Guest Checkout even when email was used before to creat an account

Please let customers choose guest checkout even if they have used the same email to create an account previously. Fact is that many returning customers don't remember passwords and the reset password does not always work well. Say the email sent lands in the spam folder. For many customers that leads to frustration that our system does not let them just do a quick guest checkout without having to deal with the lengthy password reset. Too big of a chance to loose sales this way.

Please make Guest Checkout core. Thank you.

mydanilo:

Please let customers choose guest checkout even if they have used the same email to create an account previously. Fact is that many returning customers don't remember passwords and the reset password does not always work well. Say the email sent lands in the spam folder. For many customers that leads to frustration that our system does not let them just do a quick guest checkout without having to deal with the lengthy password reset. Too big of a chance to loose sales this way.

Please make Guest Checkout core. Thank you.
What are you using currently that has such an issue with guest checkout? While I have a preference of one over another, there are two plugins that I am aware of that offer guest checkout. COWOA and fast and easy checkout. If not mistaken both permit placing an order without having a password.

My issue is that the guest checkout fails when the email already exists in the db for a regular account (warning that it can't be completed because the email already exists). Guest checkout btw just asks for an email (no password). This is currently the issue for everybody that uses the COWOA not just for me. Some might not be bothered by it, but I am and so are my customer just too often. They don't understand why they can't come back and just to the Guest Checkout this time even if they had created and account in the past. Makes no sense. This limitation does not exist in other systems that I looked at.

I want to point to a checkout that I think is great. Magento 2 hits it on the head.

You start checking out without choosing if you want guest or regular checkout. you just start with entering your info and only at the last step you may choose a password if you want to create an account. Very slick. Nobody will jump ship anymore at this stage as the order is already placed. Now we don't mind throwing another question at them as the order is already in the bag :)

Find a Magento 2 demo on the web and try it out. I don't want Magento but want this kind of checkout.

@mydanilo I do like that check out without logging in or creating an account is the default. Even after creating an account, when you go too check out it checks your email address and if you have an account offers you to either login or continue as a guest. No blocking for the email address existing...perfect.

I am not sure I understand you barco57. Do you agree that customers should be able to continue with guest checkout even if they have an existing regular account? Or do you think they should be forced to login with existing email/pwd? I see no reason why to force them one way or the other.

I agree with you... my post was specific to how Magento 2 behaves in regards to guest checkout without a previous account and with a previous account, no roadblocks to getting the order. The only thing a customer "might" find confusing, if they have a pre existing account and then decide to guest checkout, when offered the option to login or continue, that guest checkout order doesn't show up in the "My Orders" list in the customers account. It becomes "orphaned" and some customers down the road might not remember what orders they made logged in or not logged in, and will wonder where that order got off too, but that is probably an edge case that I might be over thinking.

barco57:

I agree with you... my post was specific to how Magento 2 behaves in regards to guest checkout without a previous account and with a previous account, no roadblocks to getting the order. The only thing a customer "might" find confusing, if they have a pre existing account and then decide to guest checkout, when offered the option to login or continue, that guest checkout order doesn't show up in the "My Orders" list in the customers account. It becomes "orphaned" and some customers down the road might not remember what orders they made logged in or not logged in, and will wonder where that order got off too, but that is probably an edge case that I might be over thinking.

We have to merge COWOA with accounts regularly due to this issue of customers not finding their orders in their account and they want to look at what they ordered before and quantities when making new orders. I think it would be a more common issue than and edge case.

In v160 there will be Guest Checkout, and it will allow people to place additional orders even if their email address has already been used as a guest or as a full customer account. But each order will be orphaned from the other unless they've logged in before/while placing the order.

I can't speak to old COWOA or any other mods/plugins that you might be using. If you want those to be changed, collaborate with the plugin authors for that.

Hallelujah! Thank you DrByte.
Seriously, I am very happy to hear. It's the right move to make a few more (to most people essential) features core. The less plugins needed, less hassle to make them all work together.

mydanilo:

You start checking out without choosing if you want guest or regular checkout. you just start with entering your info and only at the last step you may choose a password if you want to create an account.Over my head to execute, but I have a topic I started on my COWOA Github repo where I propose this very change to the checkout flow. (https://github.com/DivaVocals/zen_COWOA/issues/20)
I would assert that none of the current modules COWOA, FEC, nor FEAC fully got it right.. For one thing they ALL put the decision to create an account when purchasing or purchasing as a guest as the FIRST step of the checkout and this step is prioritized ahead of the actual purchase steps. Changing the order of operations puts the checkout workflow focus back on the sales TRANSACTION completion/conversion goals versus customer ACCOUNT creation goals. Creating an account could (think should) be a post sales transaction option as most of the required data is collected during the checkout. In implementing such a worflow, I am asserting that perhaps it's time for a re-evaluation of the default checkout worflow. This may mean that it WILL indeed require a core re-write of the whole thing.. I'd love to see the core code, move into this same direction (which is why I asked DrByte to weigh in his thoughts on this proposed change). If the core devs disagree that an overhaul to the default checkout processes is needed at this time, I still think this is the right next logical direction for COWOA to evolve..

I even approached one dev and inquired about hiring this individual about making such a change to COWOA (as it's very much over my head to execute), but this individual expressed reluctance to support what is (IMHO) a clear improvement to the user experience and it never progressed beyond making the request.. I had considered approaching another dev, but at this point I am going to sit back and see how the built in guest checkout in ZC v1.6.0 shapes up.. Would LOVE to see the dev of this soon to be built in feature move towards not only an improved/built in guest checkout feature, but also provide an improved checkout flow where the emphasis is placed on sales conversions versus the current default (& COWOA) checkout flow's emphasis on account creation.

@DivaVocals many thanks to you for pushing for this modernization of the checkout workflow. It IS the way to go for providing an improved shopping experience. I hope the importance of this does resonate with the dev's in charge.

mydanilo:

I hope the importance of this does resonate with the dev's in charge.
Sigh. Yes, it does. See post #9 above.

DrByte:

Sigh. Yes, it does. See post #9 above.
OOps, my apologies DrByte. I read your comment and should have remembered that you already confirmed it :blush:

I am so waiting for these seemingly small improvements. Checkout experience is my number one priority. Thanks for listening.

DrByte:

In v160 there will be Guest Checkout, and it will allow people to place additional orders even if their email address has already been used as a guest or as a full customer account. But each order will be orphaned from the other unless they've logged in before/while placing the order.
I find it difficult to find my way around github to find an answer to this - Will there be a message during checkout on recognized email addresses for an optional "log in" prompt for order tracking within their account?
Thank you.

VDecalS:

Will there be a message during checkout on recognized email addresses for an optional "log in" prompt for order tracking within their account?
Thank you.
There will definitely NOT be any automatic reminder that says "hey, you have an account too", because that would let hackers test millions of email addresses and determine who has accounts. That'd be bad.

There's a button that they could choose to click if they already know they've got an account and want to log in to pre-fill-in all the fields for checkout etc.

You mentioned "order tracking". Similar to current COWOA functionality, their confirmation email will contain a link to the Order Tracking screen where they can look up status/history on any individual order using their email address and order number.

Point taken - button only would be great for us non-coders :smile: Thank you Dr. Byte

DrByte:

In v160 there will be Guest Checkout, and it will allow people to place additional orders even if their email address has already been used as a guest or as a full customer account. But each order will be orphaned from the other unless they've logged in before/while placing the order.

Any estimate on when this will be available? I've already had complaints about having to create an account, and I don't even have the new store online yet My current software is just the opposite--there is no way to create an account or view previous orders. It's one reason I switched to ZenCart, but I'd like my customers to have a choice.

HeleneWallis:

DrByte:

In v160 there will be Guest Checkout, and it will allow people to place additional orders even if their email address has already been used as a guest or as a full customer account. But each order will be orphaned from the other unless they've logged in before/while placing the order.Any estimate on when this will be available? I've already had complaints about having to create an account, and I don't even have the new store online yet My current software is just the opposite--there is no way to create an account or view previous orders. It's one reason I switched to ZenCart, but I'd like my customers to have a choice.

That feature is pretty much complete in the v160 code on github ... but it's pretty hairy to try and adapt that stuff to a v15x site due to some architectural changes taking place.
While I wouldn't recommend putting v160 on a "live site" just yet, it would be great to have some folks try out these features on their own "test site", and give feedback.

DrByte:

Sigh. Yes, it does. See post #9 above.

I did see this post, but I didn't see anything specifically address at what point in the check out process an account is created.. So apologies for my comment, but I didn't catch that this is what was being communicated.. :)

So let me ask more directly then what I'd like to know.. (It's been a while since I took a looksee at the latest v.1.6 package) Does the new checkout process address the checkout flow so that account creation is not the first step in the checkout process, but the last step, and if skipped then the order is treated as a guest order..