Aspenware 101 - Training Agenda/Topics

Owned by Marty Niessen
Last updated: Jul 24, 2024 by Jakub Swihart
12 min read

Pt. 1 - Aspenware Admin Common Tasks

Covers commonly used areas and configuration in Aspenware Admin. (Estimated training time 2 - 4hours)

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Aspenware’s Customer Hub Overview

  • One-stop-shop for all reference materials

  • Written for all stake-holders

  • Overview of guide structure & how to search/use

  • Review Services Explained page

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/aspenware-service-explained

 

 

Settings

  • Controls store-wide settings for AW features

    • IE: Season start/end, default cat, hidden cat(s), store-wide cutoff time, etc

  • Searching/editing/adding strings

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Store-wide-Settings-(All-settings)-Library.1057654855.html

 

 

Language Strings

  • Controls languages across the site

  • Searching/editing/adding strings

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Language-Strings-Library.1079312387.html

 

 

HTML Widgets

  • Controls additional language strings, banners, and images across the store

    • IE: Main hero, my account image, checkout background, voucher banner, checkout text

  • Templates require specific widget zone(s) and HTML code

  • Certain templates are not fully HTML editable

    • IE: header/footer

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/HTML-Widgets-Library.1102610433.html

 

 

Message Templates

  • Houses templates for emails sent to guests

    • IE: order complete, failed order, etc

  • Uses tokens to populate guest information

    • IE: Name, address, order number, and purchased product details

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Emails.1252425733.html

 

 

Order Queue

  • Set up failed order notifications (3 email limit)

  • Status: ready, processing, success, failed

  • Failed order review and reporting process

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/failed-order-troubleshooting

 

 

Orders

  • Ability to review order information

    • ie: Customer information, purchased products, subtotal

  • Ignore order status

  • Do not modify orders (delete, cancel, refund, etc.)

  • Order History in my account

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Order-History.1786774614.html

 

 

Reports

  • Order details, GL export, etc.

  • AW team can create a custom report if required

AW standard reports prepopulated

 

 

Customers

  • Ability to assign roles

    • ie: Admin, reservation team/guest services, etc

    • To edit customer, phone number required

  • Do not delete accounts from AW

  • Do not modify customer information except for phone number and role

    • Can review historical orders and login activity

  • Impersonate users

    • Ability to troubleshoot as guest

    • Not reccomended to submit orders or sign waivers on behalf of guest

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Customer-Role-Assignment.1205862924.html

 

 

Tax Setup

  • Settings: shoppingcartsettings.displaytax

  • Tax Categories: Create tax name

  • Tax Providers: Add tax rate

    • Recommend to use ‘Fixed Rate’

      • If toggled off ‘fixed rate’ to ‘by country’, ‘by country’ rates are enforced, even if not set

  • Tax Settings: Define default tax, set to inclusive or exclusive

  • Assign tax to product(s)

    • Cannot be assinged at attribute-level or category-level

    • Add-on products can have a different tax configured than the core-product

    • Only a single tax and tax rate can be assigned to each product

    • Non-itemized taxes that have different tax rates, will appear in checkout as a single line item

  • Itemized taxes are supported for only exclusive taxes.

    • If a product has multiple taxes, they are combined into a single customized tax ie:

      • Tax Name: “GST 4% & PST 6%”

      • Total Tax Amount: 10%

    • Multiple tax lines can appear in customer’s cart and checkout if products with different taxes are added to the guest’s cart ie:

      • Rentals 5% tax

      • Passes 6% tax

    • Taxes are passed into RTP as a single value and RTP product config distributes the amount to the correct tax for accounting

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Taxes.1276575773.html

 

 

 

Pt. 2 - Aspenware Product Build Overview

Covers basic requirements to build a working product. (Estimated training time 2 - 4 hours.)

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Categories

  • Create/edit/delete: Advanced view, display order, SEO, inc top menu, Customer Roles

  • Settings: Hidden cats, default cats

  • Reordering products in a category

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Categories.1079083311.html

 

 

Sub-categories

  • No products can be assigned to a parent-cat. if sub-cat. exists

  • Each sub-cateogry needs at least one product assigned to it

  • A minimum of two guest facing sub-categories are required

  • Consider character length/sub-category limit on mobile view

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Configuration:-Categories.1082163298.html

 

 

Product shell creation

(simple product)

  • Product list page overview

  • Define key terms, shell creation overview, POS requirements, best practices

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Product-Shell.1140850893.html

 

 

Attributes & Attribute Values

  • Showcase PDP, define key terms, explain hierarchy diagram

  • Create/edit/delete: naming, desc, pipe |, preselect, used by products, deletion impact

  • Add to core product:

    • Define Text Prompts

    • Is required

    • Define Control types

    • Display order

    • editing/adding value, adding icon image

  • Generating combinations

    • Generating all possible vs several combinations

    • SKUs

    • Pricing

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Product-Attributes.1140719802.html

 

 

Simple Add-on

  • Requires an add-on product be built

    • Pricing and SKU defined here

  • Requires an add-on attribute be built

    • Required to link add-on product to core product

    • No predefined value needed

  • Associate the attribute’s value to the add-on product

    • Navigate to core product, add attribute, create attribute value, associate value to add-on product

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Add-On-Products.1150648402.html

 

 

Attributed Add-on

  • Add-on product settings:

    • Attribute added, linked attribute enabled, attribute combos generated, SKUs and price defined

  • Requires an add-on attribute be built

    • Required to link add-on product to core product

    • No predefined value needed

  • Core product settings:

    • Navigate to core product, add add-on attribute, create attribute value, associate value to add-on product, check “add product attribute combinations”, name add-on

    • “Linked” attribute setting must match the attribute that is on both Core product & Add-on product

      • Attribute values on linked product must be identical

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Add-On-Products.1150648402.html

 

 

Conditional Attributes

  • Conditions dynamically change what attributes are displayed on a PDP

    • For a conditional attribute to display, it must be mapped to a ‘triggering’ attribute’s value. On the PDP, a guest must select the ‘tigger’ value in order for the conditional attribute to display.

  • Limited to one condition per attribute value

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Configuration:-Product-Attributes.1140719809.html#Configuration:ProductAttributes-5.(Optional)SetUpConditionalAttributes

 

 

Specification Attributes

  • Ability to add special rules to products (ie: product cannot be booked day of, collect prompt info in checkout, etc)

  • Assigned at the product-level only

Included in various config docs.

 

 

 

Pt. 3 - Aspenware Product Build Overview continued

Continues basic requirements with additional features to build a working product. (Estimated training time 2 - 4 hours)

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Product Classifications

  • Flags a product with different rules

    • ie: requires assignment in checkout, prevent duplicate assignment, etc

  • Feature enables viewing assignments, creating classifications, and classification assignment

    • Can assign at product or attribute level

    • Cannot assign to category level

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/product-classifications-library

 

 

Age Ranges

  • Controls which guests can be assigned to a product based on defined age-ranges.

  • Age Range Types (defines calculation method)

    • ie: Trip start, today’s date, or a specificed date.

      • Note: trip start will not work on non-date based products

  • Age Range - defines the start/end age

    • Must be associated to an Age Range Type (calculation method)

  • Age Range Assignments - assign Age Range(s) to a core product or an attribute value

  • AW age configuration should match POS rules

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Age-Rules.1040318550.html

 

 

Waivers

  • Enables waiver completion in checkout and my account page

  • Waivers display custom HTML

    • Can be signed with wet signature, checkbox, and typed name

  • Title is viewable to guests, esnure date range is active, use source code, add blank space at end of waiver to ensure scrolling doesn't cover text

  • Ensure date ranges are always active or checkout will be blocked

  • 1Risk compatible

    • Hosted 3rd party integration

    • Requires additional 1Risk fee

    • Ability to email waviers for non-present signers

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Waivers-(Standard-and-1Risk).1166835725.html

 

 

Autofulfill

  • Autofulfil marks the sale as “posted” or “finalized” in the POS

    • When used, revenue recognition is recognized as sale-date

    • Often used for products such as lift tickets & passes to allow guest to go direct-to-lift or use a PUB

    • Not used for rentals as a rental form is not created via auto-fulfillment

  • Applied at product-level or attribute value level

    • Attribute value level must be mapped individually

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Autofulfill%2FFinalize-Sale.1181155441.html

 

 

Pass Media

  • Enables a Media Assignment step during checkout

    • If the guest has existing media in POS and it is determined to be eligible for reloading, they can reload

      • Orders must be fulfilled in the POS for the system to enable media reload

    • Guests may always select to add new media

  • Create media product, set media priority, add prefix OR type code, assign to product or product attribute

  • Can charge for new media

  • 'All Settings' controls whether passmedia# or RFID# is displayed online

  • Language Strings controls naming mechanism

  • Optionally, unassigned media can be associated to a guest on the my account page, PDP, or during checkout

  • SW only

    • Prefix and pass media type code are not applicable

    • Valid Departments - only supports 1 department currently and must be set

    • Valid Season Count - calculates media reload eligibility based on the media’s original creation date and must be set

      • Calculates off the season start date setting in AW

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Pass-Media-Selection-(Reload)%2FPick-Up-Box.1181221130.html

 

 

 

Pt. 4 - Additional Aspenware Features Training

Covers in-depth setup for additional Aspenware Commerce features. (Estimated training time varies with desired topics)

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Topics

Key Points

Link

Video Guide (Duration)

Training Status

Dynamic Pricing

  • Promotes guests to book early and can increase margin on late bookings

  • Settings enable pricing to change based on

    • Days to arrival (number of days out)

      • Days to Arrival defines guest pricing based on number of days out from activity date

        • A minimum of one user generated ‘Days To Arrival’ setting is required and must be set to “0”

      • Never name a user-generated Days to Arrival window “Base”

        • “Base” is required and will be automatically generated after creating your first Days to Arrival entry

        • Adding prices during “Pricing Calendar” step for “Base” is optional; It is used to calculate percent difference between “window rate” and current price

    • Time Periods (Specified dates or date sets)

      • “Time Periods” define the Start Date the product can be selected for purchase.

        • A Time Period is a collection of date(s) that share the same pricing rules.

        • If you edit a Time Period’s date range on one product it affects editing all future products that will have that time period assigned

          • It is recommended to plan your dates in advance, as creating a time period has greater flexibility than editing a Time Period

      • “Time Period Groups”: Host a set of time periods. Multiple Time Period Groups can be assigned to a product

        • A Time Period Group cannot be deleted from the UI

    • Levels - (Pricing adjusted by sales volume)

      • An optional setting that enables pricing to adjust based on sales volume

        • eg: First 10 adult tickets sold for Xmas are $90 > next 15 adult tickets sold for Xmas are $100.. and so on.

        • Once all defined levels have been sold through, the final defined price is used (note, “Base” pricing is never used)

      • Levels are set on individual attribute combinations

      • If multiple “Days to Arrival” settings are created, Levels will be defined within each

        • eg: “1 month out” has first 10 tickets for Xmas at $90 > Next 10 tickets for Xmas at $100; “day of” is defined separately and has first 10 tickets for Xmas at $110 > and next 14 tickets for Xmas at $115

      • This cannot be used to manage inventory, inventory can be managed by syncing from the POS

  • Pricing Calendar

    • The Pricing Calendar ties all the previous tabs together, enabling pricing to be originally set or adjusted later

    • Pricing is set on an Attribute Combination aka “Product Variant”

    • ( )Parentheses indicate the number of days out window being priced

    • The variant without Parentheses indicates the “Base” price or window rate; reminder Base price is never sold in AW and is optionally used to calculate % savings

    • Ensure to save after entering pricing on each variant

  • Review Pricing Tab

    • This is used to check sales and ensure pricing has been added for all dates

  • Additional notes

    • Feature for date-based products only

      • “Start Date” attribute is required

      • “Dynamic Pricing” Product Classification is required

    • Pricing is not reflected to guests until the gear icon’s “Clear Cache” button is cycled (“Save and Continue edit” does not accomplish this)

    • A minimum of 1 attribute combination is required

    • A product that is dynamically priced cannot be un-dynamically priced

    • Copying a product does not replicate dynamic pricing

    • Attributes can be added/changed later but must be priced again in the tool

    • Priced dates must be removed from legacy tool IF there are no sales on that date

    • Optional “Large Calendar” Product classification can be used and note the text prompt

      • [Pricing Calendar] tag must beadded to all applicable attributes on the core product

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Reimagined-Dynamic-Pricing.1948090463.html

 

 

Inventory Pools (RTP)

Max4Sale (SW)

  • Loads inventory from the POS to control available quantities on specified dates

  • Inventory mappings can be set at the product, attribute, or attribute combination level

    • Each setting requires its own mapping

      • ie: Adult and child products sharing the same inventory pool will need their own mappings

  • Multiple inventory pools can be mapped to the same product and the lower value will be used by AW

  • Only Date-based products can utilize AW inventory settings

    • ie: Start Date attribute settings are required for inventoried products

  • ‘Locking’ reserves a product for the guest when added to their cart for a specified period of time

    • If locking time expires and the guest attempts to complete checkout, either:

      1. a new lock will be obtained if inventory is available

      2. they will be prevented from purchasing the product

    • Inventory locking is defaulted to 15 mins, but can be updated in inventory settings

  • AW only depletes inventory from the POS on checkout completion

  • Initial product inventory configuration syncs from the POS “on the hour”

    • After initial product configuration, inventory syncs every 5-20 mins based on Azure settings

  • “Number of Days” can be set to book a consecutive multi-day product and will decrement inventory for each day

    • ie: if a 3-day product is being booked, and there is no inventory on any of those dates the 3-day product will be unavailable to purchase

  • If an order fails:

    • Inventory in Admin cannot be edited or deleted

    • Inventory is not decremented from the POS until the order reprocesses succesfully

    • AW should be contacted if an order cannot be sucessfully processed

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Inventory.1109426248.html

 

 

Cross Sell

  • Promotes selling additional product(s)

  • Displays “Cross Sell” product(s) on the core product’s:

    • Bottom of the mini-cart

    • An optional Lightbox "pop-up" window

  • Cross Sell product(s) displays their image, name, price, and a limited number of characters from the product's short description​

  • Product-level settings determine which Cross Sell products will display and determines the number of times a Lightbox pop-up will be displayed

  • Store-wide settings stipulate the maximum number of products that can be displayed in the Lightbox and in the mini cart

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Cross-Sell.1925316615.html

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Related-Products.1900740800.html

 

 

Related Products

  • Promotes selling additional product(s)

  • Displays “Related Products” on the PDP below the long description

  • Related Product(s) displays their image and name

    • If the theme supports “Meta-Text”, a limited number of characters from the product’s ”Meta title” will display

    • If the theme supports Price on product cards, the price will display if a value is added

  • There is no limit to the number of Related Products that can be added

  • Display ordering can be edited in Admin

  • The default title, “Related Products” can be changed in Languages​

  • Long product titles may enlarge related products cards to fit titles​

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Related-Products.1900740800.html

 

 

Discounts

  • Discounts are created directly out of AWC

  • Product-level discounts for RTP & SW

    • Order-level discounts for SW as well

  • Supported discounts are

    • Dollar-based discount

    • Flat-Rate Discount

    • Order Total Discount

    • Percentage-based Discount

    • Product Discount

  • Restrictions by discount code, spefific dates, specific products

  • Can auto-apply code via a link with code in URL

  • Orders with discounts sent to the POS does not include details on the discount, but AW reports can be created to track discount details

  • Code collected in Shopping Cart (not checkout)

  • Add-on discounting is supported but discounts are not supported for shipping fees or attributed add-ons

  • Enable "discountbox" in settings and optionally rename the box "shoppingcart.discountcouponcode.button"

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Discounts.1237942273.html

 

 

Security

  • Fradulant IP Blocking

  • Admin MFA

  • Kount Command

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/security

 

 

Rental Profile & Locations

  • Rental Profile

    • Fields are populated from values in RTP

    • Skier type 'info' text or link can be added

    • Historical value from guest preloaded when existing in RTP

  • Rental Locations

    • RTP “Days = units” only supported

    • Orders placed with a Rental Location product and a non-Rental Location product will be sent to the POS as two separate orders.

      • The rental Location product will go to the Rental “Sales” Location

      • The non-rental product will go to the resort’s defined Ecommerce Sales Channel.

      • The order in RTP will display the order number as two parts ie: AW1001-1 and AW1001-2.

    • A Default Rental location can be setup, this will auto-assign orders and will not display as a selection for guests

    • All rental products and add-ons within an order are assigned to a single rental location

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Rental-Profile-and-Locations.1263370241.html

 

 

Child Registration

  • Stored info from RTP will prepopulate into AWC

  • Autofill capabilty that cascades upper registrees details to all lower registrees

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Child-Registration.1298629332.html

 

 

Delivery / Shipping (RTP Only)

  • Shipping can be assigned at the Product-level or Attribute-value-level only

  • Delivery Method, guest’s first selection in checkout (ie: “Pickup” or “Ship”)

    • Delivery Location, guest’s second selection in checkout (ie: “Hotel, Pass Office” or “Allow ## of days for product to be shipped”)

  • Delivery Methods must always have a minimum of one Delivery Location assigned

  • Lead days can only be assigned to Delivery Methods

  • Only products w/o a reload 'flag' can be charged a shipping fee but the shipping selection must be initially selected on PDP and then also confirmed in checkout

    • Shipping fees would be calculated on a per product basis

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Delivery%2FShipping.1166835773.html

 

 

Vouchers (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Vouchers.1190134351.html

 

 

Custom Prompts (RTP Only)

  • Set at product-level (not attribute-level)

  • Settings for optional or required

  • Settings for drop-down selections or a blank field for text to be entered

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Simple-Prompts.1060602198.html

 

 

Validation Prompts (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Validated-Prompts.1275330620.html

 

 

Renewal/Linked Products (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Renewal%2FLinked-Products.1210876186.html

 

 

Reservation Products (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Reservation-Products.1094549798.html

 

 

Affirm

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Affirm.1285783904.html

 

 

Resort Charge (RTP Only)

  • Activated in checkout or My Account

  • Charge CC can be product purchase card or a different card

  • Updates primary CC in RTP profile

  • Waiver code 35735

  • Collect CC info - setting required

  • CC Agreement required” (makes resort charge not optional during purchase)

  • Is Resort Charge Waiver (shows in Resort Charge section of My Account.. not supported for Payeezy/Heartland currently)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19hANaABzQTHyY1YOCspEVVqEa7Ly5pFxks9c6Tmi-fg/edit#heading=h.2289mkjuutyk

 

 

Payment Plan Products

  • RTP/SW products configured properly

  • Understand guest experience: schedule modal on PDP & checkout, My Account management, failed/successful charges notifications

  • Understand resort team experience: guest services troubleshooting, enrollments page use, reporting

  • Pricing Schedules & Payment Schedules have no date gaps

  • Do not delete payment plan products once one has been sold

  • Test any changes to schedules before making product public (product assignment page also requires updates)

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Payment-Plan-Products.1155104912.html

 

 

Subscriptions (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Subscriptions.1282736199.html

 

 

Time-Based Activities (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Time-Based-Activities.1298333802.html

 

 

Retail Products (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Retail.1285783752.html

 

 

Private Lesson Profile fields (RTP Only)

  • Only fields collected are: Ability Level, Phone #, # of Students, Comments, and Instructor Comments

  • Lesson Date and Start Time can also populate from selections on the PDP

  • These fields save to RTP’s Order Processing module and visible under Product Detail’s Private Lesson Propery tab

  • RTP has a 255 character limit per field on data sent to them (not enforced by AW)

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Private-Lesson-Prompts.1193378021.html

 

 

Fast Flow (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Fast-Flow.1894645778.html

 

 

Guest Checkout (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Configuring-Guest-Checkout.1346338841.html

 

 

Loyalty (RTP Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Loyalty.1786479660.html

 

 

Additional Customer Data Capture (Non Identity Login Only)

 

https://hub.aspenware.net/main/Overview:-Capturing-Additional-Customer-Data.1902379422.html

 

 

Enhanced Cart

 

 

 

 

Store Optimization Considerations

  • Map out organizing products into categories/sub-categories

    • Recommended max 4 sub-categories

    • Optimize for mobile

  •