Installation

Requirements

• CS-Cart Multi-Vendor 4.17.2 – 4.21.x. The add-on is Multi-Vendor only; CS-Cart (Standard/Ultimate) refuses the installation with “Edition of your cart (ULTIMATE) is not supported. Required: MULTIVENDOR.”
• PHP 7.2.5 – 8.3, as supported by your CS-Cart version.
• Tested on Multi-Vendor 4.17.2 and Multi-Vendor 4.21.2.
• A storefront theme based on Responsive or Nova (the default themes and most third-party themes).
• A cron job is recommended for posting charges on time (see Configuration). Without cron, posting runs while administrators or vendors use their panel.

Install

1. Go to Add-ons → Manage add-ons, click the gear button and choose Manual installation.
2. Upload kv_vendor_sponsored_products-<version>.zip and click Upload & install.
3. On the License tab of the settings, enter your license key and save. If you bought the add-on on the CS-Cart Marketplace and entered the license number in Add-ons → Manage add-ons, you can skip this step. Until a key is verified, the add-on works for 14 days (see License).
4. Review Placements and prices: the minimum bids, the fixed daily prices and the number of slots of each placement. The defaults are a starting point, not a recommendation for your marketplace.
5. Optionally place the Sponsored products block on your home page in Design → Layouts (see Usage).
6. Set up the cron job and tell your vendors about Marketing → Sponsored products in their panel.

Installation creates nine tables (cscart_kv_spads_*) and two privileges. No core files or core tables are changed.

Upgrade

Upload the new package over the installed add-on (same steps as installing). On the next admin page load the add-on brings its tables, settings and language variables up to date by itself. Campaigns, statistics, charges and settings are kept.

Disable

Disabling the add-on (status Off) removes the sponsored slots from the storefront and stops counting and charging. Campaigns, statistics and vendor balances are kept; nothing is posted while the add-on is off. To stop advertising for a while without disabling the add-on, clear Show sponsored products on the storefront in the settings.

Uninstall

Add-ons → Manage add-ons → Sponsored Products for Vendors → gear → Uninstall removes the add-on’s tables (campaigns, statistics, click log, charges, posting records), its settings, privileges and language variables. Charges already posted stay in core vendor accounting as Payout rows, so vendor balances do not change. Charges recorded but not posted yet are lost: open Posted charges and click Post now before uninstalling, and export the statistics you need as CSV.