Can I create an unlimited amount of discount code?

[headcold]

Hi. This is my first day using Zen Cart, and I'm getting a little overwhelmed. Could someone please point me in the right direction to accomplish what I am trying?

I am offering one service through my website. The membership cost is $10 per year. Part of the service depends on a referral system. Most people will arrive at the site with a discount code for $1 off. John Doe will enter the discount code, pay $9 and then I need to have a place in the form where John Doe now chooses a personal discount code, like johndoe. I will then need to add johndoe as a valid personal discount code. John Doe is now a member and he can tell all of his friends to go to my website and enter johndoe to get $1 off.

Furthermore, I need to track the number of users that entered johndoe for a discount so that I can pay John Doe $3 per referral.

Does this sound like something that Zen Cart can easily pull off?

[KGZotU]

headcold,

It can't be done automatically with stock Zen Cart.

If you're willing to do this manually though, it shouldn't be too much trouble.

Have a product that represents your service. Your referral codes are product specific coupons. After a customer buys the product, create a coupon code for them and e-mail it to them. Since it's a coupon code it's stored with the order.

To determine referral amounts, you could either note occurrences of the code in your e-mail, take your data from the coupon report page, or--if you're expecting a high volume of use--modify the export to csv mod to include coupon codes.

You could do this with more automation, but it would require more modification.

Of note, I don't think any other cart would be better suited; this is a fairly niche requirement.

Hope this helps,
Joe

[DrByte]

Sounds like you're trying to build an affiliates system of sorts.

Have you checked out how various affiliate systems work and how you might adapt one to work with your needs? If they won't, what are the specific deficiencies ? And why are those deficiencies a problem for your business model? Is there another way to accomplish the same goal while using an already-built affiliates tool?

(You can custom-code almost anything in Zen Cart if you possess the right skills ... but if the work's already been largely done somewhere, why reinvent it?)
Just challenging your thinking a little ;)

[postergame]

Can anyone tell me how to increase the amount of text a customer can type into the referral box on the checkout page? It appears to be limited to 32 characters.

I am using the referral code box simply as a place for customers to leave their comments. I retitled it "OPTIONAL: How did you hear about us?".

A customer recently wrote "website @ bot. of pic @ work". They meant to say, "I saw your web address printed on the bottom of a poster at work", but couldn't write all that, given the 32 character limit.

I wonder if I need to increase some field length in my database, however I can find no field labeled "referral ..." , nor would I know how to change the length anyway.

Can anyone help?

Thanks!