Quote Originally Posted by stevesh View Post
If you can figure out a way to tell visitors that the only difference between creating an account, and not creating one, is a 5-digit password (if you're selling shippable goods), I think most people will see the wisdom in that, and will also understand the advantages to having an account, if both are presented properly.
Only thing I would add to that, is that I'd like to see the telephone number be an option (like the fax) rather than mandatory in the checkout pages. As a purchaser, I'd rather web companies contact me by email than by phone.

Including a phone number could leave some people open to aggressive telemarketing by some of the less professional businesses out there.