Ideals, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

To view a Frequently Asked Question, click on a category or question to reveal the answer.

>	Where can I find the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy? Links to these items can be found on the Login page. Click on the Login menu, then click on link found on the lower right hand side of the screen.
>	Do I have to be an Ideals member to print an offer? Yes. You may preview all offers, but must be an Ideals member to print an offer.
>	How do I see a list of all the businesses and merchants? Go to search area, select merchants from drop down in "Search In", leave "Search For" box blank, click on search and all merchants will appear.
>	How do I see a list of all the businesses and merchants for a specific area? Go to search area, enter desired area zip code in "Zip" box, enter distance from zip in "Miles from Zip" you wish to search, select Merchants from drop down in "Search In", leave "Search For" box blank, click on search and all merchants will appear that are within the number of miles from the zip code you selected.
>	How do I search for coupon offers? There are several ways to search for coupon offers. The most complete search is by using the search box area and ensure "Coupons" is selected for the "Search In" box. You can search by keyword or name (or leave blank to list all). You must type in complete words, not partial words. If you wish for a more specific search, you can enter miles from a zip code to search for offers within a certain area, or a combination of all. Also in the search area, you can search by category or merchant name (see "Search In" drop down options. Another way to search is under the Category menu tab, all categories and subcategories are listed along with any coupon offers.
>	How do I see a list of all coupon offers? Go to search area, select Coupons from drop down in "Search In", leave "Search For" box blank, click on search and all coupon offers will appear.
>	How do I see a list all the coupon offers for a specific area? Go to search area, enter desired area zip code in "Zip" box, enter distance from zip in "Miles from Zip" you wish to search, select Coupons from drop down in "Search In", leave "Search For" box blank, click on search and all coupons will appear that are for merchants within the number of miles from the zip code you selected.

Common Member Questions

Common Merchant Questions

>	How do I change the business name for a specific location? Must click on edit for each individual coupon and click on update. This will ensure the coupon appears in search results.
>	Can an offer be used for multiple locations? Yes. Enter all location under the Locations tab. Under the coupon tab, ensure to check the box next to each location where the offer is valid.
>	How many individual locations may a merchant enter? A merchant can set up an unlimited number of locations.
>	Can a merchant insert a company logo in an offer? Yes. When logged in to your merchant account, go to Logos tab to upload file(s).
>	Can a merchant insert a product picture in an offer? Yes. When logged in to your merchant account, go to Logos tab to upload file(s). Once in the system, a logo can be associated with an offer.
>	What type of company logo and product logo files may a merchant add to an offer? JPEG (.jpg) and GIF .gif files are accepted. JPEG files will automatically be resized to fit the system requirements. GIF files need to be 180W x 90H (pixels) or smaller. For best results, file should be rendered for screen resolution (72 dpi).
>	What if my logo or pictures look blurry? Depending on the size of your original .jpg file and the amount of automatic resizing necessary, it is not uncommon for the graphics to become blurry. Please consult a graphic designer who can resize the image for you to size of 180W x 90H (pixels) or smaller. For best results, file should be rendered for screen resolution (72 dpi). You will need to upload the new file to the Ideals site.
>	Can Ideals members print an offer after a merchant's billing plan expires? No. Offers can be printed by consumers only up to the date the merchant's billing plan expires, even if the offer end date is past the merchant's billing plan expiration date.
>	How do merchants track how often an offer is printed? Ideals does this for you. Simply login to your merchant account and print counts will be listed in the Recent Coupon Activity area.
>	How can a merchant monitor whether a printed offer has been wrongly duplicated? Each printed offer has a specific number printed on the actual offer to avoid duplication.
>	Can an Ideals member print an offer prior to an offer's start date? Yes. Ideals members may print all future offers prior to their start date.
>	What if I do not find a category to place my offer in? Click on the Contact Us tab and email Ideals, Inc. your concern.
>	What are Keywords? Keywords are words that consumers may enter in the search functions to locate your offer. Keywords should be entered as whole words separated by spaces (no commas). The search function will search for whole words only, ensure to enter numerous options of the same word (Ex: consultant consultants consulting)
>	What is the Automatic Date Rollover Option (Date Display Option) for displaying dates on my coupon? The Date Display Option instructs the system how to display the start and end dates of a coupon to the user. For example, you can create an offer that does not have an expiration date, but display a month end date on the coupon to create a sense of urgency for the consumer. You may choose to display a month end date from 1-4 months out. The start and end date will automatically rollover each month. The automatic date rollover also works if you choose a specific end date, in this case, the end date will not rollover past the specific end date you select.
>	How do I update the Merchant Profile information? Login to your merchant account, select the Edit link next to the profile section on the merchant home page, make changes and ensure to click on Update button to save changes.
>	How do I print my coupon offer? Login to your merchant account, search for your coupon offers in Categories menu or put in a search phrase in the "Search For" box and click search, click on coupon description to "Print Now" or save to your "Coupon Caddy". Note, merchants are only allowed to print and/or save their own coupon offers.
>	Can I see a list of all categories? Yes. Click on the Categories menu. You will see all Categories and Subcategories.
>	What is my Ideals business listing and how can I update it? Your Ideals business listing is your company information that a consumer will see when searching for your coupon offer. Business name, address, phone number, website, logo, etc. may all be part of your Ideals business listing. Click the "Edit" link from the Merchant Home page after logging in to your merchant account to update your listing.
>	How can I add my logo to my Ideals business listing? Login to your merchant account. Upload your logo under the Logos menu if not already done so. Select the "Edit" link from the profile sections of the Merchant Home page, select your business logo, and click on update to save your changes.
>	How many logos can I add to the system? You can upload as many logos as you wish.
>	How can I add my company website to my Ideals business listing to directly link consumers to my business? Login to your merchant account. Click the "Edit" link from the profile section of the Merchant Home page, enter your company website, and click on update to save your changes.
>	What if I don't see my coupon or profile updates on the live site? Click on the View menu and select Refresh. It may take several minutes for your changes to reflect on the live site.
>	What if the city and zip code I entered result in the message "The city you entered does not match the city/metro in our zip code listings..."? Click/Check the box by the city that states "Ignore Zip Code Validation for City". This will allow you to enter in your desired city. The reason this may occur is some zip codes are associated with multiple cities, therefore, the system validation application may not originally recognize your specific city.
>	What if I don't receive my email verification email from Ideals? You may have a SPAM control program in place, please be sure to add "verify.email@idealsinc.com" to your allowed email list. Please contact us if you have any difficulties.