Welcome to Day 7 of the ‘How to run a Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign’ workshop.  This workshop runs between 27th January to 17th February 2010.  Designed specifically for Zen Cart store owners, each day we will focus on one task to guide you as you run a Valentine’s Day promotion campaign.

Today we will be adding a Valentine’s Day specific sidebox to your Zen Cart store. 

Jump to today’s task – Add a ‘Countdown to Valentine’s Day’ Sidebox in Zen Cart

Today’s task is about putting your customers in the mood for love and romance by reminding them that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. 

The sidebox provides a countdown to the number of days to Valentine’s Day and can also include additional information regarding your Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign.

We will look at installing the sidebox and then go on to customising the content of the sidebox.

Installing the Countdown Sidebox

1. Download the ‘Countdown to Valentine’s Day Sidebox’ .zip file.
2. Expand the .zip file and take note where you have saved the contents of the compressed file.
3. Using your favourite FTP program, connect to your store and navigate to your store’s root folder.
   
4. In the local files window, navigate to the folder containing the ‘Countdown to Valentine’s Day’ files.  Double click on the folder.
5. Right-click the includes folder and select Upload.
   
6. Log in to your store’s Zen Cart Admin.
7. From the Tools menu, select Layout Boxes Controller.  You will notice at the top of the screen an informational message.
   
8. By default, the new sidebox will be switched off.  Click the Edit button next to the sidebox.
   
9. Click the On option under Left/Right Column Status:  to switch on the Valentine’s Day sidebox.  Then select either Left or Right column option and the sort order according to your preference.  Click Update to save your selection.
   
10. View the new sidebox from your store’s home page.

Customising the Countdown Sidebox

To customise the Valentine’s Day message that appears under the countdown:

/includes/languages/english/extra_definitions/valentine_sidebox_defines.php

To change the background image:

/includes/templates/template_default/images/heart.png

To change the target date or other aspects of the countdown:

/includes/templates/template_default/sideboxes/tpl_valentine_sidebox.php 

Today’s Task

Install the ‘Countdown to Valentine’s Day Sidebox’. Customise the sidebox as required.

The next task will be exploring the use of up-selling, cross-selling and other techniques in your Valentine’s Day Promotion Campaign.

Good luck!  Any questions, please use the comments section below.