Simplestore Theme

What is H&O's Simplestore theme?

Simplestore is H&O's premium template for Magento designers and developers who want to deliver eCommerce solutions for small businesses and startups with efficiency and ease. Simplestore gives a unique look & feel by distinctive alignment, proper use of whitespace and creative redesign of all major parts or your Magento webshop. It's the perfect fundament for your custom design or can be used straight out-of-the box with one of the 7 free presets that give your shop a complete different look. Simplestore also strips down your installation to the core minimum: it's Magento without everything-you-don't-need when just starting with eCommerce.

Unlike other commercial template's, Simplestore:

• Can be literally installed with just one click through Magento Connect Manager.
• Uses our auto-configuration module, so you won't have to do ANY configuration to get started.
• Is styled with 100% Hand-coded, flexible and easy to understand CSS, following Magento's design aesthetics .
• Contains just 1 extensive and well documented XML file, so you can do adjustments and personalization from one single point.
• Serves google chrome frame to IE6 users.
• Contains absolutely NO local Mage adjustments.
• Has MINIMAL template adjustments
• Is 100% open source
• Is compatible with Magento 1.5.x and 1.6.x
• Will save you time!
• Doesn't use extra JS frameworks
• Does not use any custom fonts, we'll leave that up to you!
• Doesn't use any third-party grid system.

Simple store has been designed to give you a quick start to create unique, custom designs for your next Magento project. You can achieve great results by just changing the color scheme, or by adding some texture. To give you an idea of how Simplestore can be customised, we created some designs of our own. Ps: These presets come with Simplestore for free!

"I've worked with magento templates before, they suck!"

True, a lot of Magento templates DO suck, because they mainly consist of pretty images, colorful icons and big awesome carousels. However, when you install them and start actually using them by adding your own products and content, the result often is completely different. You end up designing and building a new homepage, configuring XML like crazy (keep searching), adjusting css and correcting bugs just as much as you've done without the template. Simplestore however, is different:

No fancy template factory

Simplestore had been designed and developed by real Magento developers, who are working with this great software every day. We know the pro's, we know the cons, we know Magento. Every choice we made, even the really tiny ones, is based on first hand experiences.

If it even looks good with default sample products…

… then it must be usable for other type of products; That is what we had mind when we started designing and developing simplestore. 9 out of 10 times the quality of your client's product photography simply isn't that great and product titles aren't that smooth either. So you see, if the quality of your content isn't any worse then the sample products (it won't, believe us), your webshop will look great.

Features

Simplestore has the following experience improving, functionality adding or design defining features:

Google map on default Contact Us page	Small, simple and usable image slider that looks great with every kind of product	Modal box mini cart that shows vital cart information on click
Reorganized ass-kicking cart design	Customized checkout design based on our praised CSS only improved OPC	Nifty animations
Enhanced image gallery that actually makes sense	Graphic product descriptions	Add as many upsells and crosssels as you want

CSS first, XML second, templates last

That is the order we kept in mind when designing Simpletheme. So when elements had to be removed or repositioned we always made the best choices possible, keeping the design easy to adjust and flexible. By the way, did you know Simplestore has only one XML file? It's true, all design settings are done from one simplestore.xml file, so you won't be browsing trough the Magento admin panel for like forever.

Progressive enhancement

Yes, the design is 90% powered by CSS3. This way we don't pollute modern browsers with small rounded corner .gifs while IE users just don't give a damn. Instead, they will see nice, squared alternatives. Makes perfect sense right?

IE6, IE7, IE8, IE9

No words will be spilled here, of course simplestore works in IE. To serve IE6 users, we ship an auto-installed module with your purchase that forces the user to install Google Chrome Frame. IE7 and IE8 get the squared down version and IE9 works in full glory like the rest of the modern browers (Firefox, Google Chrome and Safari).

Improved OPC design, CSS only!

Remember our blogpost about how to create a way better checkout experience, by just using CSS? Of course we've implemented this great solution in our Simplestore theme! (By the way, if you were enthusiastic about that solution, you should definitely purchase simplestore, its even way more awesome!)

Want to give your client a hands-on demo?

Easy with simplestore! Create a database, install sample data, install Magento, install Simplestore and you're done. Yes, it works directly out of the box. Yes, even  sample data static pages are themed. No, you won't have to add this piece of XML to the homepage and No, you won't have to configure this or that category with this or that layout. It just works.

One click install

Yes, it's true. You can install Simplestore with just one click of a button, literally. Just purchase your copy, start Magento Connect Manager, past your installation key and press Install. All will be taken care of: CSS magic, the config XML file,a number of custom modules and a little javascript magic. You won't have to worry about anything.

And now its up to you

It is! Purchase your copy and start creating awesome designs based on our Simple theme. Or use one of our presets, straight out of the box. 

Got a Question? We have the answers:

All of the information above was written by our marketing team, but these answers need a personal touch. So, I'm going to answer them for you (Erwin). A couple of these are questions we've already received from customers, and some are self-included so you won't have to ask them :). Got a question that is still unanswered? Ask for support.

How many times can I download Simplestore when I purchase?

Simplestore is limited to the domain you specify when purchasing. You can install (download) it on that domain and uninstall it again as many times as you want.

So what if I don't know (my client doesn't know) the domain yet?

Fill in DEVELOPMENT as domain when making your purchase. When the production environment is known, please contact us and we'll change the domain for you.

Will I have access to updates and bug fixes?

Yes, when needed we will provide you with updates and bug fixes. Updates and bug fixes are free and will be provided as long as Magento doesn't completely rewrite the frontend.

How can I update?

You can update instantly via Magento Connect Manager. Want to know how this is done? Please visit our installation instructions.

Do you offer support?

Absolutely. 99% of our support questions are answered within an hour if you ask them between 9am and 5pm GMT+1. Visit our support page for more information.

I've got a multistore setup, do I have to purchase multiple copies?

No. For multi-store setups we've introduced a multi-domain license, which you can choose when making your purchase. Please read our licensing information.

Are you going to release more presets? Will they be free?

Yes, we are going to release more presets overtime. No, new presets won't be free and won't be part of updates.

I'm not a designer or developer, but I do want to use your theme. Will this give trouble?

No, this will not give trouble. Installation is easy and you don't need coding knowledge to configure Simplestore to fit your needs. Just read the docs, use one of our presets and you'll be set to go.