making customer account creation optional

[Jacson]

Hi all - I know this is somewhere but I can not find it becuase it is hard to word in the forum query.

 

Anyhow, anyone know if it is possible to make it optional for the customer to create an account?

 

I do not want the customer to be forced to create and account if they can just purchase and go through the checkout.

 

Thanks,

 

Jacson

[wizardsandwars]

Sure, here's how you can do it easily.

 

- Change the redirect from the shopping cart to the create_account.php instead of the login.php page.

- Change the text on the create account page to say "Your Shipping Address"

- Remove as many extraneous fields from the create account page as possible.

- Add text to the 'password' field to let customers know they need to provide a paswword in order to track their order

- Change the re-direct from the create account page to the shipping.php page.

- Take out the account creation email

 

There's a ton of other simple little things you can do to 'mask' the account creation process, like renaming the 'create_account.php' page, and sending the customer a randomly generated password, instead of making them provide you with one. Theres also a mod that will combine the login and the create account pages. There's another mod that will put a shipping estimator in the shopping cart, so the customer doens't have to fill in ALL their detials just to see the shipping costs.

 

Other than these 'tricks' though, no, there is no easy way to do this.There's also a 'Purchase Without Account' contribution, but it doesn't even come close to providing what it implies, and will accually make the checkout process worse.

 

Checkout a thread in the Tips and Tricks section call 'Customer Login Routines' for some more ideas, or check my blog for a discussion on lengthy checkouts and how to approach making them better from a development standpoint.

[Jacson]

Hey wizard, thanks for the reply. I think the simplest for me would be to change the "new account" page text content so as it looks a little more "impersonal". I like the idea of making it look like a shipping address" request" rather then an account signup. I looked at the create_account.php file but I can not find where I would change the html text.

 

I am pretty good at customizing the store and have done three stores but I am limited to fairly simple stuff as I do not know php too well.

 

Can you offer a little more direction as far as altering the create an account page?

 

Thanks,

 

Jacson

 

Sure, here's how you can do it easily.

 

- Change the redirect from the shopping cart to the create_account.php instead of the login.php page.

- Change the text on the create account page to say "Your Shipping Address"

- Remove as many extraneous fields from the create account page as possible.

- Add text to the 'password' field to let customers know they need to provide a paswword in order to track their order

- Change the re-direct from the create account page to the shipping.php page.

- Take out the account creation email

 

There's a ton of other simple little things you can do to 'mask' the account creation process, like renaming the 'create_account.php' page, and sending  the customer a randomly generated password, instead of making them provide you with one. Theres also a mod that will combine the login and the create account pages. There's another mod that will put a shipping estimator in the shopping cart, so the customer doens't have to fill in ALL their detials just to see the shipping costs.

 

Other than these 'tricks' though, no, there is no easy way to do this.There's also a 'Purchase Without Account' contribution, but it doesn't even come close to providing what it implies, and will accually make the checkout process worse.

 

Checkout a thread in the Tips and Tricks section call 'Customer Login Routines' for some more ideas, or check my blog for a discussion on lengthy checkouts and how to approach making them better from a development standpoint.

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[Wendy James]

You change the text in the language files.

 

Just match the page php name like create_account.php with the create_account.php found in catalog/includes/languages/english/ or whichever language(s) you are using.

 

Woops should mention you may also have to change the main language file found in catalog/includes/languages/ to change some things. If you can not find them in the specific language file they will be in there.

 

Hope this helps.

[♥Vger]

Contributions --> Purchase Without Account

 

I'm not a big fan of it, but some people like it.

 

Vger

[Jacson]

aaahh --thanks everyone, found it. I just changed the text fields in the languages folder in the files, create_account.php and login.php. With some word manipulation it now seems much less intrusive and I think more friendly because most people don't really want an account per se they just want to buy. It now looks like they are just filling in their need shipping address.

 

So that worked great.

 

Thanks,

 

Jacson

 

 

Contributions --> Purchase Without Account

 

I'm not a big fan of it, but some people like it.

 

Vger

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