Authorized Store Seal/Certificate Integration Process

The Authorized Store Seal & Certificate uses todays latest technology to display on your store/website. The seal uses flexible Java Script code to display in almost any position desired. The Authorized Store retail certificate or “Seal of Integrity” can display “On Hover” or by physically clicking on it. It will also automatically pop up/display/position itself, based on its page location.

Multiple sizes and colors can be selected for use in a website footer area or even in a designated category and/or product page position. Usually, it is overkill to use most retail seals on a product page, but the Authorized Store seal, in particular, provides product and brand loyalists with the added confidence they need in order to buy from your store. So, feel free to use it liberally!

Integration

Some website/technical knowledge is required to properly install the Authorized Store seal code. If you have coding/programming/technical ability and hosting provider access, you can install the code yourself, but we recommend that you copy/paste the code for each seal type desired, then forward the code by e-mail to your developer for proper installation. Be sure to clarify and designate where you want each seal to appear on your website. See our: “Technical Requirements” located in our Retailer Guidelines section for additional guidelines/needs.

Seal/Certificate Display

Once the code is properly installed, the seal/certificate will display in the position/positions designated on your website. Access and use of the seal/certificate will continue as long as the store/retailer remains in good standing as an approved Authorized Store. (Good standing = consistently following our Code of Ethics and Standards, our Retailer guidelines and by maintaining a fully paid or current account)

Seal/Certificate Type and Color Selection

Authorized Store seal and certificate primary colors are Khaki Green and Light Purple. These colors are meant to denote a sense of officiality and authenticity. Although we suggest the use of these colors, we have made the seal available in other primary colors to match almost any website template or color scheme. Seals and Certificates are selected in our “Seal/Configuration Downloads” section, located in the Retail Portal. The portal is accessible, once registration/signup is complete.

Seal Placement Suggestions

Our seal and certificate have been designed to be very flexible for use on almost any e-commerce website. The seal, certificate and retail profile page are meant to work in conjunction, providing consumers with the sense of comfort they need, in order to purchase products from your store.

Suggestions for Seal placement are:

• Floating Left or Floating right - This means that the seal will stay in a fixed, visible position, when the user scrolls up or down. The seal remains visible. This seal type works great for desktop viewing, but it becomes less desirable on smaller screens…ie…Pad devices and/or mobile phones.

Suggested use- If seal visibility is always desired, this method of display provides continuous access.

• Fixed in Footer - This means the seal is placed below all other footer items, such as links. Typical placement is next to other seals or registration marks. The seal is visible only if a person scrolls completely down to the bottom of the footer.

Suggested use - This is the most typical display method for most retail seals. It provides user access from any page, but it is not consistently or overly prominent.

• Fixed in Category or Product Pages - This means the seal is placed alongside of either specific brand introductions and/or next to any 1 or more products. The Java Script code can be embedded right into a specific page or it can be imbedded into e-commerce store advertising extensions/plugins that allow for banner type displays.
• For Magento Connect and Wordpress Plugin installations: Once vetting fee/recurring fees are paid and retailer/store is approved, seal code can be accessed in the Authorized Store Retailer Interface. Place seal code in extension/plugin for left/right float seal options only. All other installation/location choices must be done by a developer with direct seal code placement.

Suggested use- The nature of the Authorized Store seal/certificate make it perfect for product page display. Prominent, repetitive use makes complete sense, when you consider the confidence building capability of the seal.

Authorized Store Official Certificate

The official Authorized Store certificate provides consumers with a quick, pop up view detail about Authorized Store benefits and the approved retail/store current status. For most consumers, the detail provided is sufficient to provide an understanding of our service and comfort with the retail. From the certificate, the consumer can click through to the MercRetailhant Profile Page for more information on the retail or they can click through to the Authorized Store Home Page. See our: Retailer Interface section for more details

The certificate can be set to display on hover or by click. Once the certificate opens, it automatically positions/orients itself based on its location for the best possible view.