It there any way to remove the require fields of registration. All what I want to have it is e-mail address.I do not need the name and address,phone#
Thanks
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It there any way to remove the require fields of registration. All what I want to have it is e-mail address.I do not need the name and address,phone#
Thanks
this is all required info for zen.
it can be made not required but how do you distinguish customers.
I sell photos only by download.E-mail it is fine. I do not need any more personal info.
As a matter of fact I do not even need the login.Can the zencart be set to not ask for login info?
Simple set up. Customer come in, choose to buy, go through paypal,return and download the file.No login require.No personal info require.
Need help with this. I look at few php and seems that a lot of php are linked to login. Just do not know which one to "wipe-out". :unsure:
Thanks
no this is not possible at this time
zen cart requires login
Hi! :lookaroun
I also do not require the login feature as the customer's contact information already exists within another application in the accounting system.
I would like to change a couple of things on the login Billing Information, though.
Is it possible to change the Billing Information at all?
"Address Details" to say "Shipping Address Details" and Country to say "Canada", not United States as it does now.
"Telephone" to say "Home Telephone" and "Fax Number" to say "Work Telephone".
Also I want to add a box for "Additional Shipping Information".
Is any of this at least possible?
Thank-you!
Angie
I have a similar issue...I need to ADD radio buttons and a text box on payment page...any help greatlyappreciated...
We need help on this on from someone who really know how this software works. this is the togh one.
Ok,
zen cart requires an account to be created, no way around that.
as for renaming things yes can be done in the languages file for create_account and login.php
additional shipping information is added during checkout.
you can use the admin configuration
its in customer details.
set default to Canada
I also would like to remove some of the required fields, in my case just the phone number as I feel it's rather intrusive to ask for someone's phone. I've found a workaround of this problem -- in the Admin area, select Configuration > Minimum Values. For whatever field you wish not to require your users to enter, edit that and delete the number, leaving it blank. So instead of a number of characters, just leave it blank.
This is a workaround in that your users will be able to proceed without entering anything into that field. The only problem is the the red star that indicated "required" still appears. I'll bet there is a way to edit this out in the html doc though. Any ideas?
In includes -> languages -> english.php find the following:
define('ENTRY_TELEPHONE_NUMBER_TEXT', '*');
remove the * leaving the single quotes
define('ENTRY_TELEPHONE_NUMBER_TEXT', '');
save the modified file to includes -> languages -> YOUR_TEMPLATE -> english.php and upload it to your server.
You can not have blank or you get 1064 at line 11. I allready try that. Min value can not have 0 or less.
Clydejones that works. You are good. I just left require for 1st name and e-mail/password.Good enough as I do not ship and do not want to ask too many unneccessery question.I do value people privacy. Thanks
:thumbsup:
this thread is very helpful, thanks to solve my problem!
this has helped me out too. SO thanks!
But is there anyway of removing the fields all together?
other else i do it manually.
they are all stay in the includes/templates/[CUSTOM_TEMPLATE]/templates folder
be sure you backup before.
Requiring a login account to place an order by credit card is one of the few problems I have with Zen Cart. Everything else has been great so far, but I don't want to force customers to have an online "account" that they don't want.
I def think that it would be a great contribution is someone could make zen temp. register an ip addres like some stores. instead of having to have an account made.. The account thing does not bother me at this moment though. I was talking to a programer that lives by me and he is making a online store from stracth and he is using something to do with the customers ip and mac address to identify customers temporarly, to hold the information for the shooping cart. (what they ordered).. I dont know I just thought I would put my Two cents in this too.
Zen is the best anyways and will always be. Keep up the good work.
Allow me to rant a little here.
Those of you who are, IMHO, trying to "dummy down" ZenCart need to stop and think a bit.
If all you want is someone to buy something and leave, go to PayPal and they will make a button for you to put in some HTML on a web page. Voila! Shopping Cart!
"I don't want people to have to register." And you never want them to return? :shocking: You never have a sale? Special Promotion? The PayPal option works for you too.
You don't need phone numbers? How in *#$( do you contact a credit card purchaser with a wrong card expiration date and a mistyped email address?!?:ohmy:
"Let's just go by IP address." Fine, which one would you like me to give you? Name one and I can present it to you. (#*#, I can just anonymously surf and you won't get one at all!
I bet some of you actually have a radio and air conditioning in you car! If you're looking for a bicycle, ZenCart AIN"T IT!
The presentation of products can be done in many ways. Some in this forum will attest to the fact that CSS is kicking their rear. However, they are here for the tracking, reports, client interaction, and kick-### features provided to them FREE by the devs. If all you want is the presentation, click here.
Hmmm....calm down.
The business I'm doing this cart for only has 20-30 products and they don't want to make people sign up for an account. They hate how every web site makes you "sign up" and want their cart to be more like jcpenny.com or one of those other sites that allows you to order without creating an account.
Having a feature like that is not a way to "dummy down" Zen Cart, it's a way to improve it.
Also, PayPal is fine if you want to donate some money or buy something on eBay, but it's not a very professionial looking option for a business.
Keep losing connection.:down:
You might want to rethink the JC Penney thing. The only things lacking on JC's "Checkout Now - Register Later" page is a password and an email preference.
Do you have to register? Technically no. Will you still receive email? Definitely. Will you have to enter all the billing information again if you ever decide to buy another item? Absolutely!
I still can't see the savings to you or the customer unless you're counting on just one sale from each customer.
If you feel so bad about the customer "having to log in", reward their having to pick a password with a 10% coupon on their next purchase. Might create a conversion and maybe even a repeat.
I do not want customer to be forced to make an account just to buy 1 item.. But on the other hand i like the idea forcing the customer to create a account becuase it is nice to have all the information from who bought from you. What would happen if someone spoofed the ip and just ripped your mouth out. just because they did not have to create an account.. I would like to atleast have somekind of information and a trace for security reasons.. (Granted they could as easly lie about everything, but i would atleast have something) <p> Offering a discount coupon would draw customers to think past the idaea of creating an account, like Dbltoe said... So I can go both ways on this.
I understand that the only difference is one field: a password.Quote:
Originally Posted by dbltoe
I explained to them that the data at jcpenny was probably even saved in the same database with the only difference being a "yes" or "no" in the registerd acoount field.
They still would rather use it when checking out at a site, and feel that they would lose more customers from forcing them to login than they would get from repeat business.
For their target customer, I agree. Having an account is very unlikely to result in repeat business anymore than not having an account.
And if not having an account login causes them to lose even a few sales, they are behind because of it.
In any case, they are going to use the login/account because that is the only option with ZenCart and everything else has already been setup.
You're welcome to your opinion, it may be valid for your store and customer base. But I don't think it applies to this case.
Even with this one issue, ZenCart has been a great option and I would definitely use it again. Everyone involved with the development should be commended.
Hrere is a thought. Make the cart add a random character or string to their email when it goes to do the check and remove it when it inserts it into the database, thus bypassing the required login. I may seem like a hack and a waste but i can tell you that in my industry we lose business when a login is required, customers dont want that. And there are many many other carts that are well known that dont require logins.
Kamino,
Unless you are selling ###### ######## I cant believe the BS about LOSING customers if they have to create an account,
WHY would the MAJOR Players require an account if it was a turn off.
think about it, and before you say, well they are BIG stores, remember they started off with just 1 customer just like you did.
There are 2 reasons people DONT create an account
they are buying something they are ashamed of, Hence the ###### ######## statement ( not a slander I personally dont care )
or they are shady....
OK,
just say that YOU DONT WANT IT.
quit trying to sell the "Customer dosnt like it " line, its OLD and wornout.
Customers are PROGRAMMED to create accounts Just Like Pavlovs Dogs
Merlin,Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlinpa1969
Obvoiusly you have issues that you take comments personally. Its proven that customers who order water filters versus computers do not want to have to login as it slows them down or they forget their password and it frustrates them. We have hundreds of thousands of customers and i can tell you its the customers who dont want it. I has nothing to do with them being shady. Its both a privacy issue, since they dont want their information kept in someones database and a convenience issue.
and do you honestly think anyone is stupid enough to believe that you are NOT keeping their informationQuote:
Its both a privacy issue, since they dont want their information kept in someones database
Sorry,
gotta go before someone thinks IM being grumpy again
Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlinpa1969
Look. The point is, i know we are not the only ones that have this issue with customers. And for all of you on the board that want the solution, i solved it a different way then i posted that makes it really easy for you. Just email me.
Just an FYI, I am in the process of setting up a Zen Cart store for a company that has been in business for close to 80 years. While it is true that a lot of people are accustomed to creating an account, I don't want to make it mandatory that they do, especially given the case that a lot of our customers are older and might not be comfortable shopping online anyways. The way I see it is the fewer questions that we ask of them the better experience they will have.
Do I wish that they would create an account? Heck yes, but I'm not willing to lose a sale if someone doesn't want to. So Kamino, please please please either email me the solution that you came up with ([email protected]) or post a reply to this forum so that anyone else who finds this thread will know how to do it also. Thanks in advance!
-Andrew Cannon
Be prepared for alot of problems with orders. Why not have a customer accounts? Your going to need their details anyway, such as their address etc. So if customers wont be willing to give you them, then theres no point in creating a online store... ?
The way I see it, it's a matter of salesmanship. Are you selling them a bucket of $#!* or a bucket of the finest fertilizer for their roses?
I think you would be better served to let your customers understand that some information has to be gathered in order to be able to properly protect their identity in a time when not only they but you are doing all in you power to prevent someone from stealing from them through identity theft.
Especially in these days and times when folks are willing to give up a little privacy for security.
Wow! This has been an exicting section of posts! I to, wanted to speed the process of customers purchasing products (usually under $5) along before they realized that the time involved wasn't worth the money. Developers of Zen Cart (who I really appreciate for their time and excellent product) don't have to back down from their original creation (which was obviously agreed upon as being a wonderful "child"), however, they should also realize that many (or most) "Zenners" aren't selling Rolex watches. I read somewhere that customer motivations are 90% want and 10% need, therefore when customers pause, even for a moment, they are calculating facts and figures "time equals money". The desire for a quick sale on the part of "Zenners" is not an attempt to undermine the process of Zen Cart, but rather to utilize known drives in humans...to change their minds incessantly, and work within THOSE known parameters.
I believe that another cart (not just adding a "buy now" button) eliminated the registration process, so that's an alternative you can look into. The Zen Cart is very nice, as this is my third cart and I'm sticking to it. I'm not a programmer, but I've changed a few of the "this and thats", but put them back as I want to leave room for "future" customers NEEDING to be registered (for shipping purposes).
Speaking for myself, I will maintain the registration process and will compensate with a new skill, ADVERTISING! If you can, like any good car salesmen, convince someone that your product is useful, unique and necessary for the betterment of his/her existence, then they'll not only take the time to register, they'll pay you for the priviledge.
Or maybe I'm full of s&*$t:smartass:
Dude, you dont seem to get it. You are trying to force your thinking on customers. It is the customer that is always right. You remind me of the old IBM insinuating vehemently that OS2 was better than Windows and that customers should buy it. Clearly customers disagreed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Merlinpa1969
Its ridiculous to assume that customers want something because its better for your business. Im sorry, Zencart is great but that is a major flaw in your thinking and design. You never even gave people the option of choosing a forced registration or not. Frankly, its stupid.
But what is more stupid is thinking that people DONT create accounts only if they are ashamed or shady. Thanks for ZenCart seriously. But your thoughts on this are over the top and out of touch with reality. People are being asked to create accounts every time they go to a site now. Its irritating to say the least. They just want to buy something and dont care about your database of info or attempts of getting them to come back. You lack creativity and entrepreneurialism if you cant find a way to do it! Creating a horrible buying experience is not a way to get them back.
MrBrightside,
This issue re-occurs every so often...
If you read this complete post, there were some relatively easy hacks to change required to not required in addition to the admin switches to turn off certian items.
For most, some information is required to allow shipping to somewhere, and even for "virtual products" to protect the seller, some information is required to prevent a download link from being diseminated across the web. i.e. only the account user that purchased the item can download it.
So without some type of accounting for who purchases what, how would you suggest that this be controlled?
"Register" is a term and this terminology can be changed i.e. "Create an Account" - "Provide Shipping Information" - "Download Tracking Info" - and/or any other terms that you might prefer.
Bottomline, to protect you for virtual products and/or to provide you with someplace to ship what is purchased, this function is important. For US based operations, this information tracking/substantiating of transactions is necessary for IRS if you are required to verify your sales.
Call it what you like, but this is a function that is necessary. Make it appear as un-imposing to your clientle as you want, and do not use it for re-contacting via mail or any other mode if this is your choice.
I am sure that your customers want to receive the items that they purchase and to do this they must provide some information and they know and understand this.
This information is the only requested upon checkout and a shopper is not required to supply it until they are prepared to make a purchase.
I get the point that you can change the wording of the log in. Still, having a customer remember an ID and password is what it is no matter what you call it. Its a nuissance to the customer.
thank you for the explanation. I read the whole thread and cannot find out how I can undo the login. I thought the address and contact info will be saved with every transaction. Is there not a database ID for the transaction that is linked to their info? If so, then why do you need a login? I guess Im missing something.
The point is that not every customer wants to have to login. So you give them a choice or you disable it. Not everyone wants to shut it off and thats fine. But for those of us who know what our customers want and know they dont want to have to login, then this is something we need. If you are still looking for the fix. PM me
Robert
Kamino84
Kamino84.
Again this has been an issue before, this is how Zencart functions, as you seem to know of others that are more to your liking, look to them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamino84
This is not an issue that can be altered easily if at all and the development team has addressed it many times. No need to continue flaming the issue.
You know your customer's sentiments best, so if required get them one of those other carts that meet the need.
See that again is the problem with those who think customers have to login. Why cant zen-cart be used if we dont want logins? It is a very very easy fix and while zen-cart developers may not want to make the change, for those who want it, it can be done with two very simple changes in two files and your done.
This is on the list of things to do ... it is not on Today's list of things to do ...
If you need it Today ... feel free to write this now for yourself or post in the Commercial Help Wanted and someone can write this code for you Today ...
But as to the Zen Cart Development Team saying "we won't do this" is not true ...
What we said was, we won't do this Today ... but you are free to do so at your leisure ... :cool:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamino84
Why not post your recommended changes here?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kamino84
If you were selling this as a commercial product you would lose sales because of the login / registration issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ajeh
Where I can persuade the client that user registration is necessary then Zen Cart gets installed otherwise I go elsewhere and so does the clients money.
I have no issue with the implied statement 'If you don't like it, go somewhere else', we all have a choice, but most of my clients are small businesses who use PayPal and not direct credit card processing. Therefore the user experience can be frustrating with the need to enter login information more than once. As a consequence sales are being lost because of this. No dodgy **** stuff either as implied earlier.
In my opnion the customer is always right and the customer is driving the user registration issue by voting with their feet and going elswhere losing my clients potential sales to competitors.
So its on your todo list but not today. well I won't be holding my breath while you keep your heads buried in the sand. I get the impression that after the first huge effort in getting Zen Cart to where it is now, it's now too much of an effort to give users what they want.
tonybanjo,
I am only a poster here and not part of the dev team in any manner. I do not see why you & others continue to flame this issue.
As you appear, from your statement, to have clients, it might behove you to code this for them....and as this is an open source community, then contribute it for others to use...You are here for a reason, as I suppose you have used other open source carts and there must be some reason that you you are not there. I theorize that you have possibly found that except for this issue, you are finding that ZenCart is more complete and somewhat simpler to work with than the others.Quote:
Where I can persuade the client that user registration is necessary then Zen Cart gets installed otherwise I go elsewhere and so does the clients money.
What ever the reason, you have been given a few options like write it yourself and/or post in the commercial area and have someone write it for you. I would hope that this was clear but for some other reason you continue to flame the issue and attempt to badger the development team for an issue that is important to you without considering the many issues that they face. You want your issue to be the most important.
I suggest to you that you either buck up and write it, pay some to write it and cease with your petty admonishments and attempts to make your issue paramount.Quote:
So its on your todo list but not today. well I won't be holding my breath while you keep your heads buried in the sand. I get the impression that after the first huge effort in getting Zen Cart to where it is now, it's now too much of an effort to give users what they want.
As you state, "we all have a choice", so why are you here if this is so important to you?
Why are you not doing something constructive about it?
No, instead, you want to make demeaning remarks about the development team and their priorities.
Get off it, and make a positive contribution to the community!
I have to agree with Kobra, Tony. There is no need to get nasty on the board. The point of this thread is not to yell at the dev team, which has done a great job on this entire project. The point is to get opinions from everyone on the change to make the login an option thing for users. As Dr. Byte said, they will add it to their list and when they get a chance they will add it. For now the change is simple, in the create_account.php file is an if statement checking the email address for an existing record. Modify that to however you want to setup your login, either optional or not at all and modify the form to remove the password and such. Like kobra said change the code yourself for now or wait until the dev team can make the changes for you.
Kamino84
I'll throw in my two cents. I would like the option to turn off the requirement for creating an account. It is the first thing my client asked me to remove. I will add my request here that the dev team consider rewriting the core to make this optional. It would also be nice to have the option to determine exactly what is required and not required in terms of the input form. We don't need phone number, and it shouldn't require a hack to remove this from the form.
I would suggest that people recognize that there are many configurations of a shopping cart and they often don't fit the standard paradigm of many products/return customers. For example I am using the cart for one time donations for a charity. I am using zen because the deliverable is a one time download mp3. I don't need login because they are not going to return again. Login determines now that they are allowed to download, but it doesn't have to be that way. The cart could just pass all customers to delivery url that can only be accessed by completing the payment process.
In any event. The request is in. Many developers seem to need/want this option. The client and the customers are requesting this as well. Simplifying the procedure for purchasing online is always a good thing.
Please take a look at the development roadmap,
Ajeh and DrByte both said it will be added just not right now,
If Im not mistaken its supposed to be somewhere around 1.5
Sorry, can't let a sleping cow-patty lie.
I'm currently chairman of one charity's board and former chair of two others. If I've got a chance to get a contributor to return for ANY reason, you can bet I'll take it. Show me the names!
I think you might need to come up with a figure for "many" if you want this one bumped up a notch.
Reminds me of a friend who got a job two blocks from his house. Two weeks later, he was complaining that the car's air conditioner didn't have enough time to cool off.
I think you guys are wanting to use a car for your two-block walk.
Well, this thread, regardless of outcome, has drawn interest. SO----
I would lke to offer FREE for one week GIFT COUPONS worth $5.00 each at my site!
1. You'll have to register, of course.
2. Then get a confirmation e-mail.
3. Within 24 hours I'll send you a Coupon Number.
3. Then return to the site, and reenter your e-mail and password
4. Select item, etc, use the coupon code and download your product.
THIS PERIOD IS ONE WEEK FROM THE DATE OF THIS POST AND APPLIES ONLY TO DOWNLOADABLE ITEMS:onfire:
REASON:
1. Test the interest in ONE OF A KIND INFORMATION AVAILABLE ONLY HERE: ibond2u.com and see if FREE "overrides" the time it takes for registration.
2. Critique my site (of course). No I'm not color-blind, just not used to color coordination.
My site contains mostly law enforcement information (still building from my personal library).
Thanks Zenners!
You could combine these two steps:
2. Then get a confirmation e-mail.
3. Within 24 hours I'll send you a Coupon Number.
by creating and activating a new customer coupon. that way the coupon code is included with the registration e-mail.
just a thought.
ibond2u,
Clyde make a good suggestion, and keeps the steps for your potential customers at a minimum.
And actually you have gendered a great "scheme" to try to foster traffic...
I like the concept of your site...yes I would work on the color combinations either mostly complementary to make each element stand out, or harmonious colors with a contrasting color to give emphasis to the item or part of the design.
I started doing this a few days ago, but a little differently.... I installed the "How did you hear about us?" mod. Then I moved it to the top of my create account page. I named the whole fieldset "Wanna get some free buttons?" (I sell buttons/pins/badges by the way). Then I offered a free button with their first order if they tell me where they heard about me. Then I offer another free button for simply following through with their order. Then I go even further and offer another free button for any order over $10. That's 3 buttons out of my pocket, but it's worth it. If they got as far as wanting to checkout, then they obviously have an interest in purchasing and why not get 3 free items?Quote:
Originally Posted by ibond2u
I don't see why it's such a big deal to join. The only extra thing you really have to type in is a password. And if you don't ever want to come back you don't have to. It's really sad that someone would run away because they have to think of a 4 character password. I personally have never abandoned a cart for having to sign up. It's not a bother to me. I have abandoned carts 98% of the time because shipping was sky high and I thought I could find another site with cheaper shipping. I can also see where shortening the whole process would help, but I don't think the Zen Cart checkout is too long. It's all completely necessary (for people who don't sell downloads and that sort of thing). I'd love to say "All those whiny crybaby shoppers shouldn't be shopping online if all of this is a bother", but then I'm not supposed to say that, am I?
There's too much complaining going on in this world over the stupidest things.
My two cents. Now go ahead and bash me...
-April
I wanted to share something that I did to my site that seems to have helped the abandoned cart situation a little. I noticed a lot of people leaving once they got to the sign up page and I thought there has got to be a way to make them feel more comfortable with this. So this is what I have done....
Instead of making them feel like they are creating an account, why not make something else the more dominant theme on that page, which is that they are entering their billing information. All they are doing is entering their billing information and they happen to be adding a password to it.
On the login page, you have the login box on the left and the sign up box on the right. I changed the sign up box on the right to say:
"New Customers: Enter Billing Info---------------------------------
Welcome and thanks for visiting us! To continue, click on "enter billing information".
After you place an order with us, you'll always be able to track the status of your current orders and review your previous orders."
Instead of the usual button that says "sign up", my button now says "enter billing information". When you click on it, you go to the normal "create account" page, except my page has an image on the top that says "Enter Billing Information" and underneath that is says "PLEASE CONTINUE BY ENTERING YOUR BILLING INFORMATION BELOW."
Now I go on to offer a free gift with the order, they enter their info, they enter a password. Now I figured, once they got to the password field, they'd think "What the hell, I got this far. I might as well continue!" Underneath the password field, I remind them that they will not be spammed, this is solely for them to track current and previous orders, etc. An optional newsletter field follows. They hit enter and are taken to the "Success" page, where I have two buttons. One says "If you were in the process of checking out, click here to go to the shipping information page". The other button says "If you were not checking out, please click here to return to the home page."
The whole point is that you are taking the emphasis away from "signing up" and putting it more on "entering billing information". Although I myself am smart enough to see that I am "signing up" since I am entering a password, some people don't see things that way. I don't see a problem with this as long as I stand by my promise to not spam people, which I fully intend to stand by. I have had a lot of new sign ups all of a sudden and I have noticed through "user tracking" that people have been coming back, signing in, and checking on their order (even though they received the shipping email). It just seems there are many times in life where if you just word it a different way, it changes peoples perspectives. "I'm not fat, I'm just big-boned!"
Does anyone see a problem with this that I may have missed? I'm always ready for criticism, so lemme have it.....
(and a quick note: I had 6 people join before I made these changes. After the change...... 19.)
I think you have hit a great idea here. As a matter of fact I am going to share your post with a couple clients who might benefit from this change as well.
Thanks for sharing your solution !
Hi,
I want to make the login optional for my customers. While I would prefer that they all signed up for accounts, there are many in my client base that would not be happy about this. I am, however, a bit unclear as to how to edit the code, and in which files to edit the code to make the login optional. If anyone could give me clear instructions, I'd appreciate it.
Melissa
http://store.equineshop.biz
Hi Melissa,Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlebred
There is no way to make it optional. Zen Cart does not currently support this.
Okay, I understand that it is not currently supported, but I've seen mention, in this thread, about how to edit the code so that it is not required. The instructions were not clear. First there was mention of simpling editing 2 files, but no mention of which 2 to edit, then there was mention of editing the creat_account.php file, but there are a couple of files named creat_account.php located in different directories. So, now I'm really confused.Quote:
Originally Posted by craftzombie
Melissa
http://store.equineshop.biz
Craftzombie hit on exactly what I need. The majority of this thread was giving me a headache and I was wondering if I was going to find a solution to the create an account thing - something that would lose my company the majority of it's online customers.
I've got a mortuary florist shop to put up. These products need to be selected but they aren't going anywhere. The customers just want to select flowers for someone's service - usually because they are not local and want to pay their respects. They are probably not going to be a return customer in the near future and don't want the hassle of a login/password. That kind of thing makes a lot of our customers nervous. This is a tough industry. People don't want to face the fact that their family and friends died. When selecting flowers for a funeral they just want to choose the flowers, choose a sentiment or write one, enter their card and billing info and get a confirmation email. If they have to do much more than that the sale is lost.
All the assuming that the majority of vendors do have return customers may be correct but doesn't address the concerns of those of us who don't and neither does the arguing. Kudos to Craftzombie for getting to the heart of this for those of us who require another solution for our company's customers.
Craftzombie, this might work for me. At least it might make it a bit less intimidating. One question, though. On my login page, I have the login where they enter their email and password. then there is the form to fill out to creat an account, not a signup button. Where would I change this to be a button, instead of the form. I think customers wold be a bit suspicious if there was just the form there.
Thanks,
Melissa
http://store.equineshop.biz
Melissa, I forogt to mention that I am using the "Split Login" mod found in the downloads section. This mod gives you a login box on the left and a sign up box on the right instead of the page you currently have. Then I changed the sign up box on the right to an "enter billing info" box.Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlebred
the Split Login mod is here: http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...roducts_id=169
You could even put a note on the create account page that says something like "We have added a login feature for your convenience. Enter a password and you'll never have to see this page ever again! Yay!"
The "for your convenience" part is the heart of this whole topic. Although there are certain benefits for us obviously, the main benefit is and always has been FOR THE CUSTOMER. We just need a good way to let them know this.
"In case you ever come back......you can just log in"
"We don't want you to get carpal tunnel from too much typing..... you can just log in"
"We will bribe you with a coupon if you enter a password!"
"We will give you a free gift if you enter a password!"
"JUST ENTER A DAMN PASSWORD ALREADY! IT TAKES 2 SECONDS!"
Okay, maybe not the last one, but I can dream can't I?
(also, someone previously said that its too much of a hassle for customers to remember another password. am I the only one who uses the same password on every site?)
Sorry Melissa, can't help you there. I poked around in those files and I can see the "if" statements, but I don't speak PHP, just HTML and CSS. Did you try emailing the guy who claims he can do it??Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlebred
Same here, no php just html. I tried emailing him and explained that I wasn't familiar with php, but if he told me exactly what to change, I could do it. Well the response I got was if you read the whole thread, I gave the solution. So, not much helpfrom that corner. I think I'll just try your solution for now.Quote:
Originally Posted by craftzombie
Thanks,
Melissa
http://store.equineshop.biz
There's no way in hell I would answer someones email like that. It takes more energy to be an *** than it does to be nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by saddlebred
I have read this thread several times all the way through. They gave a VAGUE solution to those of us who are not mightier than thou because we don't know PHP. It's obvious certain people aren't interested in helping anyone but themselves. Sounds like a winner. Had I received a reply like that, I would have offered some choice words. But thats just me. I don't put up with that kind of crap. If I ever find out anything, you'll be the first to know Melissa. :smile:
Thanks. Yes, the solutions were very vague. Maybe someday I'll be able to figure it out on my own, but when you're still learning, a little help is appreciated.
Melissa
http://store.equineshop.biz
I read this whole thread and didn't find an answer so I'm going to ask...
Is there a way to remove the "Newsletter and Email Details" on the log in page? I don't want to just remove the checkbox, I want to remove the section altogether. The idea is I want customers to get to the payment page as fast as possible and just glide through the whole create account section. Just that little bit less reading and input.
Ok I have posted in this forum before when it was first started. (about forever ago) i have been doing some studying on php and html. I have learned it for the most part and still am... When at school I came acrossed some basic php scripting that allows the server (for you that dont know what I am talking about, the server is the host that your stores is installed on for the most part.) to give and store cookies sessions, and when the visitor leaves the cookies are erased and the customers was only faced with entering their payment information to complete the transaction. :yes:
I have yet to look at the code that all this fuss is about, But i am sure there is a way around the registering part of it... In my opinion after all this time. It is not a good idea to completely remove the login and registration area. TMaybe eliminating some required feilds but not eliminating the whole deal.
Before I get into this subject alittle more I am going to take a look at the code and see what I can do to it. I am sure there as been people out there with more know how than me that has tried, but hey it never hurts. If all else fails. Zen-cart is a OS sytem and anyone is able to alter any files or the whole thing if they are wanting to. I might just have another project coming alone that will make the people happy.........
For you guys that dont agree at all eliminating the login and registration page, and are feeling jolly to rip me a new one just stick to your ways,:lol: its not like this is going to hurt you at all.
Well Just taking a quick look at the code the Zen-cart is written is and how is functions. this might be a long road for me. Ok the zen-cart team wrote the script over a period of time. why don't someone just rewrite what is there. it dont take a rocket scientist to do it. If you know php, html, xhtml and some JS and are interested in solving this once and for all pm me. I would not mind taking on this challenge.:lamo:
Why doesn't someone just put together a contribution for posting in the download section.
That way if people want it they can have it those that don't won't.
I've seen comments that it's really simple to accomplish (if that's the case) why not accomplish it and stop all the belly aching.
Just my humble 2 cents.
My Point too!!!!!!!!
When I get some time I am going to sit down and write something (possibly tonight sometime)
To pass some of the required fields I would imagine it would not be to hard. It all goes back to the basic form code(example, this is not the same code for zen-cart) Weather it be in PHP form or xhtml(html).......HTML Code:<input type=hidden name="required" value="fullname,email">
Since Zen-cart is ran from a login database it is going to take time for someone to come out with a zen-cart that does not require a login or register.
But for now you will be able to get around required some required fields but not around the registering part of the process
Someone who wrote another excellent Zen mod is already working on a temporary solution to this until the Zen masters redo the checkout. I tested it for them a few days ago. The problem is that it is not a true pwa setup.
It works well, accept the welcome email still gets sent, so he's working on fixing that. It still stores them in the db. You'd have to manually delete them after you receive the order because if they ever try to order again with the same email address, it says they are already in the system. Then you have the issue of you not being able to delete them right away, they come back and order again, and they'll find out they ARE in the system and then they are pissed at you for lying to them. It's too bad Zen Cart uses the email address as the user name. Maybe we could change that? In order for any of this to work, we'd also need something in the admin that says whether or not the person entered a password at checkout, maybe an icon of some sort next to their name?
A few days ago I strayed from Zen and messed with OSC, which has pwa, and I liked it, but its just not ZEN. Although I personally think customers should just sign up, unfortunately a lot of them leave for this reason and we've got to fix this. My "solutions" in the previous posts help somewhat, but its still a problem.
Hmmmmm.!Quote:
It's too bad Zen Cart uses the email address as the user name. Maybe we could change that?
Amazon uses the email address as the user name.
Hotmail uses the email address as the user name.
paypal uses the email address as the user name.
e-bay uses the email address as the user name.
google uses the email address as the user name.
e-greetings uses the email address as the user name.
Hmmmmm.!
I understand that, but I'm saying for the purpose of solving our temporary problem until its available in Zen. Geez!Quote:
Originally Posted by clydejones
We could just as easily list a lot of sites that don't use the email address too.
And which Ebay are you using? Because the one I use has you enter your user name.
This has been a "temporary problem" for at least the past year.
I say temporary because it is planned for the 1.5 release. Unfortunately, we need it fixed as soon as we can. Don't get me wrong, I am so grateful to everyone for Zen Cart and have donated small amounts here and there when I can. I understand how busy everyone is. It would just be nice if we could figure something out among ourselves for the time being. I don't know how to code anything like this, but I'd like to think I can at least help by offering possible solutions, albeit temporary ones.Quote:
Originally Posted by clydejones
On my login page I have succeeded in removing all but the bare essentials necessary to make an order, plus a password. Just involved editing a bit of code. Check out what I've done if you're interested, and if you need help to work out how to acheive the same, just email me.
I also realised I dont need all 3 Checkout steps, so I have tried to reduce them to just the third step, using different workarounds to make sure all relevant information is still input. I have changed all the relevant values that I can see, to ensure that when an item is bought, the user goes from "shopping cart" to "login" to "checkout step 3".
BUT!! I spent about 3 hours trying to make sure I did it all right. However, when I buy an item, and log in, it always directs me back to step 1... I tried removing the anti-hack code in the header.php file for checkout_confirmation but that didn't do it. I've removed all references to checkout_shipping from every file that could be having an effect. And still nothing! Does anyone know what I should be changing to make sure that, from the "log in" page, I go directly to the "checkout step 3"? Oh another quirk, if you're already logged in and try to buy something, you DO go to the checkout page 3 :cry:
Well! If anyone has any ideas please let me know. For testing purposes (should anyone be so inclined) feel free to use the following user name:
[email protected]
password admin
P.S. I'd like to see anyone else's customised login screens, just to get a feel for what other people are doing, send me your links :blush:
Howdy ho folks! Well guess what... the checkout system didn't work... found some bugs so i'll completely redo what I did sometime... for now I've gone back to the original 3-step checkout :blush: Anyway, I didn't have any questions from anyone about how to make changes to the "login" page, so if you're shy, here's what you should do:
1) Turn off anything you don't want on your login page from Admin> Configuration> Customer Details.
2) Anything you can't turn off from the Admin, decide what you want to remove, then make a copy of "includes/templates/template_default/tpl_module_create_account.php" and place this copy in the "YOUR TEMPLATE/templates" directory.
3) Edit this file, and delete any information or questions you don't want to be displayed. Find the section you don't want and delete from "<label class=..." al the way to <br class="clearBoth" /> for that section.
4) Make a backup of "modules/pages/login/jscript_form_check.php" and remove references to any questions you removed from the create_account.php file. Repeat for "modules/pages/create_account/jscript_form_check.php". I can't remember which of these I altered, but I think both and it works great. Also, I didn't touch the password coding, so I can't tell you if just deleting the password references will mean you don't need it.
Ok well have fun folks! Remember, MAKE BACKUPS OF ALL THE FILES YOU WILL CHANGE, BEFORE YOU CHANGE THEM! And that way, if you make a mistake or something doesnt work, you can just upload your old files and there's no damage done.
Hope it helps some people!
I've always wondered what customers hate more... having to click through several checkout pages or having to scroll through one long page. Does it really make a difference?Quote:
Originally Posted by barnamania
barnamania, sorry this didn't work out for you. :(
Nah... I had it reduced to a simple layout, with minimal information that the customer needed. I can't believe it didn't work! I've now lost 2 more customers somewhere in the checkout phase and it's getting really sad :P lol anyway I'm gonna work on this because it's something I really need, and I know other people do to, so check back soon and I might have something...
I wish you luck! I love Zen Cart to death, but I know sometimes it can be a pain in the ########!Quote:
Originally Posted by barnamania
Yeah! lol. Hey well after working all blooming day I now have a 1-step Checkout System!!!! The first ever 1-step zen cart maybe?? Sweet :DQuote:
Originally Posted by craftzombie
Anyway so I tested it and retested it and it's all working great. You go from shopping cart to login to confirm order just like I wanted. I haven't set it up to work with anything other than a single shipping option and single payment option; and no option for gift certificates etc., but right now I don't need those options as some of my items are already at 50% discount, and I only use paypal and offer flat rate shipping. I might try to add those options some other time but for now... I'm taking a break!
If you want to see what I've done, use the user name I gave before ([email protected] / admin). I'm thinking about offering it on the "contributions" section, but have to test it further and make sure I didn't make any mega mistakes before I do.
Let me know what you think / how it could be improved. Have fun! :cool:
If anyone wants to try out the checkout system, you can download it here: www.dreamofrussia.com/checkoutsystem.zip
Test it thoroughly before going live
Barny
I have created a test site where I have removed the login/create account features. Check it out:
http://craftzombie.com/shop2/index.php
I will post full instructions for how to do all of it, including template changes, after xmas when I am not too busy with orders. See ya! - April aka craftzombie
i can't add anything to the shopping cart on your site...
That's weird, I just tried it and its working fine for me. You do not go to the shopping cart after you add something. It appears in the shopping cart sidebox. Forgive me if this is a stupid question to ask a fellow Zenner, but did you miss that part? I'd appreciate any feedback you have, so if you don't mind trying one more time, that would be wonderful. Thanks!!Quote:
Originally Posted by barnamania
P.S. If that was the case and you just missed it, I will change it so that it does go to the shopping cart. I was trying to create less clicks for the customer, but I don't want them to get confused.
I also had one person test it yesterday and they appeared to successfully checkout. If you were that person and you had any issues or even if everything was fantastic, please let me know.
The only think I still need to fix is the removal of the "detailed invoice" link in the order confirmation email.
Another test site I am working on has the login set up strictly for wholesale customers. I am just doing some template changes to that right now, but it seems to be working. I'll post it when I'm finished.
:happy:
I think the comment might have been made because clicking on the shopping cart link in the upper right menu wipes the cart clean and starts over.
I haven't had this problem. I just tested it again and still no problem. I'll look into this, but if anybody has a clue as to why this would happen, please share. I don't understand how going to the same shopping cart page as usual would wipe out the cart contents.Quote:
Originally Posted by dbltoe
After reading some other threads, I found out that when you are creating your own template, there are instances where you cannot just put a link to a certain page and expect it to work correctly. So if this is why it was wiping out the cart, then perhaps clicking on the shopping cart sidebox header would work better than the link I provided on the top right - hopefully! Please give that a try if you've got the time and see if that prevents the cart from wiping out. I personally still have no problem clicking the link on the top. I don't know much about cookies, sessions, etc. so I'll have to read up on that.Quote:
Originally Posted by dbltoe
This is only a test site and I am not currently using this on my own site. My goal here is to learn more about how Zen functions while trying to help you guys at the same time. I know this is a popular request and I am no Zen genius. I'm just figuring it all out like the rest of you.
Clicking the sidebox header does work. Clicking the link in the upper menu goes to a page that says the cart is empty even when a product appeared in the cart sidebox prior to the click.
Thanks for trying again! I'll just remove the bad link and put a link on my shopping cart sidebox header image, that way it will be obvious that the header is clickable. That bad link was kind of redundant anyway, but I was trying to give people more than one shopping cart link.Quote:
Originally Posted by dbltoe
It turns out the link was bad because my links began with http://craftzombie... instead of http://www.craftzombie......Quote:
Originally Posted by dbltoe
and I can't believe I missed that and now I feel like an idiot! But anyway, I figured this out right after I removed the shopping cart link from the top. Oh well, everything else seems okay now (hopefully!).
So for those who tried it out, what do you think?
Very nice. It works fine for me. The only change I would consider making is the link on the post-confirmation page suggesting I log out of the session. As far as I know at that point, I never logged in. Other than that, I'm looking forward to the instructions. The easy way to do that, I'm thinking, would be to copy the changed files to the proper directories, and zip them up. If you need space where people can download that file, PM me.
Steve
Thanks Steve! I think I've got enough space, but if not, I'll let you know. I will also make the change to the order confirmation page about logging off.Quote:
Originally Posted by stevesh
On another site, which is not live yet, I did the same exact thing with the no login/no password, but I made the login for wholesale customers only. I removed the login fields from the login page (which is where checkout goes) and added them to the create account page. Then I have links for wholesale customers titled "Wholesale Login", "My Wholesale Account", and "Wholesale Logoff". After wholesale customers login, they are redirected to "My Account" (they should be logging in before they shop in order to see lower prices). On my site, wholesale accounts are created by me. And as long as I make the wholesale customer aware that they MUST login to get wholesale prices and should never create a new account, I think it will work just fine. I don't have that many anyway.
Will post everything next week. Thanks for testing!!
If you create a contribution for your process, it should be added to the Zen Cart downloads section.
Okay, I wasn't sure if it should go there or not, but I will gladly submit it there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kim
Has there been any update to this?
Hey everyone! I'm finishing this up and will post this tonight. It was bad timing with xmas and my first wedding anniversary. Plus, I am a housewife before I am a computer geek and god forbid if my family can crack open a can of soup without my help! Anyway, I never make promises I know I can't keep, so don't worry, you'll have this by tonight.
:smile:
Just so you guys don't think I broke my promise, I did submit this to the download section a few moments ago, but I didn't know this:
The Contribution will be reviewed by a team member, before it is activated
in the contribution area. You will receive an email notifiying you of the
activation. We hope to carry out reviews within 24-48 hours of submission,
but it may sometimes take longer.
So even though I said you will have it tonight, I guess I should have said I will submit it tonight! Hopefully I am approved!
Any word on this contribution? What's it ccalled? and which section of Downloads is it in?
Can't wait to try it!
Rob:lamo:
I don't wish to fan the flames, since this discussion has settled down to methods of improving the situation, but...
While each of us may have our personal prefs on the matter, whenever I need to think about these sorts of usability issues, I go to the masters. In particular I go to the Nielson Norman Group and their reports. Here's a brief statement from the summary page for their E-commerce User Experience report:
----------------
Shopping Carts, Checkout & Registration
Filling out forms correctly during shopping is very difficult for most users. Forcing people to register during their first purchase is a confusing and frustrating tactic that drives customers away.
----------------
To repeat, this is not my personal opinion. It is a small part of a report of user behaviour representing thousands of hours of testing by experts in the field. You can read more about this and other reports on their web site http://www.nngroup.com and on Jakob Neilson's own site http://www.useit.com
The Zen code team should probably buy a copy of one or more of the Nielson Norman Group's reports to use as a basis for thinking about upcoming versions of Zen Cart.
In matters like this, personal needs are important, but we need the expert's collected facts and recommendations to help us see clearly and plan for the future.
And now back to your regular programming.
Rob