SmartCart: Incorporating Workflow Solutions

Written by Kristen Zenz

In this SmartCart series, you learned the basics of SmartCart, how to customize your cart with columns, and how to modify carts and products. Now we approach the final installment, where you will learn how to integrate Midwest Tape’s Workflow Solutions into your shopping experience.

How do I input instructions for individual titles?
Follow the directions below to add notes to your order. These notes are only for your benefit. They will show up on your invoice, but they will not affect processing done by Midwest Tape.

1.) Under the Instructions tab, you can specify details for line item, spine label, call number, processing notes, and internal notes. These notes apply to individual titles.

2.) You can also adjust Quantities, Branch Distributions, and fund amounts under the Quantity tab.

Note: If you wish to sign up for our customized processing service, fill out our workflow solutions brochure or call 800.875.2785 to speak to a customer service representative.

What if I need to add the same information for a group of titles?
With Midwest Tape’s SmartCart you can add instructions for multiple titles with Mass Edit Instructions.

1.) Check the corresponding box to the left of the title.

2.) Select Mass Edit Instructions from the Products dropdown menu.

3.) Check the fields you wish to edit and fill in the instructions. These new instructions will overwrite existing instructions.

4.) Click the radio button “all items in the cart” or “all just the selected items” and then update to change the instructions.

5.) From the Products menu, you can also Set Funds as well as Set Branch Distributions for multiple items.

How do I download cataloging records?
SmartCart allows you to download Vendor Records (free) and MARC on the Spot Records ($1.20/title) directly from our site.

1.) Click Download in the command toolbar.

2.) Select between Vendor and MARC on the Spot records.

3.) If you are not set-up to download MARC Records, you will be prompted to fill out a Full OCLC Acceptance Form.

4.) Check out our additional guides on how to download MARC on the Spot and Vendor MARC Records.

This concludes our SmartCart blog series, but be sure to look for our upcoming SmartCart video tutorial. In the meantime, play around with SmartCart and share your thoughts and experiences here as comments.

SmartCart: Moving Carts and Product

Previously in this SmartCart series you learned the basics of SmartCart and how to customize your cart with columns. Now you will learn how to quickly modify and share your cart and its contents. Here are five examples of how moving products and carts can make your ordering process more efficient:

I want to combine my fiction and non-fiction audiobook carts.
Instead of reselecting your titles manually, SmartCart makes it possible to merge multiple carts into one single cart.

1. Once you are in your cart, select Merge Carts from the Cart dropdown menu.

2. Select two or more source carts you want to merge using the checkboxes in the carts to merge column.

3. Choose a final cart from the final cart column. The other carts will be merged into the final cart, making it your active cart.

4. Click the Merge button at the bottom of the page; you will now be viewing your active, merged cart.

I want to share my cart with other members of my acquisitions team.
Other account holders can add to and edit your carts when you share them.

1. Select Share Cart from the cart dropdown menu. Or, click the Share Cart icon in the command toolbar.

2. Check the first box in the dialog box. If you plan to order this cart, make sure you set an expiration date. You won’t be able to order from this cart until it is unshared. Here you can also add optional text.

3. Select with whom you want to share the cart.

4. Click Lock Down to set restrictions for non-administrative users.

5. Click Send Invitations.

I want another account holder to have full use of my cart.
SmartCart lets you relinquish your carts to other users. However, once you send your cart you will no longer have access to it.

1. Select Send Cart from the Cart dropdown menu.

2. Specify to whom you would like to send the cart. You can also rename the cart and add additional comments. Click Send Cart.

I don’t want to order a certain title yet, but it’s in my cart now.
Instead of deleting a title from your cart and trying to remember to reorder, SmartCart lets you move the product to a different cart for later use.

1. Select Move Products from the Products drop-down menu.

2. To move multiple products, check the titles’ corresponding boxes and then click the Move icon in the command toolbar.

3. Choose whether you want to move the titles into an existing cart or a new cart, and then click Move. The titles will be removed from their initial cart and placed into their new cart.

I want to duplicate titles in my fiction cart to a new suspense cart.
Copying products in SmartCart allows you to keep products in your original cart while adding them to another.

1. Select Copy Products from the Products dropdown menu.

2. To copy multiple products, check the titles’ corresponding boxes and then click the Copy icon in the command toolbar.

3. Choose whether you want to copy the titles into an existing cart or a new cart, and then click Copy. The titles will stay in their initial cart and be placed into their new cart.

Now that you know how to modify your cart and its contents, look for our last installment of the SmartCart series about incorporating Workflow Solutions into your checkout experience. In the meantime, explore SmartCart yourself and share your thoughts and insights here as comments.

SmartCart: Customizing Your Cart with Columns

In the SmartCart series’ first installment, you learned the basics of SmartCart. Now that you are feeling comfortable with SmartCart, I’ll show you how using columns can easily organize your cart, making for quick and easy modifications.

I can’t see the full title of product in my cart.
SmartCart allows you to adjust the width of each column individually.

1. Place your cursor between two columns and drag the mouse to the desired width.

I want the author column to come directly after the title column.
SmartCart gives you the option to rearrange the order of columns.

1. Hold down your mouse on the column header you want to move. A box should appear with the corresponding column name in it.

2. Drag the column to its new position.

I want to organize the products in my cart by sales rank.
Every SmartCart column can be sorted in ascending or descending order.

1. Click the column header (sales rank) by which you want your products sorted. Clicking once will sort the products in ascending order; clicking again will sort in descending order.

I don’t want to see the box office column when I am ordering audiobooks.
With SmartCart you can eliminate columns that aren’t helpful in your ordering.

1. Click the Columns icon in the command toolbar.

2. Select which columns you want to be visible. The columns will automatically update as you make your selections. Note: We recently added the following columns: Line Items, Spine Label, Call Number, and Processing Notes.

3. Click Close to return to SmartCart. Your selected columns will now become the default until you decide to change your selections again.

Now that you know how to utilize columns, look for our next installment of the SmartCart series about making modifications to your carts and their contents. In the meantime, try SmartCart yourself and share your insights and experiences here as comments.

SmartCart: Your Vehicle to Efficient Ordering

So you’ve done your shopping with the help of SmartBrowse and your cart is overflowing with the hottest audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs. Now what? Before you check out, adjust and modify your order with Midwest Tape’s SmartCart. Not sure where to start? Check out this guide to some of the cart’s basic functions.

How do I create a new cart?
There are two simple ways to create a new cart on the Midwest Tape website. The first is within SmartBrowse.

1. Select Add to Cart, once you have found your product in SmartBrowse.

2. Find New Cart from the Cart dropdown and click Add.

3. Enter cart information to personalize your cart.

If you are in SmartCart, follow these directions:

1. Select New Cart from the Cart dropdown menu.

2. Insert a name and PO for your new cart, select an account, and click Create.

3. Once created, use SmartBrowse to find products to add to your new cart. Look for the third part in this series, where I will show you how to move product between carts.

How do I find my cart?
1. Click View Cart in the toolbar.

2. If you are using Normal Cart, click SmartCart in the upper right-hand corner.

3. Not the right cart? Select Open Another Cart in the Cart dropdown menu, or click on the switch cart link at the top center of the screen. Then select the desired cart from a list of all of your available carts. You can also click Switch Cart on the top of the homepage.

My library doesn’t need any more country music CDs. How do I delete all the country titles from my cart?
Sorting product is quick and simple with Midwest Tape’s SmartCart.

1. Click the genre header to sort the titles alphabetically by genre.

2. Click the corresponding boxes to the left of the country titles.

3. Delete these titles by clicking Delete in the command toolbar.

4. You can also Delete Products by clicking the Products dropdown menu.

5. Similarly, you can Copy and Move multiple products in this way.

I have too many titles in my cart. Can SmartCart help me decide between titles?
Are you debating between two titles but unsure of which to choose? Midwest Tape incorporates reviews from Rotten Tomatoes (DVD) and All Music (CD) into SmartCart. You can find these reviews in the tabbed section on the bottom portion of the screen.

(Rotten Tomatoes)

(All Music)

How do I review the details of each title before checking out?
SmartCart makes it easy to review each product in your cart without having to reenter SmartBrowse.

1. Highlight a title in the grid in the top half of the screen, and then click the detail tab in the bottom half of the screen.

There has been a rising demand for a particular title. How can I increase our order quantity?

1. In the top grid, highlight the title in question. Adjust the quantity and branch allocations under the Quantity tab.

I keep physical copies of all our orders. Is there a way to print a copy of my cart for my records?

1. Select Print Cart from the Cart menu.

2. Select how much detail you would like to see; upon selection, a new window will open.

3. In the new window, select Print from the File menu.

I can’t checkout because I have “unavailable product.” What should I do?
If you have unavailable product in your cart, after you click the Check-Out button in the command toolbar, you will receive the following notice:

You can’t submit your order until all unavailable products have been removed from your cart. There are two ways to do this:

1. Select Remove ALL Unavailable Products under the Products dropdown menu.

2. Manually select the unavailable product(s) and delete them. To do so, checkmark or highlight the title that needs deleted and click Delete in the command toolbar.
Note: Unavailable products will have a line through them.

Now that you know the basics of SmartCart, look for our next installment of the SmartCart series about customizing columns. In the meantime, please try out SmartCart and share your insights and experiences here as comments.