Altering the new login.php language file

[golowenow]

Hello from golowesstamps. The new Express Checkout is a GREAT feature and works well! I have a small suggestion on the subject of the login.php page. Many people are not members of PayPal and do not wish to be one. The readings I see posted in this area of the forum suggest that one not use both the EXPRESS and the IPN modules. If you use only the EXPRESS module that cuts out anyone who is NOT a member of PayPal from making purchases as you have to be a member OR become a member to use it. THUS I installed both the modules.
Then I modified the INCLUDES/LANGUAGES/ENGLISH/LOGIN.PHP file on line 19 by adding in "Use PayPal WITHOUT becoming or being a member OF PayPal" so that customers know they have other options once they become a member of MY website. Being a verified and premier PayPal member I can accept payments from anyone via PayPal whether they are a member or not. Also that gives you the benefit of currency conversion from practically anywhere in the world.
Hope this bit of info helps someone along the way.
BEST!
JLowe

[Kim]

If you use only the EXPRESS module that cuts out anyone who is NOT a member of PayPal from making purchases as you have to be a member OR become a member to use it.

Not true. You can pay by Credit card and not become a PayPal member.

[DrByte]

The PayPal Express Checkout option does NOT require that the customer HAVE a PayPal account, and does not require them to MAKE one.

When redirected to the PayPal site for payment options, they can select whether or not to create a PayPal account at that time. They can pay via credit card without creating a PayPal account.

[golowenow]

Yes I can see your point BUT when you hit the button the PAYPAL page that comes up shows a window that ONLY states

LOG IN TO PAYPAL


Email:
Password:

Forgot email address or password?

Sign up for a PayPal account.

Return to Merchant.

It does NOT show you an option to pay with a credit card without being a member. This is a PAYPAL issue. People that hit the link may NOT go into it further than at this page BECAUSE they do not want to JOIN PayPal. THUS you can lose the sale. The IPN module links DIRECTLY to the page that they CAN use the option.
I have since modified the payment options links on my site when they go to selecting their payment methods to read:

Payment Method
Please select a payment method for this order.

PayPal members checkout with PayPal EXPRESS!

Paypal payments for NON-members of PayPal

If PAYPAL changes the first page in question to provide the PAY BY CREDIT CARD link on it THEN it will be alright (in MY situation) to ONLY use the new module.

[DrByte]

Try dumping all your browser cookies or opening the same PayPal page via a different browser that doesn't have the PayPal cookie on it already ... you'll see that it does automatically open to the page you mention.

PayPal looks for their "login_email" cookie. Thus, if you've been to PayPal before, you'll not see the larger login page by default.
Therefore, if customers do not have a PayPal account, they'll see what you desire.
If they "do" have a PayPal account ... well ... it would be logical that they'd see the option to login to their account as their primary choice.

[golowenow]

This is VERY GOOD information Dr. Byte and I do appreciate the input. Still have one more scenerio to this though. What if the said customer HAS been to paypal and thus has the cookie in their browser? Does the cookie define that they do not have an account still and thus give them the desired page? If this is so....then off goes the IPN module! hehe. Thank you for all the responses.

[DrByte]

I believe they'll only see the login-only page if they have entered a valid paypal email address to log in to their paypal account at some time in a previous browsing session. I don't think the cookie gets set unless they actually log in successfully.

[golowenow]

Thank you Dr. Byte for the quick answer. I think I SHALL remove the IPN module in the morning then. At this time I fully depend on PayPal payments via my website. Someday soon I will be getting a PO box for MO's and checks. It tis not too wise to advertise ones address in the stamp biz as there are a lotta kooks out there...hehe. Keep up the AWESOME work on Zencart. I consider it the best on the market!

[DanTheMan]

It seems golowenow does have a valid point after all. DrByte is absolutely right, if you delete the cookies, you get the CC details form instead of just “enter your PayPal account username / password”. BUT, one of the fields on that form is PAYPAL PASSWORD. It is not a required field, but it doesn’t explicitly say anywhere that is not required (the title says "Create a PayPal Account or Log In), so most people will fill it in, effectively becoming PayPal members. Maybe that’s what PayPal wants, I don’t know. What I do know is that the customer should make that decision (to sign up for PayPal or not) and not be forced or tricked into signing up.

What if a shared computer is used to make a purchase? A previous user logs in to his/her PayPal account and then you try to pay with a credit card, but can't because the cookie is set. It's great if you happen know that you need to delete the cookies, but let's face it, most people won't. In contrast, original PayPal IPN page displays “Don’t have a PayPal Account? Pay with a credit card or bank account”, even if you have a PayPal cookie set.

Maybe in the future, PayPal will redesign the Express Checkout page, making it more “credit card or bank account without PayPal account” friendly, but until that time I have to agree with golowenow - that PayPal IPN with "no need for PayPal account" description may help increase the number of sales / transactions.

Examples of PayPal checkout pages for your reference

PayPal Express

PayPal IPN


Feedback is welcome!

Dan G.

Notebook Solutions Inc.

http://www.NotebookSolutions.ca

[golowenow]

Thank you Dan for the input! You hit the nail on the head. I am not very good with forums so my descriptions of the issues are sometimes not clear. thank you for attaching the html pages and describing the issues in more detail. Like I said earlier the issue is not so much with ZENCART as it is with PayPal. PayPal does use some "tricks" sometimes. I too agree that the express page should be modified to accomodate for non-members but then it would not be so "express" aye? This is why my preference is to use both IPN and EXPRESS modules with a change on the payment options links as described in my earlier posts. Any and all comments are welcome on this thread.