The latest version of the Z-Blocks extension makes the list of block position types more structured and better arranged as the types are divided into groups according to place of block displaying – Default, General, Catalog and product, Product only, Customer, Cart & Checkout.

Moreover, the ‘cart-content-top’ block position type has been divided into ‘cart-content-top’ and ‘checkout-content-top’ what gives you more flexibility while defining a position for block displaying.

With the new version of Z-Blocks you can make blocks with any position visible in certain categories as category restrictions are now applied to custom positioned blocks as well.

The following bugs have been fixed in the latest version:

• Midnight interval
• Time settings taken from server
• Category info loss when editing block content without displaying ‘Categories’ tab in the admin section
• Minor changes

Please find more information about this extension on the Z-Blocks page.

aheadWorks never lets the grass grow under its feet. August was a productive month and we would like to bring to your attention a short summary of the results of our intensive work. Extensions releases, news, updates & promotions in aheadWorks Magento Group. One click to join!

New Extensions

Minimum Advertised Price

The minimum price set by the manufacturer isn’t the bottom line any more! With the Minimum Advertised Price extension by aheadWorks you can sell products at the price you want.

Suppliers and retailers quite often stipulate the lowest price an item is allowed to be advertised at. But sometimes in-store prices can be really lower than allowed by the suppliers, but may not be displayed in online advertising. The Minimum Advertised Price extension helps you to escape the conflicts with the manufacturers and sell products at the prices you wish.

Minimum Advertised Price adds a special Check Price button instead of the product price. Having clicked this button, you add an item to the shopping cart, and only then the required price becomes visible.

Some features are:

• Fast loading AJAX layer
• Completely configurable layer text, images and buttons
• Configurable independent category/search/product page views
• Supports direct HTML embedding
• Fully customizable buttons and actions
• Ability to include any content that Magento CMS can involve
• 100% meets Minimum Advertised Price implementation standards
• Comes with detailed setup and configuration documentation

To learn the whole list of Minimum Advertised Price features please visit the extension page.

Advanced Reviews

A highly customizable Magento review system – Advanced Reviews by aheadWorks Co. – significantly improves the functionality and importance of this one of the most powerful online marketing tools.

According to Avenue A/Razorfish “Digital Consumer Behavior Study”, a review is #1 resource for product research. 86% of the consumers read online reviews before making purchasing decisions. The Advanced Reviews extension enlarges the functionality of native Magento solution.

Features:

• Possibility to restrict adding reviews to logged in customers only
• Review helpfulness rating
• Helpfulness voting can be restricted to logged in customers only
• Configurable ability to allow adding reviews to customers who bought the reviewed product only
• Social bookmarks bar for sharing reviews
• Report abuse feature – let your visitors inform you about inappropriate reviews
• Pros and Cons list configurable by admin, can be set up per store
• Customer-defined Pros and Cons
• “Would you recommend this product to a friend?” block

To observe the whole list of features please visit the Advanced Reviews page.

Updated Extensions

Please don’t forget to check complete changelog on the product pages.

Refer a Friend

The buzz marketing module Refer a Friend stimulates your customers to invite their friends to your shop. The customers, who referred a certain number of friends, get a % or flat rate discount. You can set any conditions and if they are met, the rule is triggered and the referrer is qualified for a discount. Both sides win – the customer gets a discount and the store owner gains more clients and more benefit.

Current version: 1.2.1
Upgrade: recommended from any previous versions
Upgrade cost: free for all versions
What’s new:
   + Discount usage limit
   + Limitation per rule execution
   * HTTPS links in secure customer areas
   * IE8 behavior
   * Invitation without being logged in
   * Storecode fix in some multistore configurations
   * Some strings weren’t available for translation
   * Under some circumstances, referrer could not add products to cart
   * Priority works more obviously

Find more information on the product page.

Z-Blocks

Z-Blocks extension allows creating unlimited number of static blocks and content items.

Current version: 2.0.3
Upgrade: recommended from any previous versions
Upgrade cost: free for all versions
What’s new:
   + ‘Show in subcategories’ block option added
   * ACL fix
   * Product with empty category page crash fix
   * SQLSTATE[42S02]: Base table or view not found: 1146 MySQL error fix
   * Product More Views page crash fix

To observe Z-Blocks features please visit the extension page.

AJAX Cart Pro

AJAX Cart Pro extension removes annoying page reloads on add to cart and delete from cart user actions. Items are added instantly with animation effects.

Current version: 1.4.5
Upgrade: recommended from any previous versions
Upgrade cost: free for all versions
What’s new:
   + Cross operation of “www.domain” and “domain” support
   + Default, blank and modern themes support
   + Easy custom configuration (custom.js)
   * More stable work
   * Out of stock products fixed
   * IE6 is not supported any more

To observe AJAX Cart Pro features please visit the extension page.

RSS Reader

RSS Reader is the software for organizing and displaying RSS feeds. This data exchange solution was thoroughly adapted by aheadWorks Co. for Magento-based stores. Now you can install RSS Reader onto your online store and display the news interesting for your visitors.

Current version: 1.2.0
Upgrade: recommended from any previous versions
Upgrade cost: free for all versions
What’s new:
   * Magento caching enabled fix

Find more information on the RSS Reader page.

Promotion of the month!

The following crushing trio makes a revolution in online business doing:

Review Rotator
Follow Up Email
Advanced Reviews

This powerful combination enriches your store content, improves store functionality and helps you to stay in close contact with your customers without much efforts, time and money applying.

Buy these 3 extensions at a time and get a 25% discount.

Please use the following coupon with these products in cart:

AUG25REJRM

The offer expires 22 September 2009!

That was a brief review of our new and updated modules. We are always happy to get all kinds of feedback. If you need a new feature in our product – just let us know – it has good chances to be implemented.

Thank you for being with us and good luck to your business,
Sincerely yours,
aheadWorks Magento department

We have a special offer for you — Power Pack for Magento!

Buy 5 most demanded products and get 20% discount!

1. Help Desk Ultimate

   Help Desk Ultimate is a perfect customer care and support solution for ecommerce sites based on Magento.

2. AJAX Cart Pro

   AJAX Cart Pro extension removes annoying page reloads on add to cart and delete from cart user actions. Items added instantly with animation effects.

3. Z-Blocks

   Z-Blocks a perfect tool for controlling static blocks in your store.

4. Product Questions

   Stay in touch with your visitors and customers with the help of Product Questions module. It adds a questions page to each product.

5. Follow Up Email

   Follow Up Email gives a comfortable and flexible way to automatically reach your customers on day X after an order had been placed.

Power Pack cost: $428 (Original price: $535, you save $107)

Find more information at SPECIAL OFFERS page

Z-Blocks — is a unique solution to control static blocks in your store.

Now with graphic interface!

You don’t need to change template and layout files manually every time when you want to add an advertising banner or some specific information. All the administration of static blocks is available in admin panel.

Z-Blocks extension uses native Magento functionality — you can create different static blocks for different store views.

Features:

• New GUI added
• 10 predefined block positions on each page
• Ability to place any block in any position by easily changing CMS page layout
• Unlimited number of blocks inside each position
• Unlimited number of content items inside each block
• Block items can include any content that Magento CMS can involve
• Powerful block view scheduler
• Per-category and per-store view
• Enabling/disabling of any block and its items
• Customizable block and item sorting
• Independent items rotation inside each block
• Easy 2-minutes installation
• Meets Magento programming practices for most versions and customizations compatibility

Use cases:

• Authority/security seal at the best place
• Support service phone number is shown in working hours only
• Curious facts
• Congratulate your customers with national holidays
• Info about upcoming events

Magento custom blocks

Z-Blocks demonstrated features:

• per-store block displaying
• HTML content
• specified displaying interval

Z-Blocks allows you to create blocks with beforehead prescribed day and time of their displaying. For instance, you can make a list of holidays once for a year and they will be displayed at the appointed time. It is especially convenient for the owners of several on-line stores oriented on different countries. Congratulate your visitors with their national holidays. They will highly appreciate that you respect their traditions.

To make such a congratulation block follow the steps below:

General information

1. Click CMS→ Z-Blocks.
2. Click “Add Block” button.
3. Type the block title.
4. Select the store view for block displaying (if you have 2 or more stores).
5. Set status to “Enabled”.
6. Select the block container place.
7. Click “Save and Continue Edit” button.

Content

1. Select the menu “Content” in “Block Information” part.
2. Click “Add item” button.
3. Type the title of the item.
4. Set status to “Enabled”.
5. Type the item content. You can insert plain text as well as HTML and CSS elements or images.
6. Click “Save and Continue Edit” button.

Schedule

1. Select the menu “Schedule” in “Block Information” part.
2. Select the block day and time displaying.
3. Click “Save block” button.

Enjoy the results!

Z-Blocks demonstrated features:

• date and time scheduling

Admin notice/message block for customer area describing support hours. Make the phone number of the support service shown only at the time it works.

To make such a block follow the steps below:

General information

1. Click CMS→ Z-Blocks.
2. Click “Add Block” button.
3. Type the block title.
4. Select the store view for block displaying (if you have 2 or more stores).
5. Set status to “Enabled”.
6. Select the block container place.
7. Click “Save and Continue Edit” button.

Content

1. Select the menu “Content” in “Block Information” part.
2. Click “Add item” button.
3. Type the title of the item.
4. Set status to “Enabled”.
5. Type the item content. You can insert plain text as well as HTML and CSS elements.
6. Click “Save and Continue Edit” button.

Schedule

1. Select the menu “Schedule” in “Block Information” part.
2. Select the block day and time displaying.
3. Click “Save block” button.

Enjoy the results!

Z-Blocks demonstrated features:

• static HTML content displaying on all pages

You can set banners  — “Authorize.net”, “BBB Online”, “Secured by Thawte”  — at the most visible place of your store. Derive benefit from your site empty space and gain more profit. For example, let’s place one of the seals at sidebar right bottom.

To make such a block follow the steps below:

General information

1. Click CMS→ Z-Blocks.
2. Click “Add Block” button.
3. Type the block title.
4. Select the store view for block displaying (if you have 2 or more stores).
5. Set status to “Enabled”.
6. Select the block position “Custom”.
7. Set the custom position.
8. Click “Save and Continue Edit” button.

Content

1. Select the menu “Content” in “Block Information” part.
2. Click “Add item” button.
3. Type the title of the item.
4. Set status to “Enabled”.
5. Type the link address and the image location. Don’t forget to set double braces {{ }} within the image tag!
6. Click “Save Block” button.

Enjoy the results!