Frequently Asked Questions

THE BUSINESS

1. Who is the platform suitable for?

   NEXT BASKET is a complete solution for individuals and companies that do not have an online presence but want to take their first steps into e-commerce quickly, easily, and at a low cost.
   The platform is also suitable for those who have an existing online store that cannot cope with growing sales and need a simple but effective solution;
   If you have a physical store or you are a manufacturer, but you don’t have an online store, we can work with you and help you achieve success.

2. Do I need to have any software knowledge?

   No.
   We offer the easiest possible way to trade online.

3. Do I need to have any experience in online trading?

   No. If you choose us to manage your online store,
   we will do everything for you.

4. How do I use the platform?
   1. One of the available options is to manage your online store yourself;
      This is a SaaS solution, so we essentially rent the platform out to you.
      The options are NB SELF (for small- and medium-sized sellers) and NB PRO (for large merchants with their own ERP system and the need for additional software adaptations).
   2. The second option is that NEXT BASKET manages your online store, whether you store the products yourself or use our warehouse.;
      Your only responsibility is to deliver the products to the warehouse.
      These are the options available: NB 360° (use the NEXT BASKET warehouse), Managed by NB (you use your own warehouse), and NB Local (specifically for physical stores)
5. Can I only use some of the services you offer and do the rest myself?

   Yes! You are the one who makes all the decisions.

6. Can NEXT BASKET manage my online store while I, for example, handle the marketing myself?

   Yes

7. What is the minimum required to start an online business with the NEXT BASKET platform?

   In order to start an online business, you need to do/have the following:

   1. Business idea
   2. Register a company
   (you can also operate your online store as a natural person, but you will lose the VAT because you will not be able to recover it);
   3. VAT registration for the company;
   4. Products;
   5. Logo (NEXT BASKET’s designers can also offer you several options)
   6. Domains for all of the countries where you want us to open an online store
   (if you don’t have any, we can provide you with options);
   7. Product photos and descriptions (if you don’t have any, we can create these); and
   8. Bank account, where you will receive the money for any goods sold.

8. Can I link my existing domain to NEXT BASKET?

   Yes.
   We will perform all the necessary integrations.

9. What will I pay if I manage my online store under the NB SELF option?

   You will pay a monthly fee. The cost depends on which of our price plans you choose:
   MINI €125
   MIDI €250
   MAXI €500

10. What is the difference between the price plans?

    The difference is in the platform functionalities that are available under each plan.

11. If I use a lower-priced plan under the NB SELF option, can I access additional functionalities that are not included in this plan?

    Yes. This is possible.
    We will provide you with an offer for the use of an additional module.

12. Can I use all integrations with external services and software for free?

    Yes, you can do this regardless of which platform option you choose.

13. What will I pay if NEXT BASKET manages my online store?

    You will pay a percentage of your sales (turnover).
    The fee we will deduct from each of your sales varies, but generally starts from 10%;
    The percentage depends on the type of products you sell. For eample,
    electronics, cosmetics, tires, large household appliances, food and some other categories of products have a lower fee.

14. What free services can I use?

    When you manage an online store, you can use 11 free services.
    When NEXT BASKET manages your online store, you can use 37 free services.

15. What will I pay extra for?

    1. There are mandatory payments for:
    credit card fees;
    commission of couriers for collection of cash on delivery amounts;
    courier costs when there are free online orders;
    hosting, depending on your price plan;

    2. For all paid services that you receive at your own request:
    installation fee for creating the site;
    product photography;
    writing unique product descriptions;
    digital advertising;
    SEO optimization for search engines outside of standard site maintenance;
    writing and publishing product articles on the site’s blog and on external media for the purpose of SEO optimization (highly recommended!);
    promotions and campaigns created by our sales department;
    creation of trade policy;
    translation into foreign languages;
    design services;
    UX services (user experience – making the site easy to use);
    software services for changes to the site at your request;

    3. Warehouse services
    warehouse costs for storing the products (if the goods remain unsold for more than 30 calendar days);
    processing and delivering an order to a courier; and
    processing of returned products;

16. What will I not pay for?

    If you manage your online store, the following services will be free for you:

    1. Use of the platform administration;
    2. Constant enhancement of the platform;
    3. Search engine optimization (SEO) with maximum efficiency, ensuring online sales at zero acquisition cost;
    4. Ongoing site maintenance;
    5. Help Point: 24/7 maintenance and support system;
    6. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) for your online store;
    7. Advice response in up to 3 hours;
    8. Video tutorials;
    9. Free advertisement management on Facebook and Google (1 month);
    10. Hosting the online store – with a limit on traffic and server space depending on the price plan you choose; and
    11. If you have an online store, the migration from your old platform to the NEXT BASKET platform.
17. If NEXT BASKET manages your online store, you can use the following free services:
    1. Use of the platform administration;
    2. Constant enhancement of the platform;
    3. Search engine optimization (SEO) with maximum efficiency, ensuring online sales at zero acquisition cost;
    4. Ongoing site maintenance;
    5. Help Point: 24/7 maintenance and support system;
    6. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) for your online store;
    7. Advice response in up to 3 hours;
    8. Video tutorials;
    9. Free advertisement management on Facebook and Google (1 month);
    10. The hosting;
    11. Setting a link to the platform of the European Commission for online dispute resolution;
    12. Registration of your online store at the Public Register of the National Revenue Agency (NRA) of the online stores for which information is submitted under Article 52m, paragraphs 1 – 4 of Ordinance No. N-18/2006;
    13. Creating a page for the terms of delivery;
    14. Creating a page for the terms of return;
    15. Creating a page with warranty terms;
    16. Creating a page with frequently asked questions (FAQ);
    17. Creating a contact page;
    18. Advice from the NEXT BASKET commercial department about the products and their prices (one time upon creation of the online store)
    19. Creating the General Terms and Conditions;
    20. Call center services;
    21. Creating the online store using a pre-chosen, ready-made theme;
    22. Initial uploading of products and photos to the website;
    23. Migration of an existing online store to a ready-made template;
    24. Use of all capabilities of the ERP system for the online store;
    25. Omnichannel integration between the online store and the physical one;
    26. Dissemination of newsletters (their number is set in advance in the contract)
    27. Integration of a dropshipping functionality on the platform;
    28. Online merchandising (putting the products on the website in order)
    29. Use of all (more than 90) integrations of the platform with external services and software available at the time of signing the contract;
    30. Check for adverse links (one every three months)
    31. Ensuring the delivery of online orders in 28 countries;
    32. Connections with couriers;
    33. Accepting and labeling products in the warehouse;
    34. Tracking the expiration dates of products;
    35. Notifications about the need for new deliveries of products going out of stock;
    36. Insurance for products in the warehouse; and
    37. Free storage of the products in the warehouse for the period set out in the contract;
18. What are the main types of businesses you serve?

    Electronics, fashion, home, gadgets and accessories, food, cosmetics, perfumes, sports, hobbies and entertainment, gifts, jewelry, art, and children’s goods.

19. What is the validity term of the contract?

    The standard contract for the use of the platform’s services has a validity of 1 year.
    During this period, the customer is free to add or remove additional services. After the contract expires, the customer can continue to use the platform if they extend the contract.
    Termination of contractual relations is carried out with 3 months’ notice by each of the parties.

ONLINE STORE

1. What technologies are used by NEXT BASKET?

   The software design is based on the latest technologies for online commerce: microservices technology, 90% coverage of the software code with tests, and fully automatic scaling of server resources (those that work with Amazon, eBay, and Etsy).

2. Do I need to provide a hosting space?

   No. Your online store is hosted by us at Google Cloud. This is to ensure the elastic scaling of the site in order to reduce server space costs.

3. Is the hosting free?

   With the NB SELF option, when you manage your online store:
   1. Depending on the price plan: MINI provides free hosting up to 50GB, MIDI provides free hosting up to 100GB, and MAX has unlimited hosting;
   2. With the NB 360°, Managed by NB and NB LOCAL options, the hosting is totally free of charge.

4. What languages can the site be translated into?

   With NEXT BASKET, a software solution is used to translate your online store into 24 different languages:
   English, Romanian, Greek, Serbian, Macedonian, Hungarian, Slovenian, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Croatian, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian.

   The site itself is pre-translated into these languages, so only your product descriptions and required mandatory documents need to be translated.

5. Can I upload products and work with the administration panel of the site?

   Yes, this is totally possible.
   In this case, you will not pay any fees for administrative services with us. For example, you will not pay for uploading new products.
   The administration of the platform is very easy to manage.

6. How do I find out how the online store can be managed?

   The site has manuals and video tutorials.

7. What is Help Point?

   This is our support center.
   You can call or write to us if something in the online store does not work as it is supposed to.
   Each submitted notice is called a “ticket”.

8. What does the process of creating an online store involve?

   With our ready-made software platform, creating a store is quick, easy, and convenient.
   It requires a list of products and product categories, photos, and descriptions.
   It goes through the selection of a design theme for the vision of the site, then the information is filled in and the store is completed with the selected functionalities: categories, subcategories, filters, payment methods, integrations with couriers, product comparison, banners, checkout, and others.

9. How long will it take you to create my online store and start selling?

   If you choose a ready-made template and have everything you need (domain, logo, descriptions, photos, etc.), we can create your online store within 2 working days.

10. What will my online store look like?

    You will have a selection of several ready-made looks (templates) to choose from.
    Additionally, each of these can be personalized, e.g., colors, layouts, and modules (a paid service).
    As a result, your online store will have a distinctive look of its own, which is in harmony with your brand concept and the desired mood.

11. What payment methods can be integrated?

    Payment methods include (some of them are under construction):
    Cash on delivery
    Google Pay
    Apple Pay
    PayPal
    Bank transfer
    Virtual wallet
    ePay
    Stripe
    Braintree
    PaySera
    VP DSK Bank
    VP FIB
    VP Borica
    Pay at store
    Adyen
    Alipay
    Mollie Payments
    QuickPay Payments
    SEPA
    Zapper: Mobile Payments

12. Who does the sales revenue go to if NEXT BASKET manages my online store?
    1. If you use the NEXT BASKET warehouse:
       All sales revenue goes to the accounts of NEXT BASKET.
       As we manage the entire trading process, including refunds for returned products, we must be able to monitor the revenue.
    2. If you use your own warehouse:
       The revenue goes to you.
13. How soon will I receive the revenue from my sales?

    We pay the amounts received minus the expenses incurred once a week.

14. Which couriers does NEXT BASKET work with?

    In Bulgaria, the platform has the possibility of integration with the courier companies EU Shipment, Econt and Speedy.
    Abroad, we work with different couriers in each country.
    Our fulfillment center can process and deliver orders to couriers in 28 different countries, and we plan to increase this scope.

15. Do you offer online store automation and personalization?

    Yes, we have integrated and work with two external programs: SALESmanago and Releva.
    These enable the sending of personalized emails and the personalization of site pages so that customers see the products that may be relevant to them based on eheir gender,age,interests,previous purchases.

16. Can I link an online store to a physical one?

    Yes, this is totally possible – it is called omnichannel technology.
    We offer a full list of options for connecting the online world with physical store locations.
    This includes the possibility of ordering online with delivery to a physical store, buying online in a physical store, and returning products purchased online to a physical store, etc.

17. If I have a physical store, can I also have an online store?

    Yes.
    This falls under the option NB LOCAL.
    In this case, the goods in the physical store serve as a warehouse for the online store.

18. Do I need to install your ERP software in my physical store?

    Yes, this is required.
    The installation itself costs BGN 500 per terminal in a single payment.

19. What additional integrations are possible?

    We offer an easy and fast integration with various resource planning and monitoring systems, as well as marketing and cybersecurity tools.
    If you wish to link to any external software that is not integrated into our platform, we can do that for you.

20. Do you offer marketing automation and personalization for online stores?

    Yes, we have integrated and work with several providers of this service;
    They enable the sending of personalized emails and the personalization of site pages so that customers see those products that are relevant to them in terms of gender/age/interests/previous purchases;

21. Whose responsibility is it to maintain the online store?
    

    Software support is our responsibility.
    As for the uploading of new products with descriptions and photos, you can outsource it to us (a paid service) or do it yourself.

22. What are the site and data safety standards?
    

    The platform complies with the highest security standards for sensitive personal and banking data.
    Your online store will be fully compliant with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
    Regarding cybersecurity, we do tests four times a year.

23. Can changes be made to the site?
    

    Yes, changes to the site are possible as long as they do not exceed the technical scope of the platform.
    You only need to tell us what you want to change, then let us choose a working solution to achieve the desired result.

24. Does my store have a mobile version?
    

    All of NEXT BASKET’s online stores have a fast, convenient, and easy-to-navigate mobile version.
    We offer a high-end mobile experience to help you reach your audience regardless of their location.
    And that means everywhere!

25. I already have an online store on another platform. Can it be transferred?
    

    Yes, this is possible.
    The entire database (product descriptions, photos, customer profiles, etc.) can be transferred to NEXT BASKET.
    This service is free of charge.

26. Is it possible to compare the prices of my products on the site with the prices of the same products on my competitors` sites?
    

    Yes.
    We offer specialized software for this that not only provides pricing information but also provides suggestions on how to change your pricing.

MARKETING

1. What does the Digital Advertising service include?

   We can do your digital advertising for you on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, Criteo, and other channels.
   You set the monthly budget, and we invest your money in the best way.
   Between 10 and 20% of that amount will go to us, depending on the volume of the advertisement.

2. Do you offer any affiliate programs?

   Yes, we work with the best players in the industry.
   This will increase your sales.

3. Am I able to NOT outsource the digital marketing to you?

   Yes, the choice is yours.

4. Is the online store optimized for online search engines (SEO)?

   The main advantage of NEXT BASKET is its perfect optimization for Google.
   And the better the site is optimized, the more prominent a position it will occupy in the search results.
   In addition, since 2021, the main criterion for a good ranking in search engine results is the speed at which a site loads. Our platform loads as fast as possible – under 1 second.
   Thus, through SEO optimization, you will gain sales without paying for customer acquisition.

5. When will I start to see optimization results?

   It takes time for Google to “get to know” your site.
   Typically, it takes at least 6 months, so you shouldn’t expect to see huge results immediately.

ADDITIONAL SERVICES

1. How will my service be provided?

   You will have a personal account manager, who will take care of the fulfillment of your wishes.

2. Can I have a call center at NEXT BASKET?

   Yes. We can handle customer inquiries, order confirmations, delivery reminders, delivery tracking, and all other organizational issues related to communication between your brand and customers.

3. Can I maintain my own call center?

   Yes.
   In this case, we will provide your operators with access to our system to monitor the status of all orders.

4. Do my products need to have unique pictures and descriptions?

   It is not required, but it is highly recommended as it will
   help your products achieve a better ranking in the search engines, as well as create a higher added value for the customer, better positioning in the market, and more sales.
   Our extensive team can assist you with writing professional descriptions for products and categories, as well as with capturing, processing, and optimizing all photographic materials.

5. How will the accounting for my online store’s sales be handled?

   We can do your accounting as a natural or legal person.
   If you have your own accountant or an accounting firm that provides this service for you, we will provide integration with their accounting program or send all the necessary data in Excel or another format.

6. Should my store have a business blog?

   Yes, a blog is a marketing, communication, and optimization tool of particular importance for any business.
   NEXT BASKET’s sites support the blog page feature, and our copywriters are available to create high-quality content that will benefit both your customers and your bottom line.

7. Can I get a personal consultation for my online business?

   You can always count on the team at NEXT BASKET for consultation in relation to the strategic aspects of your online development.
   Our main ambition is to be able to offer our clients working solutions to complex issues.
   This relieves you from having to walk the whole difficult route yourself, starting from scratch.
   In the process, you will get to know the point of view of different experts: salespeople, marketers, copywriters, designers, programmers, and customer experience (UX) specialists.

8. Can I have more than one store with NEXT BASKET?

   There is no limit to the number of stores we can build and maintain for you.

   How abou something more unique, available only with us:
   Through the Multistore function, you can support multiple sites with a common cart and common shipping when ordering.
   In this way, consumers are incentivized to shop more. A greater variety of products for them and more profit for you – it’s a win-win situation.

WAREHOUSING SERVICES

1. What does fulfillment mean?

   We use specialized warehouse software that was created to facilitate the operation of online stores.
   Goods are arranged in a special way — not on pallets, but on shelves.
   The goal is to fulfill multiple orders very quickly.

2. What is the fulfillment cost for NEXT BASKET?

   Fulfillment services save time and costs for warehouse and staff management.
   We will store your goods, track your inventory, process and dispatch shipments to various countries, and accept back unclaimed and returned shipments—all for
   an absolutely fair final price.

3. Our warehousing and fulfillment services are suitable for almost all types of products (except those that require a temperature regime).
   We do not set an upper and lower limit for the acceptance of goods in order to remain flexible and cover the variety of needs and specifics of our customers.
   Only bulky goods are subject to additional arrangements.

4. What will I pay for the products that are in stock at NEXT BASKET?

   If the product is sold within 30 days from the date of its arrival at the warehouse, there is no reception and storage free.
   If the product remains in the warehouse for more than 30 days, a storage fee is charged (based on cost price).

5. Can food and beverages be stored in the warehouse?

   Yes.
   If they require a special temperature regime, however, this is subject to additional agreement.

6. What happens to expired products?

   We will notify you 1 month before the expiration date.
   You decide how to proceed. You can take the products back or ask us to dispose of them at your expense.

7. How quickly are orders processed and shipped?

   All orders received by 15:00 are processed and delivered to the courier within the same day.
   Under heavy load – for example, around Black Friday – processing may take up to 5 calendar days.
   A customer in Bulgaria typically receives their shipment in 1-2 working days.

8. How do you ship abroad? How long does it take to deliver to Hungary, for example?

   We offer specialized courier services abroad, with delivery typically taking 1 working day longer than deliveries in Bulgaria.

9. To which countries can the goods be shipped?

   We can ship to 28 countries:
   Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Macedonia, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, England, Malta, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Denmark, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia.

10. What happens to returned goods?

    All returned goods are processed by us. We divide them into 3 categories:

    1. Category A: Suitable for resale;
    2. Category B: Suitable for sale, but with a defect; and
    3. Category C: Unsuitable for resale.
11. Can returned products be resold?
    1. For Category A, we can put them up for sale as new products;
    2. For Category B, we can put them up for sale as defective products; and
    3. For Category C:
       we can store them for a fee;
       you can take them back; or
       we can dispose of them for a fee.
12. How can I check what inventory I have in stock?

    This can be easily done from the platform’s administration panel.
    Simply use your account to check your inventory.