Here is a quick overview…

Larger Images
Over the years internet users have become accustomed to surfing photos and as a result product images on the net have increased in size. Following this trend we have increased the size of our item images by over 70% to a size of 520 x 390 pixels, so now you can really showcase your items! We have also removed the pop-up display of the picture gallery and replaced it with an easy to use in-screen version: simply roll your mouse over a thumbnail to see the larger view.

Tip: check the product images you have previously uploaded to ensure that they look good at this bigger size. Many older images are too small and do not display well. We recommend uploading high quality images with a width of 600 pixels.

More focus on your contact details
No matter which tab a visitor selects, your contact details are clearly and permanently on display.

More focus on your locations
For Hire Partners with multiple locations: we have added the location selector above your contract details so that customers can easily select the branch closest to them. When a new location is selected, any location based information such as contact details and pricing will update also.

Prominent title and price
The price of your hire item is one of the most important elements on the page. To give it more prominence we increased it’s size and moved it to the top of the page. This new size and placement will make for easier reading on small devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs.

Big, bold buttons
After nine years we say goodbye to our red buttons and replace them with our new friendly orange version. As you can see, the ‘Show phone number’ and ‘Send a non-binding enquiry’ buttons are four times bigger than the old version, making them impossible to miss!

Clearer description text
With the old design both the ‘short description’ and ‘main description’ were displayed, which often led to a double-up of information. From today, you can show a different description on the Category page than you do on your Item page. We have also removed the ‘more’ link so that all of your description is visible in one view.

Tip: it’s still important that you provide a short description as it’s your chance to score in the search ranking. It’s better to give your customers a quick summary of your item than repeat the title.

Bigger calendar, easier planning
Under the ‘Pricing‘ tab visitors will find a six month calendar that displays seasonal pricing (if available). This new layout means fewer clicks for customers to fix their desired date. Seasons are distinguished by bold colour coding to better convey price variations.

Tip: you can create up to four different seasons per season calendar. This functionality can be quickly activated by the erento Service Team at no added charge. For more than four seasons we recommend that you upload your items via the Service Team or request a connection to our API. If interested, please contact us at api@erento.com

Sizable Maps
If you have Maps activated, site visitors can now see them in large format (with zoom options) under the ‘Hire Company Details’ tab. Also shown here are your fax number, website link and opening hours.

Image Gallery
Those who have booked a Photo Gallery now have a page dedicated to these images so that customers can see all images in one view.

Do you have any feedback?
If you have any questions about the our new Item page simply send us an email to support@erento.co.uk or call us on 0044 207 193 3137

Testing in Progress!
The Category pages are central to a site visitor’s erento experience; therefore we will test the new and the old versions in parallel during the upcoming weeks. If you are part of the 50% of visitors seeing the old design, you can force the new design to appear by clicking this link.

What has changed in the new design?
We have reworked the entire design of the page to focus site visitors on the areas most important to their search. More white space, larger fonts and the removal of distracting elements will lead more erento visitors to your products.

Larger item images
It’s a known fact that visitors shop with their eyes and that is why we have enlarged the product images on this page by 45% (130×130 pixels). It’s a good idea to check that each of your items has a ‘main image’ that really shows off your product and is an image that looks good in this bigger size.

More emphasis on products
Product titles are now in a larger font with item properties now resting directly underneath. Doing this allowed us to remove a column to better focus a site visitor’s eye. Product descriptions in light gray allow for easier reading of the page and puts more focus on the price.

Clearer filters
The filters, which include item properties such as colour, brand and type, have been tidied up so that it’s more obvious to visitors what selections have been made and what can be done to further refine results.

Search by location
The ‘search by location’ feature has been given emphasis so that visitors can more easily find relevant results near them.

We would like your feedback!
Do you like the new design? Have you found a bug? We would like to hear from you. Simply send us an email at: support@erento.co.uk

BMW’s pavillion will be built above the Waterworks River between the Olympic Stadium and the Aquatics Centre and has a floor space of 800 squaremeters. Water will be used to cool the building and will be returned back to the river via a “water curtain” feature. BMW will use steel with high recycled content and minimize the use of carbon-intensive materials.

The top floor will be formed out of nine individual pavillions, housing BMW’s latest vehicle innovations. The ground floor is planned to host information about BMW’s vision for sustainable mobilty and to support the British Olympic and Paralympic athletes. BMW expects 8,000 visitors. The Olympics start on the 29th August 2012.

source and image: BMW Group

Default pricing vs. location pricing
To launch location pricing, we first needed to create ‘default’ prices. You will already be familiar with the concept of ‘default’ if you have edited your opening hours and contact details. The default price is required when a customer is searching for an item without entering a desired location. It acts as a fallback when it is not clear what price should be displayed. Only when a customer enters a location when searching can we show the location price (if available).

There are three possibilities to edit location pricing…

1. Location pricing in ‘My erento’
In My erento you can add, edit and delete an items pricing for each location. To simplify things we have combined the pricing and location fields in one section called ‘Locations & Pricing’.

1. Choose the locations where the item is available.
2. Select a pricing model and enter the default price.
3. Click on the ‘Show different location pricing’ link.
4. A table will open with your chosen locations where you are able to add, edit or delete the pricing.

Please note
If you select a different pricing model your location prices will be lost. Furthermore, an item can only have one pricing model.

2. Upload your location pricing via erento Customer Support
Editing individual pricing for every item could be exhausting if you have many items on erento. If you would like to edit location pricing in bulk, erento can provide you with a template file (in .csv format) where you can enter all of your location prices. Simply E-mail it back to us and we will do the upload for you. To request a template, simply phone the erento Customer Support Team or write an E-Mail to support@erento.co.uk.

3. Location prices via the erento API
Location pricing has already been available for two weeks via the erento API. Developers can inform themselves about the new feature in the erento API documentation.

The judges rewarded the motorhome‘s excellent cost/performance ratio as it is both competitivly priced and well equipped with a practical layout, a sensible approach to storage and everything the UK motorhomer needs. The Knaus Sky TI features many functional extras, such as electric mirrors, cruise control and a cab air con. The layout inside is classic with an L-shaped lounge sofa facing a side sofa, an L-shaped kitchen, a longitudinal double bed and an adjacent bathroom.

However, this year’s “Motorhome of the Year” does obviously not just rely on the classics but offers many extras, for example a practical Service Box, a large underbed storage area, which can be accessed from inside and outside, and a flexible and yet classy washroom. All in all, the judging panel describes the Knaus Sky TI as practical, stylish and solid and therefore the deserved winner of the title “Motorhome of the Year 2012″.

A video explaining the reasons for the victory in detail and showing all the features can be found on YouTube. Find lots of motorhomes to hire on erento.co.uk.

Source: Out & About Live
Picture: 3D-Car-Shows

What is it used for?
Essentially anything you can do in ‘My erento’ to manage your items can now also be managed with the API. All at once and in record time! For example, you can create items, edit descriptions, update prices, bring multiple items online or take them offline, etc.

What are the benefits?
Inventories can be uploaded faster and there is greater control when updating items, allowing you to easily update all of your items as often as the dynamics of your business requires.

What can the API not do?
Currently the API cannot provide statistics, enquiry data, billing or contract data, however this will be incorporated over time.

Who can use the API?
You can! As the API is public, it is available to all erento clientele and developers. Please note; some basic computer programming knowledge is required.

Where can I find more information about the erento API?
You can find further reading on the API in the footer of erento under the API erento link.

Who do I contact?
To find out if the erento API can help your business, please contact your Account Manager. For technical questions, please contact Lars Ostermann from the erento Development Team. You can contact him directly at api@erento.com.

Enquiries are broken down by type, such as emailed or website clicks, so you can see exactly how customers are getting in touch with you.

The Performance Overview will be sent to the default email address of your account unless you specify otherwise. To do this simply go to the Account contact details section of your ‘My erento’ account and enter a new address under ‘Performance Overview’.

If you decide you do not wish to receive the erento performance update, simply disable the feature by selecting ‘deactivate’. You can opt in and out of this service at any time.

You can now also mark enquires are ‘Read’ or ‘Unread’ and print multiple enquiries at once!

With this graph you can also optimise your listings in accordance with seasonal trends as it will display your conversions for the last 12 months (where applicable) and detail how your customers are getting in touch with you, for example; by calling you directly, placing an enquiry or visiting your website.

The performance graph will be updated on the first day of every month to keep you up to date.

As per today, when you view your erento statistics by ‘All locations’ you will see the total conversions (searches, enquiries, calls, etc.) for each item. If you then filter your statistics by a specific location, you will be able to see your conversions for when a potential customer has entered:

1. an item and location in the search bar at the top of the page
2. a keyword and then performed an area search
3. a keyword and then selected a location on the item detail page

For an action to be tracked, the location must be entered before the conversion is made so that the conversion can be assigned to the specific location. For example, a visitor searches erento for a “Motorhome in London” and visits the item page, resulting in a click on the ‘view phone number’ button. We then count this click as a conversion for their London branch.

Alternatively, if the visitor searches for an item without specifying a location, clicks on the ‘view phone number’ and only then selects ‘London’ in the ‘calculate cost’ box, the conversion cannot be assigned to this location. The conversion however will still be counted in the ‘all locations’ statistics total.

We will begin tracking conversions by location on the launch 24th. Unfortunately we cannot provide numbers before this date.