Your Complete Guide to Running Your Online Store with Code Camo

You built your business with discipline and hard work. Now your online store is live — and it's time to make it work as hard as you do. This guide walks you through everything your store can do, step by step, in plain English. No tech jargon, no fluff. Just what you need to know to run your store with confidence.

Bookmark this page. You'll come back to it.

Jump To A Section

• Section 1: Getting Into Your Store Dashboard
• Section 2: Adding and Managing Your Products
• Section 3: Setting Up Payments
• Section 4: Setting Up Shipping
• Section 5: Managing Orders
• Section 6: Taxes
• Section 7: Discount Coupons and Promotions
• Section 8: Automated Store Emails
• Section 9: Selling on Facebook and Instagram
• Section 10: Selling Digital Products
• Section 11: Selling Subscriptions
• Section 12: Managing Your Store From Your Phone
• Section 13: Tips for Running a Tight Ship

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Section 1: Getting Into Your Store Dashboard

Everything in your store is managed through your store dashboard. Think of it as your command center — this is where you manage products, process orders, set up shipping, handle payments, and more.

To access it:

1. Log in to your Code Camo client portal
2. Navigate to your website dashboard
3. In the side panel, click Store, then click Manage Store

From here, you'll see the main navigation menu for your store. Everything covered in this guide lives somewhere in that menu.

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Section 2: Adding and Managing Your Products

Your products are the heart of your store. Here's how to add them, set them up correctly, and keep them organized.

Adding a New Product

1. In your store dashboard, click Catalog, then Products
2. Click + Add New Product
3. Fill in the product details (covered below)
4. Click Save when done

Product Details — What Each Field Means

• Product Name: Keep it clear and descriptive. This shows up in search results too, so think about what your customer would type to find it.
• Description: Tell your customer what the product is, why they need it, and what makes it worth buying. Write like you're talking to a buddy — not a legal document.
• Price: Your standard selling price. You can also set a Sale Price if you want to show a crossed-out original price alongside a discounted one.
• SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): An internal reference number for your product. Useful for tracking inventory — especially if you have a lot of products.
• Product Type: Choose from Physical (shipped), Digital (downloaded), or Service (booked/scheduled).
• Purchase Type: One-time purchase or subscription (recurring billing).
• Images: Add multiple product images. Your main image shows in the store grid; additional images show on the product detail page. Use clean, well-lit photos — this is your storefront.

Product Options and Variants

If your product comes in different sizes, colors, materials, or any other variation, you can set that up here so customers choose exactly what they want at checkout.

1. On the product page, scroll to Options
2. Click + Add Option(e.g., "Size" or "Color")
3. Add the choices under each option (e.g., Small, Medium, Large)
4. You can set a unique price, SKU, and image for each variation if needed

Inventory Tracking

If you have a limited number of items in stock, turn on inventory tracking so your store automatically marks items as out of stock when you sell out.

1. On the product page, find the Inventory section
2. Toggle on Track Inventory
3. Enter your current stock quantity
4. The store will count down automatically as orders come in

If inventory tracking is off, your store will keep accepting orders regardless of how many you have on hand — so make sure to set this up if stock is limited.

Organizing Products into Categories

Categories help customers browse your store without getting lost. Think of them like the sections of a well-organized supply room.

1. In the dashboard, click Catalog, then Categories
2. Click + Add Category
3. Name the category and add a description if helpful
4. Assign products to the category from either the product page or the category page

You can also create subcategories to organize things further — for example, a "Clothing" category with subcategories for "T-Shirts," "Hats," and "Hoodies."

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Section 3: Setting Up Payments

Before your store can take orders, you need to connect a payment method. Your store supports several trusted payment processors.

Supported Payment Gateways

• Stripe — accepts credit/debit cards and digital wallets; most popular option
• PayPal — lets customers pay with their PayPal balance or card
• Square — great if you also sell in person
• Authorize.Net — a solid option for businesses that already use it

Connecting Your Payment Processor

1. In the store dashboard, go to Settings, then Payment
2. Click + Add Payment Method
3. Choose your preferred processor from the list
4. Follow the prompts to connect your existing account or create a new one
5. Click Save

You can offer multiple payment options at the same time — for example, both Stripe and PayPal — giving customers flexibility at checkout.

Offline Payment Options

If you want to accept cash on delivery, bank transfers, or other manual payment methods, you can set those up under Offline Payments in the same Payment settings menu.

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Section 4: Setting Up Shipping

How your products get to your customers is just as important as the products themselves. Here's how to set up your shipping so everything runs smoothly.

Adding Shipping Methods

1. In the store dashboard, go to Shipping & Pickup
2. Click + Add Shipping Method
3. Choose your shipping type (see options below)
4. Configure the details and click Save

Shipping Types Available

• Flat Rate: Charge a fixed shipping fee regardless of what's in the cart. Simple and predictable.
• Free Shipping: Offer free shipping across the board, or set a minimum order amount to unlock it (great for increasing average order value).
• Weight-Based Shipping: Calculate shipping cost based on the total weight of the order. Good for businesses where product weight varies significantly.
• Live Shipping Rates: Connect with Easyship to show customers real-time shipping rates from major carriers at checkout.

Setting Delivery Zones

If you only ship to certain areas — or if you charge different rates for different regions — you can set delivery zones right in the shipping settings. You can draw zones on a map and assign different rates to each one.

Offering Local Pickup

If you have a physical location and want to let customers pick up their orders, you can enable in-store pickup as an option at checkout.

1. Go to Shipping & Pickup
2. Click + Add In-Store Pickup
3. Enter your pickup address and any instructions for customers
4. Save

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Section 5: Managing Orders

When a customer places an order, it shows up in your orders dashboard. Here's how to stay on top of them.

Viewing Your Orders

1. In the store dashboard, click Orders
2. You'll see a list of all orders with their status, customer name, and total
3. Click any order to open the full details

Each order shows you the customer's name and contact info, what they ordered, the payment status, shipping address, and shipping method selected.

Order Statuses

• Awaiting Payment: Order placed but payment not yet confirmed
• Processing: Payment received; ready to fulfill
• Shipped: Order is on its way to the customer
• Delivered: Order received by customer
• Cancelled: Order was cancelled
• Refunded: A refund was issued

Updating an Order Status

1. Open the order
2. Click the Status dropdown
3. Select the new status
4. Save — the customer will receive an automatic email notification

Printing Packing Slips

When you're packing up an order to ship, you can print a packing slip directly from the order detail page.

1. Open the order
2. Click the three-dot menu icon in the top right corner
3. Select Print Packing Slip

The packing slip includes the customer's name, shipping address, items ordered, quantities, and any special instructions.

Cancelling an Order and Issuing Refunds

1. Open the order
2. Click Cancel Order
3. Choose whether to issue a refund
4. Confirm — the customer will automatically receive a cancellation email

Exporting Orders

Need to pull your order data into a spreadsheet for accounting or record-keeping? You can export all orders as a CSV file.

1. Go to Orders
2. Click Export
3. Download the CSV file — it includes item details, customer info, payment info, shipping info, and order totals

Tracking Store Performance

Your orders dashboard also shows key performance metrics at a glance — total revenue, number of orders, and order trends over time. Use this to keep tabs on how your store is performing without needing a separate analytics tool.

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Section 6: Taxes

Nobody loves taxes — but getting them set up correctly protects you and keeps your customers happy. Here's the straightforward version.

Setting Up Tax Zones Manually

1. In the store dashboard, go to Settings, then Taxes
2. Click + Add Tax Zone
3. Select the country (and region/state if applicable)
4. Enter the tax name, tax number (if applicable), and tax rate percentage
5. Click Save

You'll need to set up a tax zone for every region where you're required to collect sales tax. If you expand to new markets, come back and add the new zones.

Automated Tax Calculations

If you want to take the manual work out of it, your store supports automated tax calculations for the US, Canada, UK, EU, and Australia. This handles the math for you automatically at checkout based on the customer's location.

Talk to your Code Camo team if you'd like to get that set up.

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Section 7: Discount Coupons and Promotions

Coupons are one of the easiest ways to drive sales, reward loyal customers, or run a limited-time promotion. Here's how to create them.

Creating a Discount Coupon

1. In the store dashboard, go to Marketing, then Discount Coupons
2. Click + Add Coupon
3. Set up your coupon details (see below)
4. Click Save

Coupon Options

• Percentage Discount: Take a percentage off the order subtotal (e.g., 20% off)
• Fixed Amount Discount: Take a set dollar amount off (e.g., $10 off)
• Free Shipping: Remove shipping costs for the order
• Usage Limits: Set how many times the coupon can be used total, or limit it to once per customer
• Minimum Order Amount: Require a minimum cart value before the coupon applies
• Expiration Date: Set a date when the coupon stops working

Pro tip: A 100% off coupon can function as a gift card — great for giveaways, contest prizes, or rewarding loyal customers. Keep in mind it won't cover shipping costs if you charge for shipping.

Running Promotions on Specific Products

Want to put a specific product or category on sale without a coupon code? You can set a sale price directly on any product, which shows customers the original price crossed out next to the sale price — a classic move that works.

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Section 8: Automated Store Emails

Your store sends automated emails to customers at key moments — order confirmations, shipping updates, and more. You don't have to do anything to trigger these; they go out automatically.

What Emails Get Sent Automatically

• Order Confirmation: Sent immediately when a customer places an order
• Shipping Notification: Sent when you mark an order as shipped
• Order Cancellation: Sent when an order is cancelled
• Refund Confirmation: Sent when a refund is issued
• Abandoned Cart Reminder: Sent automatically to customers who added items to their cart but didn't check out (available on higher store plans)
• Review Request: Sent after delivery to ask the customer for a review (available on higher store plans)

Controlling Who Gets Emails

You can control who receives store email notifications:

• Customers only — notifications go to the customer
• Customers and selected team members — you (or your team) also get a copy
• No one — disables automated emails (only recommended if you're using a separate email marketing tool)

To adjust these settings, go to Settings in your store dashboard, then Notifications.

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Section 9: Selling on Facebook and Instagram

Your store isn't limited to your website. You can connect it to your Facebook and Instagram pages to sell directly through those platforms — meeting your customers where they already are.

1. In the store dashboard, go to Sales Channels
2. Click Facebook & Instagram
3. Follow the prompts to connect your Facebook Business account
4. Your product catalog will sync automatically

Once connected, your products will appear in your Facebook Shop and Instagram Shopping — customers can browse and buy without ever leaving those apps.

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Section 10: Selling Digital Products

If you sell digital products — PDFs, downloads, courses, templates, or anything else delivered electronically — your store handles that too.

1. When adding or editing a product, set the Product Type to Digital
2. Upload the file the customer will receive after purchase
3. Set the price and any other details as normal
4. Save

After a customer purchases a digital product, they'll automatically receive a download link by email. No manual fulfillment needed on your end.

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Section 11: Selling Subscriptions

Want to offer a product or service on a recurring basis — monthly deliveries, memberships, ongoing services? You can set any product up as a subscription.

1. On the product page, find Purchase Type
2. Select Subscription
3. Set the billing frequency (weekly, monthly, annually, etc.)
4. Save

Customers will be billed automatically on the schedule you set. This is a great way to build predictable recurring revenue — one of the most valuable things a small business can have.

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Section 12: Managing Your Store From Your Phone

You don't have to be sitting at a desk to run your store. There's a dedicated mobile app that lets you manage things on the go.

With the mobile app you can:

• Add new products and upload images
• View and manage orders
• Get push notifications when a new order comes in
• Update order statuses
• Check store performance stats

Search for the store management app in the App Store or Google Play. If you need help getting it set up, reach out to the Code Camo team.

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Section 13: Tips for Running a Tight Ship

You already know the value of preparation and execution — here are a few habits that will keep your store running smoothly:

• Keep your inventory updated. If you run out of something, update the stock count or mark it out of stock right away. Overselling creates headaches for everyone.
• Use SKUs from the start. Even if you don't think you need them now, assigning SKUs to every product makes tracking and exporting much easier as you grow.
• Check your orders daily. Get in the habit of reviewing new orders every morning. Fast fulfillment builds customer trust and repeat business.
• Test your checkout before you launch anything new. Any time you add a product, update a shipping method, or change a payment setting, do a quick test checkout to make sure everything works end to end.
• Review your performance stats monthly. Your dashboard shows revenue trends and order volume. Use that data to make smart decisions about what to stock, what to promote, and when to run sales.

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Need Help?

Your store is managed by Code Camo — and we're here when you need us. If something isn't working the way it should, or you want to add a new feature or product line, don't sit on it.

Submit an update request at codecamo.com/request-an-update and we'll get it handled.

You built a business worth selling from. We'll make sure your store reflects that.

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