Frequently asked questions

An online store is a quick, easy way for you to create an e-commerce store. There’s no coding required. You can create a storefront with one product or many products and easily manage your orders, saving time and improving efficiency. You can customise your store with design features such as colours or your brand logo.

Setting up a store is as easy as creating the store, uploading products, completing your store profile, and making your store available to your customers.

Click on “Stores” in the top navigation. An introductory walkthrough of Stores shows you some of its simple features. Our quick and easy wizard will guide you through the process of entering your store name and selecting your default currency. These steps must be completed before the store can be accessed by you or by your customers. Click next, and you’ll have the option to add items to your store.

Click on “Store Settings” and then “Design”. On this page, you can customise the header image for your store by choosing from our pre-existing header images or uploading your own.

To edit your header image, click on the photo, and you’ll be redirected to the store’s product editing screen. Here you can drag and reposition the photo or use the built-in slider to adjust the image size. When you’re finished, click “Crop & Save”.

Once you’re satisfied with your header image, add your own messaging, including a title, subtitle as well as a custom button that links to your chosen URL.

When you’re finished, click “Save”. To see your new header image live on your store, click “Store Profile” and then “Store URL”.

Currently, when you sign up to SimplyBlu, you will be assigned a unique URL that matches your store name.

This URL is always available to your customers, but you have the option of adding your own domain which will improve your rank in search engine results. For example, if you own the domain example.com and link it to your store, your customers will then be able to access your store from that domain e.g. https://www.example.com.

To connect to your third-party domain you will need to edit your DNS settings and point your A record to the Stores IP address (which is 64.95.146.15). This can typically be done by signing into your domain provider's control panel.

Editing your A record to connect to Simplify Stores:

• Sign into your domain provider's control panel.
• Locate the DNS settings. This will be different for each provider but look for manage DNS, domain management, DNS zone editor or something similar.
• Locate the A record. The A record will typically be in a list with an IP address and time to live (TTL). You might also see an @ symbol.
• Edit the A record. Once located you will need to add or update the A record.
• Enter the @ symbol for the A record.
• Enter the Stores IP address (64.95.146.15) as the location for the A record
• If you are able, set your TTL to 3600 seconds.
• Save your changes. DNS changes can take effect within a few hours but may take up to 72 hours to take effect.

Not sure what the above terms mean?

Root domain
The root domain is the domain name you purchased e.g. example.com, example.net. Note, the domain does not have the www prefix.

IP address
An IP address is a unique string of numbers separated by full stops that identifies each computer, server or device on the internet.

The Stores IP address is: 64.95.146.15

Domain Name System (DNS)
DNS is a directory of domain names and their associated IP addresses. This is looked up each time a web address is typed into a browser to find where that website lives by its IP address.

Need assistance?
If you need help with setting your A record, you should contact your domain provider's support desk. When contacting them, you can tell them: “You want to connect your root domain A record to the IP address 64.95.146.15 for Stores”.

Express Checkout allows your customers to quickly and securely checkout using card details that have been saved to their internet browser. Express checkout helps your store and bottom-line by making the checkout process seamless, which will reduce cart abandonments.

Currently, Express Checkout only supports products that do not require shipping. If shipping is required the customer will not see the Express Checkout option when checking out.

Here is a list of browsers that support Express Checkout. If your customer's browser is not supported, the Express Checkout payment method will not be visible.

When you add a product to your store, you have the option of adding it to a category of similar products. To view product categories, click “Categories”. You can edit, adjust or reorder your categories from this screen. To add a new category, click “Add Category”, type in a name, and click “Create”.

All orders that your store receives are viewable in a single window. By clicking on “Orders”, you can view your pending, incomplete, paid, cancelled and refunded orders. You can also click individual orders to view specific details as well as mark them fulfilled.

You decide when you want to charge the customer by setting “Card Authorisation” on the “Checkout” tab in your store settings. It is disabled by default, which means we will charge the customer and collect payment immediately when a customer purchases from your store, then when the order is fulfilled the order status is set to complete.

If you enable “Card Authorisation”, we will authorise the transaction when the customer checks out. The customer’s order gets set to pending. When you fulfil the order, we capture the payment and set the order status to complete.

When you are setting up your donation just leave the price blank. This will allow the cardholder select the amount they wish to donate.

Yes, under the product settings you can set the maximum quantity allowed per purchase.

To upload a single product, select your business category and click “Done”.

This will take you to your product list. To upload a product for sale, click “Add Product”. On this screen, you can select the product type and set whether it’s a fixed price or a donation. You can adjust the product title, its price and description. You also have a series of optional toggles that allow you to add tax or include product options such as size and colour. By clicking the “Sell in store?” toggle, you’re enabling the product to be available for sale in your webstore. You can add shipping to a purchase. You can even limit the number of items that can be purchased in a single transaction.

To edit a product image, click on “Upload an Image” and upload your product image. Then you’ll be redirected to that product's editing screen, where you can drag and reposition the photo or use the built-in slider to adjust the image size. When you’re finished, click “Crop & Save”.

To add the product to your store, click “Save Product”. You can now see the product displayed on your product list.

Yes. Click on “Products” in the stores navigation to get to your product list. To edit a product, click on the name of the product you wish to edit. On this screen, you can select the product type and whether it’s a fixed price or a donation. You can adjust the product title, the price and the description. You also have the option to add tax or add product options such as size and colour. By clicking the “Sell in store?” toggle, you’re enabling the product to be available for sale in your webstore. You can add shipping to a purchase. You can even limit the number of items that can be purchased in a single transaction.

To edit a product image, click on the product photo, and you’ll be redirected to the store’s product editing screen. Here you can drag and reposition the photo or use the built-in slider to adjust the image size. When you’re finished, click “Crop & Save”.

This screen also allows you to create a shareable button. To get started, click “Share”. You have an option to copy a direct link to the product in your store or build a button. The Store Button Builder allows you to quickly and easily change the colour, shape and messaging on a button. To embed the product button, copy the provided code and paste it into your website. To save your changes, click “Save Product”. You can now see the product displayed on your product list.

The final step of creating a store is completing your store profile. From the products list page, click on “Store Settings”. On this page, you can change your store name, edit your URL or change your default currency. You also have the option to upload a logo for your store. Note that the image will replace the text of your store name, so take that into consideration when choosing an image.

The settings page also allows you to tell your customers a little bit about you and your business when you fill in the “About Us” section. Add your business contact information and any social media accounts you want to feature.

No, you can have as many different products as you need for your business.

Yes, you can create tax rates that are automatically added to the products you sell. Taxes are managed under the "Taxes" section within Store Settings.

Yes, you can create custom shipping rates based on the location of the cardholder and apply it to their purchase at checkout. Shipping is managed under the "Shipping" section within Store Settings.

There are four order statuses:

Pending – Order has been placed and is waiting to be shipped.
Paid – The order has been fulfilled and paid by the cardholder.
Cancelled – The order was cancelled. Refunded – The order was refunded and the cardholder received a credit.

Yes, when you create a product you’ll want to add product options. You just need to add the title of the option (e.g. colour) and the choices (e.g. blue, black, red) and click tab or enter.

Yes. Automatically declining charges based on address (Zip/postal code) and CVC checks can be very helpful to identify fraud. To enable these settings, head over to your account settings, select Fraud Protection and choose to "Decline payments that fail Zip verification" and to "Decline charges that fail CVC verification".

Yes. You can set up recurring payments for your customers. Set up a payment plan, then assign subscriptions to that plan to your customers. The software then automatically invoices your customers each period, with no additional effort required on your part. Our recurring payments provide you with a lot of flexibility.

Yes. This site can be used to collect and save customer card account information without requiring a payment. For example, you may want to sign up a customer and apply a plan that waives the first month's fee. Having customer information available in the database enables you to make your customers' shopping experience easier, which helps drive consumer preference.

Yes, you can. Click on the “Payments” section on the menu bar on the merchant dashboard and click the “New Payment” button. Fill in the transaction and card details, then click the “Run Payment” button. If your customer is already on file, choose “Customer Card”, select the correct customer, fill in the transaction information, and click the “Run Payment” button.

When your customer pays during a transaction, we send the amount of the transaction to your customer's card issuer for authorisation, which protects you by ensuring your customer’s account is in good standing and the customer has money available so you can be paid. The issuer's processor places the amount on ‘hold’ and removes the amount immediately from your customer’s available balance. The hold is released based upon parameters set at the processor (approximately 72 hours for debit cards; the timing varies for credit cards) or when the transaction clears, whichever comes first.

Yes, you can set up a product to be a donation that will allow a cardholder to make a donation to your organisation.

Please contact support using the details on this page for more information on chargebacks

Including a privacy policy to let your customers know the information you gather, how that information is used, and who has access to it can help establish trust and confidence in your business.

Sample Privacy Policy Template

Thank you for visiting our website. This privacy policy tells you how we use personal information collected on this site. Please read this privacy policy before using the site or submitting any personal information. By using the site, you are accepting the practices described in this privacy policy. These practices may be changed, but any changes will be posted, and changes will only apply to activities and information going forward, not on a retroactive basis. You are encouraged to review the privacy policy whenever you visit the site to ensure that you understand how any personal information you provide will be used.

Note: the privacy practices set forth in this privacy policy are for this website only. If you link to other websites, please review the privacy policies posted on those sites.

Collection of information
We collect personally identifiable information such as names, postcode, email addresses, and other items when they are voluntarily submitted by our visitors. The information you provide is used to fulfil your specific request, unless you give us permission to use it in another manner, for example to add you to one of our mailing lists.

Cookie/tracking technology
The site may use cookie and tracking technology depending on the features offered. Cookie and tracking technology are useful for gathering information such as browser type and operating system, tracking the number of visitors to the site, and understanding how visitors use the site. Cookies can also help customise the site for visitors. Personal information cannot be collected via cookies and other tracking technology; however, if you previously provided personally identifiable information, cookies may be tied to such information. Aggregate cookie and tracking information may be shared with third parties.

Distribution of information
We may share information with governmental agencies or other companies that are assisting us in fraud prevention or investigation. We may do so when: (1) permitted or required by law; or, (2) trying to protect against or prevent actual or potential fraud or unauthorised transactions; or, (3) investigating fraud which has already taken place. The information is not provided to these companies for marketing purposes.

Commitment to data security
Your personally identifiable information is kept secure. Only authorised employees, agents and contractors (who have agreed to keep information secure and confidential) have access to this information. All emails and newsletters from this site allow you to opt out of further mailings.

Privacy contact information
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about our privacy policy, you may contact us using the information below:

By e-mail: (provide contact information) By phone: (provide contact information)

We reserve the right to make changes to this policy. Any changes to this policy will be posted.

Including terms and conditions for your business helps establish trust and credibility and can help drive conversion and web traffic. Here’s a sample template:

Sample Terms and Conditions Template
Welcome to our website. If you continue to browse and use this website you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following terms and conditions of use, which together with our privacy policy govern [business name]’s relationship with you in relation to this website.

The term ‘[business name]’ or ‘us’ or ‘we’ refers to the owner of the website whose registered office is [address]. Our company registration number is [company registration number and place of registration]. The term ‘you’ refers to the user or viewer of our website.

The use of this website is subject to the following terms of use:
The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.

Neither we nor any third parties provide any warranty or guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials found or offered on this website for any particular purpose. You acknowledge that such information and materials may contain inaccuracies or errors and we expressly exclude liability for any such inaccuracies or errors to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Your use of any information or materials on this website is entirely at your own risk, for which we shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any products, services or information available through this website meet your specific requirements.

This website contains material which is owned by or licensed to us. This material includes, but is not limited to, the design, layout, look, appearance and graphics. Reproduction is prohibited other than in accordance with the copyright notice, which forms part of these terms and conditions.

All trademarks reproduced in this website, which are not the property of, or licensed to the operator, are acknowledged on the website. Unauthorised use of this website may give rise to a claim for damages and/or be a criminal offence. From time to time this website may also include links to other websites. These links are provided for your convenience to provide further information. They do not signify that we endorse the website(s). We have no responsibility for the content of the linked website(s). You may not create a link to this website from another website or document without [business name]’s prior written consent.

Shipping policies are very specific to industry and location. Consider adding information about these shipping topics for your online store:

What do you ship?
Are all your products shippable, or do some restrictions apply?

When do you ship?
Tell your customer at which point you ship out their order.

Where do you ship to?
Let customers know if you ship on a global basis or whether there are exclusions for certain countries or areas.

How do you ship?
Outline the method of transportation and possibly the specific freight companies you use.

Rates to ship?
Consider publishing your rates and/or methods of calculating shipping charges.

How to track an order that's been shipped?
Describe any methods your customer can use to track their shipment.

In-store pick up option?
If you have brick and mortar locations, can customers pick up orders there? Provide locations, directions and hours of operation.

Recycling of packing materials?
Are your packing materials green? Let your customers know how to recycle them.

Is your e-commerce website ready for business? Please ensure your website adheres to the guidelines below:

About Me or Introductory page: provides a brief description of the business and the products/services offered.

Contact page: The name under which you do business (DBA), address and phone must be clearly visible on the site.

Products/Services sold with prices: Pricing is required.

Secure Payment page: SSL Certificate for the website and/or a secure (https) URL is required on the page where secure data is entered.

Terms and Conditions - Shipping and Return/Cancellation Policy: The selling, shipping and billing method must be clear, concise and visible on the website. Cardholders must be informed of when they will receive the product and the policy for making returns. In addition, for businesses providing services that require a contract or waiver agreement, it is important to have these general terms clearly stated on the website as well.

Privacy Policy: Discloses what information is collected and tracked and whom it is shared with.

Please contact the support team using the details on this page for more information.

One key for a successful business is generating repeat business. Satisfied customers come back and buy again. As you put together your website, you should include information on a number of topics in order to promote customer satisfaction. Incorporating these best practices adds transparency and promotes customer communication. We’ve included separate entries on the following topics - you can search for these in the FAQs:

• Website requirements
• Sample return policy
• Sample privacy policy
• Sample shipping policy
• Sample terms and conditions

Yes. You need one account for each website or each project. That way you can have a different statement descriptor for each. Statement descriptors help your customers keep everything straight when they see their transaction charges on their statements. They also help you with your accounting because you can separate income by descriptor.

If you don't want to use another email address, there's an easy way to set up separate accounts, called Plus Addressing. Many email providers (such as Gmail) let you use a mailbox alias. If your current account is [email protected], add a '+' followed by a descriptor to your second email address, such as [email protected]. Although emails will go to the same inbox, we will treat them as unique addresses.

Yes, you can accept payments from any credit and debit cards that your onboarding partner supports from customers anywhere in the world.

The payment types that can be accepted vary based on your onboarding partner. Please contact the support team using the details on this page for more information.

Send us an email on [email protected]  and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

You can reset your password on the main login page by clicking the Reset My Password link.

The dashboard will default to the local time zone of your onboarding partner. You can change the time zone the dashboard displays within Merchant Settings.

The API uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). .

Your API Keys are located under Settings, which you can access by clicking on Account Settings --> API Keys in the navigational toolbar on the side of your Merchant Dashboard once you have signed in.

Administrators and Developers can see API keys. If you cannot see them, it means you have User or User R/W access. Contact the administrator of your account for the API keys or to change your access using the User Management page.

You may not use this site in connection with any of the following businesses and activities or prohibited business activities listed by your onboarding partner:

a. Illegal activities - The sale of any good or service that violates any applicable law or regulation.

b. Certain adult oriented products and services - Child pornography (in all media types such as internet, phone, and printed materials). Any depiction of forcible sex or bestiality is prohibited.

c. Illegal drugs - The sale of illegal pharmaceuticals, illegal drugs, or drug paraphernalia.

d. Counterfeit goods - The sale or marketing of any counterfeit good.

e. Gambling businesses - Illegal online gambling, lotteries (including sale of lottery tickets), games of chance (including sweepstakes and raffles), sports forecasting, odds-making, dog racing, or horse racing.

f. Money making (“get rich”) businesses - Including information guides, warranty fees, mortgage reduction services, and any product or service where a prize is guaranteed, marketing media is unavailable, premiums/incentives are offered, promises of future guaranteed results are made, or any rebate or reward program.

g. Tobacco products - Any activity violating applicable laws or industry regulations regarding the sale of tobacco products.

You can configure your fraud settings at any time by clicking the chevron in the top right corner of the screen (by your name and email), then clicking “Fraud Settings”. The fraud settings screen contains all the fraud rules available to you categorised by rule type. In addition, you can set your Fraud Feature’s notifications and alerts from this page. To enable this rule and/or any other rules on this page, merchants must save their changes at the bottom of the page. Once any change takes place on the page, the “Discard Changes” and “Save Changes” buttons will immediately appear at the bottom of the screen.

Each business is unique and their tolerance for risk may vary. As the business owner, you will likely have the best idea of a number that you find to be appropriate for how many purchases a single customer would make with your business in one hour.

We are unable to propose which countries to exclude. Some merchants determine this list from standard countries sanctioned by your government, a known list of highly fraudulent areas, or from experience in their business.

There are countries that have higher rates of fraudulent activity and these can be targeted to reduce risks where you deem appropriate for your business. This rule only applies to Mastercard and Visa transactions.

This is a threshold that is best determined by your understanding of the customers ordering the goods or services from your business. This can be a short distance within a city, or it could be thousands of kilometres within or outside the country.

The list of IP addresses that is used to check against in determining if the IP is suspicious comes from a database of known suspicious IP addresses. This list is regularly maintained for up-to-date accuracy.

The card is checked against a database that is maintained with a list of cards that have previously received chargebacks. This reduces the processing of cards which have been flagged for such activity. It also reduces the risk of having to return funds on fraudulent transactions after supplying the goods or service.

The payment amount entered is the limit you wish to place on the total amount of a transaction.

A transaction would be reviewed or declined if the number of payments in the last 24 hours is more than the number you set. This payment count is inclusive of all payment channels. For example, if the number was set to 10, once you’ve received payments for 6 invoices and ran 4 payments on the virtual terminal, the next payment regardless of how it was received would be reviewed or declined based on this setting.

Each PC, tablet, or smartphone has a unique set of identifiers similar to a fingerprint that can be used to identify it uniquely. These identifying attributes are collected and referenced to make this determination.

The email that the persons enter in the payment form when checking out is what is used to determine repeat frequency within a 24-hour period.

The number of payments made from the same IP address within the last 60 minutes is counted. You can set a maximum number to allow. Any additional payment from the same IP address within 60 minutes triggers the rule.

The fraud feature helps merchants identify potentially fraudulent transactions using technology that is normally offered at the enterprise level. The fraud settings offer merchants a powerful web dashboard, an intuitive mobile app, and smart alerts, so they can set rules and auto decline transactions based on their risk tolerance in advance of authorising the card. .

Yes, the fraud feature will provide a risk score for any card brand.

Dashboard – View fraud overview, transaction breakdown and current activity.

Customisable rules – Simple, set-and-forget toggles that allow merchants to adjust the fraud settings to match their risk tolerance.

Payment detail screen – A detailed fraud analysis of each transaction, including comprehensive list of payment and location details.

Weekly fraud summary – Weekly report to keep merchants informed about potential fraud risks.

Smart alerts – Provides actionable intelligence that guides merchants in handling potential fraudulent activity. .

The fraud feature uses a complex algorithm to deliver at-a-glance information about a merchant’s potential exposure to fraudulent activity via an intuitively simple dashboard.

The fraud score helps you protect your business by flagging for review payments that are medium- or high-risk based on fraud score, or by automatically declining high-risk payments based on fraud score.

Merchants may set the fraud score rule to become familiar with Controls capabilities, then expand their use to specific rules categories. Some merchants choose to only use the fraud score rule. A description of the fraud score and it's components is provided to merchant on the Fraud Settings page.

When merchants enable this rule, any future payment attempts in their online checkout that meet the criteria selected in their rule will either be flagged for review or automatically declined during the customer's checkout. .

Payment, deposit and customer data can be exported as CSV files following the data export instructions. You can find this by searching for Data Export in the search bar.

Yes. You can import information from your account into Quicken or Quick Books online using our data export feature. You can find these instructions by searching for Data Export in the search bar.

We make it easy for developers to add hosted payments to a merchant site, with three different ways to add them, depending on your needs. To use hosted payments, you must create a new API Key pair with the hosted payments flag selected. You must use this key pair when configuring hosted payments. After signing into your account, your API Keys can be located at: Settings -> API Keys.

If you believe a charge is fraudulent, a refund should be issued right away.

The Risk Breakdown section of the fraud feature’s dashboard provides you with a thorough listing of information about the transaction, including any rules that were triggered and caused the transaction to be declined.

You can also view this information within the fraud data exports.

A plan is a means to pay for an item in fixed amounts at specified intervals. For example, I create a $10 Monthly Cookie Order plan with a frequency of Monthly and amount of $10.

Refunds and partial refunds can be done through API or through the dashboard. Our Refund API documentation describes how to create, list and find refunds using the Simplify APIs and provides examples.

To refund a charge on the merchant dashboard, click on the 'Payments' section on the menu bar at the side of the page and select the charge you wish to refund. The transaction details for the charge will display. Click 'Refund' in the top right corner of the display, enter the refund amount (up to the original amount of the transaction), and supply a refund reason if you wish to. Click the 'Make Refund' button. You can issue partial refunds.

Refunds and partial refunds can be done through API or through the dashboard. Our Refund API documentation describes how to create, list and find refunds using the Simplify APIs and provides examples. To refund a charge on the merchant dashboard, click on the 'Payments' section on the menu bar at the side of the page and select the charge you wish to refund. The transaction details for the charge will display. Click 'Refund' in the top right corner of the display, enter the refund amount (up to the original amount of the transaction), and supply a refund reason if you wish to. Click the 'Make Refund' button. You can issue partial refunds.

Your onboarding partner sends the refund to the customer's card issuer immediately. The issuer will process the refund, and your customer can expect to see the refund in 1 to 7 business days.