Existing Web Site Integration in Miva 5.5

Navigating from existing Web site pages to the online store should be seamless. Each area should look feel and function similarly so potential customers don't get lost or confused. If you already have an existing Web site and you want to carry that design into MIVA Merchant the first steps can be taken right in the Admin Area—using headers and footers and other elements.

Some prefer to use Miva Merchant solely as a shopping cart. You can display all product information on individual HTML pages if you'd like, However, there are many pitfalls to working this way:

• Each and every HTML page will require special coding for the Add to Basket link. If you use product attributes, additional form coding is needed. Miva Merchant will also need customization or a module to return the customer back to the HTML page after the item is added.
• You will still need to enter or import your products, along with any attributes, into Miva Merchant, thus doubling up on work.
• Shoppers who find their way into the store's product and category screens will get confused if the design and all pertinent information is not there, so you'd want to incorporate the overall design and functionality into the store anyway.
• If you want to use special features that require third-party modules, many of those features will not be available for your HTML pages.
• For modules that can call functionally to HTML pages, it is commonly done via an IFRAME (which does not usually parse identically across all browser platforms) and some modules require instead that PHP pages be used.