract with my customer?
Not always. Some owners do have a contract and then there are others who do not worry about it. It truly depends on the relationship with the customer. A contract does not guarantee business but it does create a more stable relationship to plan around.
What should it cover?
1. Duration of the store
2. Cost of maintaining the store
3. Ownership of goods
4. How goods will be treated if an inventory item and not sold on the store over the time the store is open
5. Who manages the inventory
What is the site name for my company store? Can my client have a custom domain?
The URL with aiacompanystore.com cannot be changed since that is the domain hosting this website however if you want to buy a custom domain from godaddy etc, we can update the URL to be that domain. You will also have to buy a SSL certificate ($228) to go with the domain.
What is SSL?
SSL Stands for Secure Sockets Layer - The primary reason why SSL is used is to keep sensitive information sent across the Internet encrypted so that only the intended recipient can access it. This is important because the information you send on the Internet is passed from computer to computer to get to the destination server. Any computer in between you and the server can see your credit card numbers, usernames and passwords, and other sensitive information if it is not encrypted with an SSL certificate. When an SSL certificate is used, the information becomes unreadable to everyone except for the server you are sending the information to. This protects it from hackers and identity thieves.
SUPPLIER AND PRODUCT QUESTIONS
Who are some of the suppliers that provide one piece minimums?
Sanmar
Custom Color Solutions
OrigAudio
Starline
Links Unlimited (No minimums on blank products. Decorated orders have a 25 unit minimum)
Who are the decorators that decorate one piece minimums?
Dubow Textile
Who maintains the product information on the store?
The owner would be responsible for making sure the products reflected on the store continue to be the products they want to show.
How do you keep the product fresh?
It is a good idea to have a plan around replacing or retiring the product once it is no longer interesting. If a product is not moving to a store it is a good idea to suggest a new item to replace the old one and post the old one as a limited item to get rid of the old inventory to make room for the new exciting item.
INVENTORY AND FULFILLMENT QUESTIONS
What are some of the items to consider when setting up an inventory store?
When your customer owns the product they are then responsible for any of the merchandise not used during the life of the store or once the product is no longer turning on the site. Often once a set threshold is reached and the inventory has become “tired” it is sent to the customer to use in other ways and allow the online store to be refreshed.
When the business owns the inventory the owner will need to consider how the inventory will be treated at the end of the store. Will the customer buy out the remaining inventory?
How do I find a fulfillment center that I like to work with?
Below is a list of fulfillment center that you can contact.
What should I take into consideration when evaluating a fulfillment center?
How do they need an order to flow through
What are their cost for fulfillment, pic and pac etc
What is their turnaround time?
I will do my own fulfillment. How do I manage this and what should I take into consideration?
Your time is valuable and you should account for this. If you send your product to a fulfillment center or you fulfill yourself your time spent managing inventory does need to be included in the price to your customer.
Hourly wage
Materials
Space in a garage or other space
Inventory management
ADMINISTRAVTIVE AND BILLING QUESTIONS
How do I calculate the freight rate?
The system is able to calculate the freight at the standard retail rate and this will be the price given if this choice is made. You have the option to mark up or mark down the retail rate.
A freight amount can be added into each item sold on the store to accommodate freight. There is a chance that the freight estimate may not be correct and there could be freight charges more than what is added to the products. It is recommended to estimate the freight from the fulfillment location to the furthest area around the continuous US to estimate the freight rates to include in the price of the product on the store.
Where does the money go on orders where the customer has paid by credit card?
The money is dropped into the AIA authorize.net account. It will show up on the AR report as unapplied cash in the client’s EAIA account and can be paid out using an order to show the money is passed through. The credit card charge will show AIA as the biller on the credit card transaction for the consumer.
Is there a report for all of the products so I can keep track of what products are in the store rather than just going through the store item by item.
Yes! A report can be run for all of the products on the store. The backend of the company store has a product activity report that can be run and additional reports can be run upon request. Please email companystores@aiacorporation.com.
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