FAQ

Please feel free to contact us if you have a question about Bloomkit that we haven't covered here.

What is Bloomkit?

At a basic level, Bloomkit is web hosting for your business website ... but to go with that, you get website management tools, email marketing, eCommerce and an integrated customer database. Bloomkit replaces 5+ tools that are essential for internet businesses with just 1 - so managing your website is a whole lot easier. No more moving data between a handful of separate solutions. No more remembering 5 logins for different products.

Am I locked into Bloomkit if I start using it?

No! We don't believe in "locking" people in. There are no contracts with the Bloomkit solution, so if you decide to move your website to another solution, you can do so at any time. You can use the built-in report generator to export all your customer data, including cases (web form submissions) and ecommerce orders. In terms of web pages, images and the like, these are easily exported using FTP - simply log in and download them.

Can I bulk import products into my online shop?

Yes. If you carry a large number of products in your online shop then the easiest way to manage them is using the bulk import process in the online business console. This procedure allows you to keep your product list up-to-date in Microsoft Excel.

Can I run Bloomkit on my own servers?

No. Bloomkit is hosted and managed by Business Catalyst. Business Catalyst manages its own hardware infrastructure within the Tier 1 Primus Data Centre located at Circular Quay in Sydney. (For our overseas customers, Business Catalyst also have data centres in North America, and very soon in the UK.)

The Primus Data Center is one of the very best on offer within the hosting industry, it prides itself on high bandwidth Internet connectivity, redundant power supplies, 5 physical layers of security, fire protection services and a qualified team of dedicated professionals operating 24x7 - all aimed at maintaining the integrity and performance of customers' needs. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Can I run Javascript, CSS Stylesheets and Flash on Bloomkit?

Yes you can. Anything you can run on another HTML page or on your blog will work just fine. Remember that at a base-level Bloomkit is just like any other web hosting platform.

Do I need to know programming or HTML to add content to my web pages?

No you don't. If you can use a word processor then you can add content to your web pages. Keep in mind though, that things like the overall design, layout and "look" of your site may require help from WaratahWeb's designers or someone who knows a little bit of HTML or CSS.

Does Bloomkit include hosting?

Yes, it does include hosting and it's very similar to web hosting too.  Bloomkit is a SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution; some people call it a "next generation" hosting solution because of all the built-in functionality that it comes with. With Bloomkit you pay a monthly subscription fee to use of the software and this also covers your hosting.

Does Bloomkit include POP email?

Yes, Bloomkit includes a POP3 email service as well as Webmail; allowing you to check your emails from any PC connected to the Internet.

How can I collect payments on my shop?

There are a number of ways you can collect payments on your online shop. You can use any of the existing payment gateways already supported, e.g. eWay, PayPal, Authorize.net, Google Checkout and many more. Or you can opt to use the "Process Offline" method that captures payment details from customers and you can then process these manually using your existing point-of-sale (POS) system. You can also enable customers to choose to pay by cheque and cash-on-delivery (COD).

How many email newsletter campaigns can I send out each month?

As many as you want! However, our plans allow you to send 10,000 email newsletters per month at no cost (that's a lot of emails!). But if you need to send out more, you will need to purchase more email packs. Please contact us if you would like more information.

Is Bloomkit search engine friendly?

Most definitely. Bloomkit uses friendly URLs throughout and utilises search engine friendly techniques such as 301 Permanent Redirects. We even integrate with Google, Yahoo!, and the Live sitemaps feature, so the system regularly and automatically generates a "sitemap" which the search engines use to ensure your website gets maximum visibility in the search results.

In addition, if you have WaratahWeb design your Bloomkit website, our designs always use W3C compliant CSS/XHTML coding. So you can be sure you are getting a top quality website for your business.

Is there a limit on the number of catalogues or products in my online shop?

Not at all. You can have as many catalogues and products as you like.

Is there a limit on the size of my customer database?

No, there isn't :)

I've already got a CRM solution that works for me - can I still use Bloomkit?

Yes, but you won't get the full benefit of having everything "all-in-one". You'll need to import and export contact information back and forth between the systems in order to use the email marketing solution. We can provide you with an API to help you sync your customer database. Please contact us for more information.

What are the system requirements to administer a Bloomkit website?

You will be able to login to the administration area of your website through any of the following Internet browsers:
> Windows: Internet Explorer 5.5+ and Firefox 2+
> Mac: Safari 2+ and Firefox 2+