Customer Profile Creation after purchasing via PayPal Express

Let's say a customer made his initial purchase using PayPal Express. Therefore no account profile was created. Then he decides he wants to create an account after the fact. Is there a way for a customer to go back and create an account once they've already made a purchase without creating duplicate records in Zen Cart for that customer? I'd like all the orders for this customer to be grouped together, including the first initial order made through PayPal Express.

No, there's no automated way to link them together.
It would require manually manipulating the raw data in the database, which is not something recommended unless you have a very solid understanding of how all the data tables interact with each other.

Thank you, DrByte! I figured as much, but just wanted to be sure. What I have noticed is that if a customer makes a second purchase using PayPal Express, then both purchases will be linked under the same customer order total. So as long as the customer continues to use PayPal Express and NOT create an account, the orders all stay together. I guess it's grouped by the email address they use in PayPal Express.

The customer's first email from your store included a generated password to the account which was created for them. They can also use the Forgot Password option to request a new one be sent by email.

So are you saying that an account is created for a customer even when they choose the PayPal Express Checkout (Guest checkout) option? They don't even need to sign up?

If you have that option enabled in your store's Express Checkout module's settings, yes.

Clarification:

• an account IS ALWAYS created, because Zen Cart needs an account to be able to handle all the checkout and order processing flow.
• if you turn on the setting I mentioned, then the account is set as NOT being "temporary only" and the customer is also sent a welcome email containing a password to allow them to login later.

Another clarification:
You called it "PayPal Express Checkout (Guest checkout)" but it is NOT actually an official "guest checkout". There is no "guest checkout" built-in to Zen Cart v1.x. The only way to have a full-on "guest checkout" in v1.x is to use an addon that's hacked all the checkout code apart to operate differently than it was originally designed.

DrByte:

If you have that option enabled in your store's Express Checkout module's settings, yes.

Clarification:

• an account IS ALWAYS created, because Zen Cart needs an account to be able to handle all the checkout and order processing flow.
• if you turn on the setting I mentioned, then the account is set as NOT being "temporary only" and the customer is also sent a welcome email containing a password to allow them to login later.

I would like to turn on that option so that all customers are sent a welcome email with password. Where do I find it? I have PayPal Express Checkout enabled in the Payment Module. I don't see any options there besides enablement.

As for the "guest checkout," understood. I saw that add-on and haven't added it. :)

I found it (right?):

Express Checkout: Automatic Account Creation
Yes

However, I get copies of all Welcome Emails when an account is created. When someone uses the Express Checkout, I don't get a copy of a welcome email, so I assumed they don't get it. Is there another setting somewhere?

The administrator doesn't get a copy of those emails, primarily because they contain a password that's nobody else's business than the customer themselves.

Good to know. So for customers who create an account, they get the welcome email that I see (no password because they created it themselves). And customers who use Express Checkout get a different welcome email with a password. I'm curious what that email says in case there's any text that I want to customize. And I want to make sure my checkout instructions are telling my customers the right thing about not creating an account. Where do I find it to edit it?

Evidently you've not actually tested that part of your checkout process, have you? You really should.

It's the same welcome email that everyone else gets. Just has an extra couple lines at the bottom with their password in it.

Thank you for your help. I'm a total noob. :) When I tested my checkout process, I tested by creating an account profile FIRST. So when I went back to test the Express Checkout, any time I logged into my PayPal account, it automatically reverted to my account in Zen Cart (and I assumed it did this because I already had an account created with that email address). I thought I had tested both options. Apparently not. I guess I should have created a dummy PayPal account to test.

You could also simply edit your existing personal customer account and give it a different email address that doesn't match your PayPal email address. Then you'll be able to do a test of the PayPal process where there's no matching account for that address.

Perfect! That's what I'll do.

DrByte:

• if you turn on the setting I mentioned, then the account is set as NOT being "temporary only" and the customer is also sent a welcome email containing a password to allow them to login later.
  Could you explain what a "temporary only" account is? Are temporary accounts automatically deleted at some point? Is there anyway for a store owner to differentiate temporary accounts from permanent ones? I have set Admin>Modules>Payment>PayPal Express Checkout>Express Checkout: Automatic Account Creation>No and test customers without an account that checkout via PayPal Express Checkout are not getting the Welcome email so I believe they are temporary accounts. They are not purchasing gift certificates or downloads. The problem I am having is that if they try to create an account later with the same email that they used in the PayPal Express Checkout then Zen Cart then they get the error: Our system already has a record of that email address - please try logging in with that email address. Of course they can then have their password reset and emailed to them but I'd like to avoid that if possible as it's confusing and they were under the impression that no account was created at my store during the Express Checkout process. If I delete the temporary account then it solves the problem but I can't tell which accounts are temporary and which are permanent. I haven't found changing the status of the order or even deleting it to have any effect on the temporary account.

Ok, I found this post: https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?54630-What-*is*-PayPal-Express-Checkout-in-v1-3-7 where DrByte says: "The account will still be created and remain available until the same customer does another Express Checkout purchase, at which time the temporary account will be deleted and a new one created." so that answers my first and second question. I also found in the database that the field customers_paypal_ec is set to 1 on the temporary accounts and managed to add that to the Admin>Customers>Customers table. My first time working with SQL but I managed to figure it out:smile:. So lacking a better solution I'll just manually delete the temporary accounts as they are created. If anyone has any other ideas for an automated method to deal with this issue I'd love to hear them. I'm also taking out the detailed invoice link in the order confirmation email as this doesn't work for the temporary accounts either.