Web Merchants Can Now Sell and Distribute Software, Music, Video, and e-Books with Open Source Shopping Cart

Hudson, FL, USA (PRWeb) January 29, 2007 -- Chain Reaction Ecommerce, makers of the popular osCommerce-based shopping cart application CRE Loaded, release the File Distribution Management System (FDMS) designed to help storeowners professionally manage the sale and distribution of downloadable media and files. CRE Loaded delivers a host of powerful features in one stable open source application greatly expanding upon the capabilities of the widely accepted osCommerce package.

"We kept getting requests from publishers and other software companies to have more power and flexibility with the delivery and tracking of downloads. As a shopping cart software distributor ourselves, we were able to assess what we really wanted in a file distribution manager and then create it," explains CRE Loaded Founder and CTO, Salvatore Iozzia.

FDMS introduces a new object into the CRE Loaded Shopping Cart: the File Item. Downloadable files are stored in a File Library and can be viewed and downloaded from their File Categories and File Detail pages. Requirements can be set for individual files such as login, product purchase, or allow free/unrestricted downloads. Files can be attached to any product to allow for automatic distribution of software drivers, user manuals, warranty data, or any other pertinent files. Files can be added to the File Library via FTP.

Customers have their own "My Downloads" page that summarizes all past and pending downloads from qualifying purchases. Site Administrators can view ALL downloads by customer name or order number and see a more detailed Download Log for each individual file a customer downloads. FDMS also automatically associates File Icons with files (or storeowners can manually set associations at any time) so that customers can plainly see the type of file they are downloading: Word doc, executable, zip file, podcast, MP3, eBook, video, or any other file type.

CRE Loaded is a complete online store and eCommerce shopping cart that can be edited and managed in a standard web browser. The application resides on the server at the storeowner's web host, but can be controlled online from any computer in the world. There are already over 200 ready-made templates available so users can customize the look and feel of their web store -- all from a standard web browser. FDMS and CRE Loaded base applications work together seamlessly through another of Chain Reaction Ecommerce's recent innovations, Runtime Code Inclusion (RCI). RCI allows for "Plug and Play" modifications, so users can add their own code and any subsequent patch for the base application will never overwrite their code. Installing FDMS on a CRE Loaded Patch 9 site is simple -- just FTP the files to the site and follow the easy-to-use web page installer.

FDMS is the first of many planned Add-On Systems for the CRE Loaded Series of Ecommerce Shopping Cart Applications. Already in the works are tools like Page Publisher, Forms and Surveys System, and Advance Product Filters that support make/model searches and much more.

About Chain Reaction Ecommerce

Founded in 2001 in response to hosting customer demands, Chain Reaction Ecommerce began development of CRE Loaded. Created with the direct feedback of thousand's of customers and community users, the features and capabilities are grounded in real value and tested in the real world. With more than 100,000 CRE Loaded shopping cart applications in use, Chain Reaction Ecommerce has the commitment and resources to support its customers directly and via an active and growing international online support community. An aggressive release schedule and numerous developing partnerships ensure users that Chain Reaction Ecommerce and CRE Loaded will remain at forefront of the online shopping marketplace well into the future.

Contact:

Michael Valverde, Chief Marketing Officer
Chain Reaction Ecommerce
http://www.creloaded.com

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