1. Sign up for an Affiliate Account.
The first step in starting your virtual pilot shop is first to set up your affiliate account. The affiliate account tracks sales made in the experimental system that allows you to get paid. Click this link to sign up for a Pilots HQ Affiliate Account.
2. Identify the products you would like to stock or highlight to your customers.
Regardless of whether you wish to hold stock to sell to customers in a display case, it is still essential to identify the products you think your customers will be interested in purchasing. Pilots HQ carries over 28,000 products today, and we add more every day, so it can sometimes be overwhelming for customers to find what they need quickly.
With that in mind, we can create a custom category (i.e., collection) that users from your location can browse. This collection is beneficial for Flight schools that identify specific course material that is utilized for training.
The list you provide will be utilized to create this custom category and compile the initial order for any such display case or back stock you wish to keep.
3. Purchase Equipment
Since our platform is web-based, the virtual pilot shop could work on any device. However, we recommend using an Apple iPad and an anti-theft kiosk and will give instructions on how to set up the device for customer use.
Choosing an iPad -
- Setting the initial device settings.
- When you get a new device it is required that you go through the manufacture's setup process. This would include setting the device password.
- Restricting allowable websites
- Restricting the device to only browse allowed websites will ensure that the device is not used for anything but ordering product.
- Navigate to "SETTINGS > RESTRICTIONS"
- Set a pass code
- Navigate to "ALLOWED CONTENT > WEBISITES"
- Select "SPECIFIC WEBSITES ONLY"
- Goto "ADD A WEBSITE"
- Add "http://pilotshq.com" and/or the web address of the virtual pilot shop website. (http://myshopify.[YOURSTORENAME].com)
- Add any additional websites that you wish to allow users to navigate to.
- Setting up the website bookmarks/Home Page
- Open the SAFARI app.
- Navigate to the desired webpage.
- For Experimental users you must use your affiliate link. (http://pilotshq.com/?ref=[YOUR AFFILIATE ID])
- For all other plans you must use your designated virtual pilot shop url. (http://myshopify.[YOURSTORENAME].com)
- Note : You can also direct the favorites or homepage to your custom collection by using: "https://pilotshq.com/collections/[Collection name]?ref=[YOUR AFFILIATE ID]" or "http://myshopify.[YOURSTORENAME].com/collections/[Collection name]".
- Click the "+" icon and select "Add to Favorites"
- Click the "+" icon and select "Add to Bookmarks"
- Click the "+" icon and select "Add to Home Page"
- Using Guided Access
- Guided Access ensures that the user cannot access other apps on the device.
- To setup Guided Access:
- Access SETTINGS > GENERAL > GUIDED ACCESS
- Turn on the feature and set a passcode
- Open the Safari app
- Triple click the Home Button
- Deactivating Guided Access Mode
- Triple click the Home Button
- Enter the Passcode
- Resetting the Tracking Cookie (for Experimental Plan Users)
- Sales are recorded and tracked using a tracking cookie that is installed on the device when the user navigates to the affiliate link. Therefore, to ensure that sales are properly and accurately recorded, the cookie should be refreshed every 24 hours.
- To refresh the tracking cookie, you simply have to navigate to the affiliate link set as a bookmark/favorite/home page.
Video on how to set website restrictions and enable Guided Access Mode.
Video on how to set bookmarks/favorites/Home page.
3. Creating a Process for Selling (In-Stock / Display Case Items)
If you are selling a product out of a display case or back stock, it is essential to set up a process to ensure that an order is created to replenish the product sold. Organizations on the experimental plan do not have a method for users to select will call pickup options. Therefore, a process has to be created for a customer to take a currently in-stock product.
- Instruct the user to purchase the product from the device using the company's shipping address operating the virtual pilot shop.
- Have the user present a copy of the proof of purchase. (the order acknowledgment email)
- Confirm the correct shipping address for the order.
- Release the product to the customer.
Since the order is in our system with a shipping address of your location, a replenishment order will be shipped upon the set schedule.
If you need further assistance please contact us at: sales@pilotshq.com or (888) 798-4479.