Shopping Cart Session (Guest/Customer not logged in)

Hi peeps.

I've noticed that a customer with items in the cart, after a short while of inactivity, when a customer navigates to a new page they get the opps session expired page and the content of the shopping cart is lost.

What is the default time the shopping cart should stay valid for?

Is this normal behaviour or do I have a config problem somewhere?

If it is normal is there a way to maintain the cart session until the browser is closed instead/is it safe to do this?

I worry that while customers add to cart to get a total value on multiple websites to do a comparison shop that if we are the one they choose and come back the cart is lost, they would rather pay a bit extra and use one of the other sites they have open than add everything to cart again?

Many thanks in advance.

philip937:

Hi peeps.

I've noticed that a customer with items in the cart, after a short while of inactivity, when a customer navigates to a new page they get the opps session expired page and the content of the shopping cart is lost.

What is the default time the shopping cart should stay valid for?

Is this normal behaviour or do I have a config problem somewhere?

If it is normal is there a way to maintain the cart session until the browser is closed instead/is it safe to do this?

I worry that while customers add to cart to get a total value on multiple websites to do a comparison shop that if we are the one they choose and come back the cart is lost, they would rather pay a bit extra and use one of the other sites they have open than add everything to cart again?

Many thanks in advance.

Philip,

1. the default time is 20 minutes of inactivity
2. Yes this is normal behaviour
3. try this mod "keep cart"

Thanks I'll take a look. Do you know if this modifies any core files? After a simple fix really as I have many modifications and do not want to override them.
Failing that, is it just possible to extend the session to 40 or 60 mins?

philip937:

Thanks I'll take a look. Do you know if this modifies any core files? After a simple fix really as I have many modifications and do not want to override them.
Failing that, is it just possible to extend the session to 40 or 60 mins?

I think it there were only 2 new files in the package and no overrides. There are some admin settings, which can be used for editing the time.

Thanks Design 75.

Been testing it this morning and it works a treat.

after leaving the computer idle for over 30 mins and clicking Checkout, instead of the cart emptying and getitng a whoops you session has expired it was seemless, it went straight to the login page with all cart items in tact :)

one thing I did notice is that when you are registered and logged in, when you log off the cart items are still there. I wonder if the cart should be allowed to empty at that point. Fairly mine though, i'd doubt any one would notice!

happy chappy :hug:

Congratulations Mr.philip. Can anybody suggest me the safe way of doing wholesale shopping in online?