ADMIN TRAINING GUIDE

Little Star Gifts - littlestargifts.ca

Doc version: 1.0 - Last updated: 2025-09
Audience: Site administrators and operations staff

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. System Overview
2. Login & Interface
3. Dashboard
4. Product Management
5. Inventory Management
6. Order Management
7. Shipping & Fulfillment (Canada Post)
8. Customer Management
9. Product Review Moderation
10. Discounts & Promotions
11. Price Lists
12. Regions, Tax & Store Settings
13. Automated Emails & Notifications
14. Product Search (Meilisearch)
15. Users & Permissions
16. Daily Operations Checklist
17. Common Troubleshooting
18. Technical Support
19. Appendix: Quick Reference

1. SYSTEM OVERVIEW

1.1. What makes up the site?

⚠️ Important note: staging.littlestargifts.ca is currently the staging (test) environment. When the site officially launches, the domain will be littlestargifts.ca. Actions on staging still write real data to the database - be careful when editing.

1.2. Platform technology

• E-commerce platform: Medusa 2.17 (products, orders, inventory, customers, discounts, tax).
• Storefront: Next.js 16 (catalog, cart, checkout).
• Database: PostgreSQL 17 (all site data).
• Image storage: optimized product images.
• Search: Meilisearch (fast search + faceted filtering on the storefront).
• Payments: Moneris (credit cards - VISA/Mastercard/Amex, PCI-compliant) + PayPal.
• Shipping: Canada Post (real-time rates, shipping labels, tracking).
• Email: order confirmation with PDF invoice, password reset, abandoned cart, etc.

1.3. Who is this document for?

This guide is for administrators and operations staff. Everything is done through the web UI at admin.littlestargifts.ca/app.

2. LOGIN & INTERFACE

2.1. First login

1. Open a browser (Chrome/Edge/Firefox) and go to: https://admin.littlestargifts.ca/app
2. First time? You'll see either an Accept Invitation screen (if invited by email) or the Sign in screen.
   • Invited by email: open the email "You're invited to Little Star Gifts Admin", click Accept Invitation, set a new password, then sign in.
   • Already have an account: enter your email and password, click Sign in.
3. After signing in, you'll land on the Dashboard (Overview).

2.2. Forgot password

1. On the sign-in screen, click Forgot password?
2. Enter your registered email - the system sends reset instructions.
3. Open the email, click the link, set a new password, and sign in.

💡 Didn't receive the email? Check your Spam folder. Still nothing? Contact technical support (section 18).

2.3. Interface overview

The left-hand menu contains the main sections:

🔍 Tip: Use the search box at the top of the admin to jump to a product, order, or customer by name/email/order ID.

3. DASHBOARD

The Overview page shows key metrics. Little Star Gifts also has custom widgets that appear automatically on specific pages:

3.1. Overview page

• Quick stats: total revenue, order count, new customers, best-selling products.

3.2. Revenue Sparkline (Orders page)

• Daily revenue chart for the last 7 days (completed/processing/shipped/delivered orders only).
• Appears at the top of the order list - great for a quick morning revenue check.

3.3. Email Tracking Metrics (Orders page)

• 30-day transactional email stats: open rate, click rate, bounce rate.
• Recent email events list - helps detect email failures (e.g., a customer not receiving their order confirmation).

3.4. Top Products (Products page)

• Best-selling products - helps with restocking and purchasing decisions.

3.5. Low Stock (Inventory page)

• Low-stock alerts - products with stock below the threshold (default 5 units).
• Color coding: 🟡 yellow = 3-5 left, 🟠 orange = 1-2 left, 🔴 red = out of stock (0).
• Click a product to open its inventory page and restock.

4. PRODUCT MANAGEMENT

4.1. Product list

Products → Products shows all products. Each product has a status:

• Published - visible publicly on the website.
• Draft - a draft; customers cannot see it.

🔎 Search products by name, or filter by category/status.

4.2. Creating a new product

1. Go to Products → Products, click Create (top right).
2. Fill in the details step by step (wizard):

Step 1 - Details:

• Title (required) - shown on the website.
• Subtitle - optional.
• Description - detailed description shown on the product page.
• Handle (URL) - auto-generated from the title; you can edit it (e.g., frieren-summer-dress-figure). Avoid changing it after the product has sold - it breaks old links.
• Material / Origin - optional.

Step 2 - Organize:

• Categories - assign categories (e.g., "Anime Figures", "Keychains & Charms"). A product can belong to multiple categories.
• Collections - assign a collection if applicable (e.g., "New Arrivals").
• Tags - add tags to group products by theme.

Step 3 - Attributes:

• Package dimensions & weight (used for Canada Post shipping rate calculation). Enter accurate values so shipping costs are correct.

Step 4 - Sales Channels:

• Select the sales channel (default: web store). If none is selected, the product won't appear on the site.

Step 5 - Variants:

• For products with multiple versions (e.g., Size S/M/L, colors), create Options (e.g., "Size") and Variants for each choice (S, M, L).
• Each variant can have its own price and stock.
• For single-version products, the system creates a default variant - just edit the price.

Step 6 - Prices:

• Enter the selling price (currency CAD). Tax is calculated automatically by the customer's province.
• You can set region-specific prices if needed.

Step 7 - Inventory:

• Enable Manage inventory to let the system deduct stock automatically on orders.
• Enter the initial stock quantity.
• Enable Allow backorder to keep selling when stock reaches zero.

3. Click Save (saves as draft - not visible on the web). To go live, click Publish.

4.3. Publish / unpublish

• Publish: click Publish on the product detail page → the product appears on the website immediately and is indexed for search.
• Unpublish: click More → Unpublish → the product is hidden from the website but its data is kept.

4.4. Product images

Two ways to add images:

Method 1 - inside the product form:

• In the Media section of the product form, click Upload (images are automatically optimized for fast loading).

Method 2 - Product Image Manager widget (product detail page):

• Open any product and scroll to the Product Image Manager widget in the right column.
• Upload new images: drag-and-drop or click to select files. The widget auto-generates a blur placeholder so the website loads faster.
• Reorder images: change image order - the first image is the thumbnail shown in product listings.
• Add alt text: short image description (important for SEO and accessibility).

Image guidelines:

• Use clean white/light backgrounds with the product clearly visible.
• Recommended: 1000×1000px or larger, JPG/PNG/WebP.
• The first image = thumbnail on the homepage and search results.

4.5. Categories

Products → Categories:

• Create parent categories (e.g., "Anime Figures") and subcategories (e.g., "Nendoroid", "Scale Figures").
• Assign products in the product form (Organize step) or directly from the category page.
• Categories form URLs on the website: staging.littlestargifts.ca/categories/anime-figures.
• Renaming a category changes its URL - avoid renaming after the site has been live for a while (affects SEO/old links).

4.6. Collections

Products → Collections:

• Collections group products for campaigns (e.g., "Halloween Sale", "New Arrivals").
• Unlike categories, collections don't create hierarchical URLs; they're typically shown on the homepage or banners.

4.7. Deleting a product

1. Open the product → More → Delete.
2. Confirm deletion. This action cannot be undone.

⚠️ Recommendation: Instead of deleting, Unpublish (hide) the product. Historical orders still reference the product - deleting a sold product can break old order history display.

4.8. Search indexing

• When you create/edit/publish/unpublish a product, the system automatically syncs it to the Meilisearch index within seconds.
• Draft products do not appear in search results.
• If search seems off (e.g., a new product isn't found), wait 1-2 minutes and retry. Still broken? See sections 14 and 17.

5. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

5.1. Opening the inventory page

Inventory → Inventory lists all SKUs with stock levels per location.

5.2. Key terms

5.3. Updating stock (restocking / counting)

1. Inventory → Inventory, click the item to update.
2. In Stock levels, click the edit icon next to the warehouse location.
3. Enter the new quantity:
   • Adjust quantity: add/subtract by a number (e.g., restock 10 → enter +10).
   • Set quantity: set the exact on-hand count (use for physical stock counts).
4. Click Save.

💡 Recommended counting routine: at the end of each week, reconcile admin stock with physical stock; use Set quantity to correct.

5.4. Low-stock alerts

• The Low Stock widget at the top of the Inventory page lists items below the threshold of 5.
• When stock is running low: restock, or consider:
  • Unpublishing the product so customers can't order out-of-stock items.
  • Enabling Allow backorder (sell now, ship later) if you're confident stock is coming.

5.5. Reservations

• When a customer adds an item to the cart, the system automatically reserves that quantity to prevent overselling.
• When the customer completes payment, stock is permanently deducted and the reservation is released.
• When carts are abandoned, reservations expire automatically (a scheduled job releases them) so stock becomes sellable again.
• You can view current reservations per item (the Reservations section).

5.6. "Back in stock" emails

• When a product is out of stock, the website shows an "Email me when back in stock" button - customers leave their email.
• When you restock (update stock > 0), the system will:
  • Automatically email customers who signed up.
  • Flip the product back to in-stock on the website.
• So: update stock in the admin AS SOON AS the goods arrive, not when they hit the shelf.

6. ORDER MANAGEMENT

6.1. Viewing orders

Orders → Orders lists all orders with:

• Order number (#), customer, total, payment & fulfillment status, order date.
• Stats widgets (revenue, email metrics) at the top.

🔎 Use the search box to find an order by order number, customer email, or name.

6.2. Order statuses

Each order has 2 independent status groups:

Payment:

Fulfillment:

6.3. Order details

Open an order to see:

• Summary: items ordered (quantities, prices), shipping address, billing address.
• Timeline: the full order history - placed, paid, shipped, tracking - plus internal notes.
• Totals: broken down by subtotal, shipping, and tax (GST + PST).

6.4. Processing an order - standard flow

When a new order arrives, follow this sequence:

1. Check payment: confirm the status is Captured (money received). If Authorized, click Capture payment.

   💡 With Moneris cards: funds are held at checkout (authorized). You must click Capture to actually collect the money. If you don't capture within the hold period (usually 7 days), the hold expires.

2. Create fulfillment: click Fulfill → choose the shipping method (Canada Post) → the system creates a shipping label (see section 7).
3. Hand to carrier: once Canada Post takes the parcel, mark it Shipped (the system fills in the tracking number automatically).
4. Done: the order moves to completed once delivered.

6.5. Other order actions

6.6. Internal notes

• On the order page, use the note box in the timeline for internal notes (e.g., "Customer requested gift wrap with card").
• Notes are not visible to the customer.

6.7. Draft Orders

Draft Orders - for creating manual orders for customers who order by phone/email/social media:

1. Go to Draft Orders → Create draft order.
2. Select the customer (or enter new customer info), add products & quantities, choose shipping/payment.
3. Either click Send draft order (emails the customer a payment link to pay online) or click Mark paid if the customer already paid by e-transfer/cash.
4. Once paid, the draft becomes a real order under Orders and is processed normally.

7. SHIPPING & FULFILLMENT (CANADA POST)

The system integrates with Canada Post for real-time rates, shipping labels, and tracking.

7.1. Automatic shipping rates

• At checkout, shipping is calculated in real time based on:
  • Product weight/dimensions (set in Attributes when creating the product).
  • Delivery address (postal code).
  • Service options: Expedited Parcel, Xpresspost, Regular Parcel (depending on current config).
• Always enter accurate weight & dimensions - wrong data → wrong shipping cost → lost profit.

7.2. Creating a shipping label (Fulfillment)

1. Open the order → click Fulfill.
2. Review the items to ship (all are selected by default; deselect some for partial fulfillment).
3. The system calls Canada Post to create a shipping label for the parcel.
4. Click Create fulfillment.
5. Print the label (download the PDF) and attach it to the parcel.

⚠️ After creating the label: the parcel must be handed to Canada Post within the label's validity period (usually 24-72 hours). Expired labels are voided.

7.3. Marking as shipped

1. After the carrier accepts the parcel, open the order → Fulfillment section → click Mark as shipped.
2. The system pulls the tracking number from Canada Post and updates the customer.
3. The customer receives an email with tracking and can track the order on the website.

7.4. Canceling a label

• If an order is canceled or the parcel wasn't sent: in the Fulfillment section click Cancel fulfillment → the system asks Canada Post to void the label (refund if unused).

7.5. Multi-box support

• Large orders can be split into multiple fulfillments - each Fulfill click creates a separate parcel with its own label.

8. CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT

8.1. Customer list

Customers → Customers:

• Search by name/email/phone.
• View purchase history, total spend, saved addresses.

8.2. Customer Groups

Customers → Customer Groups:

• Create groups (e.g., "VIP", "Wholesale") to:
  • Send targeted marketing emails.
  • Apply special pricing via Price Lists (see section 11).

8.3. Deleting a customer (Danger Zone)

The customer detail page has a Danger Zone widget (red box):

• You can only delete customers with no order history.
• This action cannot be undone - use it only for privacy deletion requests (PIPEDA) or spam/duplicate accounts.

⚠️ Customers with orders: cannot be deleted (to preserve purchase history and tax records). For privacy deletion requests, contact technical support.

8.4. Creating a customer manually

• Customers → Create: create an account on behalf of a customer (e.g., phone purchase) - the system emails an invitation to set a password.

9. PRODUCT REVIEW MODERATION

Customers can leave product reviews with star ratings on the product page. New reviews are not shown automatically - an admin must approve them first.

9.1. Viewing pending reviews

• On Products → Products, the Review Moderation widget at the bottom lists pending reviews (up to 50 newest).
• Each review shows: star rating, title, body, customer name & email, product, date.

9.2. Approve / reject

• Approve ✅ → the review becomes public on the product page.
• Reject ❌ → the review is hidden permanently (customers never see it).

9.3. Moderation rules

• Approve: genuine reviews with useful content that don't violate guidelines.
• Reject: spam, external links/advertising, abusive language, misleading information, reviews containing sensitive personal data.
• Aim to moderate within 24-48 hours to keep trust high.

10. DISCOUNTS & PROMOTIONS

10.1. Creating a discount code (Discounts)

Discounts → Create:

1. Name: internal label (e.g., "Black Friday 20%").
2. Code: the string customers enter at checkout (e.g., BF20). Uppercase, no accents, easy to remember.
3. Discount type:
   • Percentage - percent off (e.g., 20%).
   • Fixed amount - fixed amount off (e.g., $10).
   • Free shipping - free shipping.
4. Application conditions:
   • Apply to order total or per item.
   • Limits: minimum order value, specific customer groups, or specific products.
5. Usage limits: max number of uses (e.g., 100), or 1 per customer.
6. Duration: start/end date (optional). Leave blank = valid immediately.
7. Click Save.

10.2. Managing discount codes

• Discounts: view all codes, active/expired status, usage counts.
• Disable immediately: open the code → click Deactivate (customers can't use it anymore, but the code is kept for stats).

10.3. Promotions

Promotions - for more advanced campaigns (flat price, buy X get Y...). Creation is similar to Discounts; for simple discount codes use Discounts.

⚠️ Note: double-check usage limits and expiry dates when creating codes - unlimited codes can be abused.

11. PRICE LISTS

Price Lists - for special pricing per audience:

11.1. When to use

• Wholesale pricing for customers in a Wholesale group.
• VIP pricing for loyal customers.
• Seasonal pricing (valid for a specific period).

11.2. How to create

1. Price Lists → Create price list.
2. Name it (e.g., "Wholesale Price").
3. Choose the customer group eligible (or leave empty = everyone).
4. Set the validity period (if any).
5. Add products → enter the special price (CAD) per variant.
6. Click Save → activate the list.

💡 When a customer in the eligible group signs in, the website automatically shows their special price.

12. REGIONS, TAX & STORE SETTINGS

12.1. Regions

Regions:

• The system currently sells to all of Canada (13 provinces/territories) in one main region.
• Each region includes: country, provinces/states, currency (CAD), payment methods (Moneris + PayPal), and shipping methods (Canada Post).
• Adding a new region (e.g., selling to the US): Regions → Create - requires tax, shipping, and payment setup. Consult technical support before adding a new region.

12.2. Tax

The system has GST 5% + PST 7% configured for all of Canada - calculated automatically by shipping address.

You should not edit tax rates unless tax law changes - contact technical support.

12.3. Store settings (Settings → Store)

Settings → Store:

• Store name, description, logo.
• Store address (used as the default origin for Canada Post labels).
• Don't change the Store ID unless you're sure - it affects the whole system.

12.4. Currencies (Settings → Currencies)

• Primary currency: CAD.
• You can enable additional currencies for international sales (requires exchange-rate config).

12.5. Payment methods

• Moneris - credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex). Secure hosted-tokenization checkout - the system never stores card data (PCI-DSS compliant).
• PayPal - customers pay via their PayPal account.
• Configuration is pre-set - admins don't need to change it unless switching banking/payment partners (contact support).

12.6. Shipping methods (Settings → Regions → Shipping)

• Shipping options (Expedited Parcel, Xpresspost...) are priced in real time by Canada Post.
• You can add options like "In-store pickup" or flat-rate shipping if needed (Settings → Region → edit → Shipping options).

13. AUTOMATED EMAILS & NOTIFICATIONS

The system sends automated emails (with open/click tracking):

13.1. Email tracking (Orders page)

• The Email Tracking Metrics widget at the top of Orders shows: open rate, click rate, and bounce rate for the last 30 days.
• High bounce rate (many returned emails) → check for mistyped customer email addresses or a sender-domain issue (contact support).

13.2. Transactional email notes

• Order confirmations are sent immediately after payment. If a customer says they didn't receive one, check: the order's payment status (was it captured?), their spam folder, or the email tracking widget.

14. PRODUCT SEARCH (MEILISEARCH)

• The website uses Meilisearch for fast search, autocomplete, and category filtering.
• Search data is synced automatically when you add/edit/publish products (only Published products are indexed).
• No manual action needed. If you notice missing search results:
  1. Check the product is Published.
  2. Wait 1-2 minutes for the sync.
  3. Still missing? Contact technical support (the index may need re-running).

15. USERS & PERMISSIONS

15.1. Adding a new admin

Settings → Users → Invite user:

1. Click Invite users, enter the new person's email.
2. The system emails an invitation - they click the link, set a password, and sign in.
3. Invitations are valid for 24 hours - if expired, delete the old invite and resend.

15.2. Managing members

• Settings → Users: view the list, activate/deactivate accounts.
• Settings → Teams: create teams for easier management (optional).

15.3. API Keys (technical only)

• Settings → API Key Management - keys for system integrations. Never share Secret Keys externally. Regular admins don't need to touch this.

⚠️ Security rules:

• Only invite people who genuinely need admin access.
• Change passwords periodically.
• Never share passwords via email/chat.
• Always sign out on shared computers.

16. DAILY OPERATIONS CHECKLIST

🌅 Morning (5-10 min)

• Open Orders → check revenue widget & email metrics (any failing emails?).
• Check new orders: payment status (any needing Capture?).
• Open Inventory → check Low Stock widget → plan restocking.
• Moderate pending product reviews (Products page).

📦 When a new order arrives

• Confirm payment is Captured.
• Fulfill → print shipping label → pack.
• Hand to the carrier → Mark as shipped (tracking auto-sent to customer).

🗓️ Weekly

• Stock count: reconcile admin stock with physical stock; use Set quantity to correct.
• Review discount codes nearing expiry / currently running.
• Check stuck orders (not fulfilled > 2 days).
• Review weekly revenue (Revenue widget on Orders page).

📅 Monthly

• Reconcile admin revenue with bank/Moneris/PayPal statements.
• Review slow sellers → consider discounting or unpublishing.
• Update end-of-life products (unpublish instead of delete).
• Review admin users - revoke access for departed staff.

17. COMMON TROUBLESHOOTING

Golden rules

1. Never delete products/customers/orders that have history - hide (unpublish) or cancel instead of deleting.
2. Capture payments promptly - avoid losing funds when holds expire.
3. Restock as soon as goods arrive - this triggers back-in-stock emails and prevents overselling.
4. When something looks wrong, screenshot + note the time and send it to technical support.

18. TECHNICAL SUPPORT

For technical issues (system errors, configuration, new sales regions, tax changes, integrations):

• Bug reports: email gary@atruedev.com with: description, page URL, screenshots, and time of occurrence.
• Feature requests: email gary@atruedev.com.

Before reporting, try: refresh the page, sign out/in again, or try a different browser.

19. APPENDIX: QUICK REFERENCE

Key URLs

Standard order flow (4 steps)

Payment captured → Fulfill (print Canada Post label) → Hand to carrier → Mark as shipped (tracking auto-sent)

Custom widgets - where are they?

Payment statuses to remember

• Authorized = funds on hold → remember to Capture.
• Requires action = needs attention (card issue).
• Captured = payment collected ✅.

Daily email check (Orders page)

• Open rate, click rate, bounce rate over 30 days - catch email failures early.

Documentation based on the Little Star Gifts system (Medusa 2.17) - staging build. Test any new procedures on staging before making them standard practice.

Little Star Gifts - Admin Training Guide · English version · Updated 2026-08-04 · Protected by Cloudflare Access