Please do not blast me....but I have to ask!

I know the customer login thing has been beat to death....but Ihave taken a more involved approach the last month in tracking and evaluating my site statistics....and I am amazed at the amoung of people that leave at LOGIN page.
Tonight, I watched 3 people put items in their cart....watched them go to the LOGIn page...then watched their carts go inactive....so......I commissioned some other women business owners to visit my site tonite and make a fake purchase for me to see why people are leaving....

3 out of 5 said they would walk away b.c they do not want to have to enter the password b/c it makes them feel like they are committing their lives....

I know this has been beaten to death...but truth is I don't like buying from sites with logins either....

I am overwhelmed by all the modules and have researched each and every one...I have Fast & Easy installed now...which I love...but I REALLY want to get rid of the passowrd requirement......

Is there really no way to do that?

I thought I read a while back that this login issue would be addressed in a future update is that true?!?

I have a major concern know that I have seen this with my own eyes and got feedback....

Any insight would be apprecaited!!! But I still LOVE Zen and am telling everyone I know about it for their websites!!!

Jill
https://www.expressionsphotostore.net

1. Customers can purchase without setting up an account. I have instructions on how to do it on my main page, see below.

2. How do you watch customers shopping and see what they are doing?

Yeah, the whole "create a user name and password" bit is likely the one extra step that slows folks down...

IMHO, if someone tweaks it (I don't know enough to even begin...), make it a voluntary thing... Because when Joe's just hit "go to checkout," and he's reaching for his wallet, I don't want him to stop and think. I just want him to keep going. Or has anyone already tweaked it?

Controlling "user flow" is important - heck, just look at how your local supermarket, wally world, etc., is laid out. And anything that derails the customer from a track can result in a lost sale.

Hi Jill,

When I click on the link for your site I get a security warning. You have secure and not secure items on your page.

Also...Your site is very nice and clean. What template and mods are you using?

Thanks,
Kelly

I am overwhelmed by all the modules and have researched each and every one...I have Fast & Easy installed now...which I love...but I REALLY want to get rid of the passowrd requirement......

Is there really no way to do that?

I haven't tried Fast & Easy... I'm using COWOA 'Integrated Checkout Without Account' mod with split login. It works and no password. I'm running about 75% that don't create accounts and 25% that do, so I'm happy offering both possible ways. I also made modifications to allow both to view order status without logging in.

Kelly,

What do you mean there is a security warning?!?! No one has mentioned anything to me on that?!? Is it in a certain browser? Do you know what i can do to fix that?

I watch customers just through the admin tools...who's online...you can see what pages they are visiting and what stages they are at in shopping....this past week I spent a lot fo time on their b/c I am getting a great amount of hits to my site and not enoughs sales...so I am trying ot figure out any issues.....this login thing seems to be the main one....

I think I tried COWOA in the past but may have had trouble with it...ut I guess I will try again....and I will take a peak at mamsilva too!

Thanks everyone.....

The security warning is in Internet Explorer and is arising primarily because you gave a link above to the secure (https) version of your homepage, even though you have images that come from the non-secure version.

This isn't really a problem as you would normally direct visitors to the non-secure version of your homepage, and wouldn't expect anybody to go to the secure version. However, there does appear to be a problem with how you have SSL set up, since when I went into your site via the non-secure (http) URL and navigated to your login page, the SSL didn't kick in for what should be a secure page.

Do you have SSL set to true in you includes/configure.php file?

Thanks Kuroi...yes it is set to true....i am guessing there is an easy fix for this?

ETA: I usually do not put an "s" on the end when I type in the address..that was just an ooopss...I did not even realized I did that...yes, I do normally direct people to the http:// version

as far as teh security...when I click on checkout...it shows to me that it is a secure page in IE and in google the little padlock comes up...is that not right?!?! Please let me know what looks off! Maybe this is the other part of the problem!

Would also love to know if anyone knows if COWOA works with Fast and Easy? I have been researching but have not found a definitive answer!

Thanks everyone!

I'm thinking that the next thing I'm going to try is COWOA... I don't want the extra password step in there - I don't want an interruption while Bubba's reaching for his wallet. If people can just buy, they're more likely to...

I'm also, when I look back on Basic Marketing, realizing that I set up a bunch of my prices wrong... Now to figure out how to change a hundred or so items from $2.00 to $1.99...

I watch customers just through the admin tools

COOL! I did not know that even existed! (Guess who has a new hobby!)

bogie:

I'm thinking that the next thing I'm going to try is COWOA...

I can recommend this. Just installed it this evening. Works great.

May I assume the business owners you asked to visit your site are people you know personally? If so, could you ask them if they have 'loyalty cards' for brick-and-mortar retailers like Target, Kohls, Meijer, Kroger, etc?

I'm curious to know if the fear of creating an account (which I think is irrational) only applies to online retailers in their minds.

If so, maybe one solution to all this would be to offer the customer something (discount, etc.) for creating an account.

BTW, I really like the design of your site. Very nice.

Steve..a few I know through a website forum...and others are customers from my brick and mortar store....it si not security concern or anything, it is just the thought of creating another login and password for a website...I think in the consumers mind they do not want the feeling that they are being forced ot do that...I know I don't like it...the only site i shop with that I do nto mind is Amazon, but it is b/c I shop there often...

For my site I do get a lot of repeat customers....and those people do not mind logging in....but I get more once a year shoppers who only come to me when they need a gift....they do not want to login....it should not be forced......I just want them to have the option...

But I think i did a workaround that I am happy with...

I changed the password requirement to "0" in the admin...so no text is required in the box...then I noted on the login page, that they can enter a password if the would like to check order and accaount status, or they can leave the passowrd empty andmove on to checkout....

I am happy wiht that b/c at least they have the option and are not forced...

and thanks for the compliments on the site....I still have some tweaking to do and want to redo the header....but I am really pleased with it!!!!! :smile:

jill8026:

I changed the password requirement to "0" in the admin...so no text is required in the box...then I noted on the login page, that they can enter a password if the would like to check order and accaount status, or they can leave the passowrd empty andmove on to checkout....

I considered this approach once. What if they do decide to buy again? Their email address would be rejected. I guess you could just delete their account straight after their order.. providing you can differentiate which customers supplied a password or not.

That's one of the features of COWOA - being able to use the same e-mail to check out repeatedly. If a customer does make an account, then they can no longer check out using that e-mail without logging in.

I did not even think of that...in regards to the email....hhmm

as far as COWOA...does it work with Fast & Easy Checkout and Easy Sign up and Login? I really love the way my payment page flows right now and hate messing it up.....I would love to just add the box "if you do not want to create and account then click here to compete your purchase".....

I could not find an answer to that anywhere......

I highly doubt that they would work together, at least not without major merging and messing around, since they both have to modify the same set of files.

I just ran into a slight issue by setting the password length to 0 from the admin. A customer that set up an account forgot their password and used the resend password feature. They got an email with NO password because of that 0 setting in the admin.

I had to reset the password and email it to them.

mamasylvia:

1. Customers can purchase without setting up an account. I have instructions on how to do it on my main page, see below.

2. How do you watch customers shopping and see what they are doing?
   I'm a bit confused - I do not see how I can check out without using Paypal, without creating an account. Our site does not accept Paypal but I still want users to be able to checkout without logging in.

Mamasylvia's site uses Paypal to avoid mandatory accounts. If you don't want to use Paypal, you will have to use COWOA or some other mod to avoid accounts.