Welcome to The Pattern Cloud

Once you've received your login details by email, you're ready to get started. Head to app.thepatterncloud.com to log in and begin configuring your account.

Your dashboard will appear relatively empty at first — that's expected! You'll need to work through a few configuration steps before your site is ready to go live. Follow the guide below, or watch the full setup video here:

Step 1: Website Manager — Build Your Profile

Navigate to Configuration > Website Manager. This is where you build your profile and configure the appearance of your storefront before going live.

1.1 Company Name & Email Address

Fill in your company name and the email address you'd like your customers to receive notifications from — for example, order confirmations and registration emails.

1.2 Upload Your Logo

Upload your logo in the main logo area. The ideal logo height is 46 pixels, though it can be taller. Some tweaking may be needed depending on size and format — once your domain is switched on, you'll be able to preview exactly how it looks.

1.3 Storefront Theme

The Storefront Theme lets you preview what your customer-facing login page will look like, and customise:

Button colours
Accent colour

1.4 Bank Information

Enter your bank details here. These are automatically added to every invoice generated on the system. You can set up multiple bank accounts for different currencies — for example, if a client pays in euros, your euro account details will appear on their invoice automatically.

💡 Don't forget to click Save after making changes on any page.

Step 2: Payment Settings

This is where you configure the currencies you accept and the payment methods available to your customers at checkout.

Available payment options:

Stripe — takes credit card payments. If you don't have an account yet, Stripe is free and straightforward to set up at stripe.com.
PayPal — connect your PayPal Business account.

Click on either option and you'll be guided through the setup directly on those platforms.

Step 3: Design Preferences

Customise how your designs are displayed on your website:

Randomize designs — shuffle the order in which designs appear to customers
Show related designs — automatically display similar designs at the bottom of each product page
Latest designs label — add a label to highlight your most recently uploaded designs

Step 4: Video Features (3D Fabric Swatch)

The Video Features section controls your 3D fabric swatch videos — short clips that show your design mapped onto a fabric header, bringing your patterns to life.

You can upload your logo here so it appears on every swatch video generated for your designs.

Step 5: Tags & Custom Menus

Tags allow you to create a custom navigation menu for your storefront. This is especially useful if you have distinct collections, categories, or design styles you want to organise separately.

Setting up tags allows you to:

Create custom headings and menus visible on your homepage
Quickly find and apply the right tags when uploading new designs

You can return to this section at any time to add or update your tag structure as your collection grows.

Step 6: Email Notifications

All customer-facing emails — such as registration confirmations and checkout notifications — are sent automatically by the system. In this section you can:

Preview every email template your customers will receive
Edit the content — personalise messaging, add your own text, or insert pre-filled data fields

We recommend reviewing each template so you're familiar with the email flow before going live.

6.1 Terms & Conditions

A pre-filled template is provided. You can edit it with your company details or replace it entirely with your own terms and conditions.

Step 7: Domain Setup

You have two options for your storefront domain:

Option A: Use a Pattern Cloud Domain

We provide a free PatternCloud subdomain (e.g. yourstudio.thepatterncloud.com). This is a great option if you don't currently own a domain — it's quick to set up and includes SSL security.

Option B: Use Your Own Custom Subdomain

If you own a domain (e.g. patternstudio.com), you can create a subdomain for your storefront such as shop.patternstudio.com. This keeps your branding consistent.

To set this up:

Configure the subdomain with your domain provider (you'll need access to your DNS settings)
Enter your subdomain in the Domain field in Website Manager
Click Verify — you'll be prompted to add a DNS record
Add the DNS record (Option 1: CNAME record is recommended) to your domain provider settings

🙋 Not sure how to access your DNS settings? Email us at [email protected] and we'll walk you through it.

7.1 Custom Email Domain

By default, all system emails are sent from a Pattern Cloud email address. You can configure your own domain so that emails arrive from your studio's address instead (e.g. [email protected]).

This involves adding a few DNS records to your domain — we have a help article covering this in detail, and our support team is happy to assist.

Step 8: Pricing & Shipping

Go to the Pricing section to configure what you charge for your designs and how shipping is handled.

8.1 Tax

If you charge tax, set your tax rate here. Tax will only be applied to clients based in the same country as your studio.

8.2 Territory Pricing

This is where you set your exclusive design pricing by region. The world is divided into territories, and you can:

Set a price for each territory
Choose which currencies to offer clients in each region (e.g. allow Australian clients to pay in AUD, or set a single currency for all)

💡 Remember to click Save once you've finished setting up your pricing. Need guidance on what to charge? Check our Help Centre or ask our support chatbot for average pricing benchmarks.

8.3 Territory Shipping 🆕

🆕 New Feature — Territory Shipping has just been released! We'd love your feedback as you explore it.

If you sell physical swatches alongside your digital designs, you can set territory-based shipping rates so customers are automatically charged the correct shipping cost at checkout based on their location.

Watch the step-by-step video walkthrough below, or follow the steps:

Navigate to Design Management > Pricing and locate the Territory Shipping section.
Set your shipping cost for each territory — for example, $100 for Australia, a different rate for the US or Europe.
Save your changes.
When uploading designs, ensure the swatch type is set to either Paper or Fabric — this is required for territory shipping to apply correctly at checkout.
Set the design to Live. Your clients will now be charged the correct shipping rate for their territory automatically when they add a swatch to their basket.

📌 For the full step-by-step guide, see Setting Up Territory Shipping →

Step 9: Design Agent (Optional)

The Design Agent is an optional feature that allows your designs to be showcased and sold through The Pattern Cloud's agent platform.

To get started:

Go to Business Operations > Agent Section
Read and accept the Terms and Conditions (you must opt in — it's not automatic)
Tick both boxes to confirm access and allow the agent to apply up to a 10% discount if needed to help close a sale (optional)
Enter your desired prices in GBP, USD, and EUR
Click Save

From this point, any designs you upload to your site will automatically be shared with the Design Agent.

ℹ️ The Design Agent is entirely optional — you don't need to use it to run your Pattern Cloud site.