Can osCommerce handle this?

[MrPhil]

I'm considering 5 different shopping carts (SCs) for my Web site, and would like to know if osCommerce can handle what I need without major contortions. First, I don't want the SC to take over my pages -- I want only to drop in <form> code for "Add to Cart", "View Cart", and any size/color/etc. selection buttons to my own pages. I don't mind going to the SC's own pages for "View Cart" and "Checkout", so long as I can at least customize it with a logo or name. (Note: if it's a secure https page, store my logo on your own system so customers don't get warning messages about insecure content.) If this SC software does normally generate its own pages, I might use them in the future. Otherwise, I would be using them as models for generating my own pages from a database.

 

Second, I need for the customer to give their shipping address before they are presented with the final cost, so that I can figure out sales tax for New York shipping addresses. NY has the most godawful mess you ever saw: state rate plus county rates plus city surcharges plus regional surcharges, all based on the buyer's location (shipping address, I presume), not mine. Plus some items are nontaxable, some are always taxable, and some have partial or full tax holidays a few times a year. Plus some organizations are tax-exempt and need to be able to provide a certificate name and number. Plus shipping and handling charges are taxed at the full rate.

 

Third, I need some flexibility in shipping charges -- USPS, UPS, FedEx, etc. with rush service surcharge, foreign shipping, surcharge for filling out customs forms, bulk discounts, etc. Initially I will only ship USPS Priority Mail, but I'd like some flexibility for the future. If your SC software can make this easy, so much the better.

 

Fourth, I want PayPal (at least to start) to handle credit cards, but I don't want to be locked into them. In other words, if someone would prefer to send me a check or money order I'd like to be able to automatically e-mail them the SC content list. The customer should be given the choice at checkout of paying with PayPal, by check/M.O., to go back and modify the cart contents, or empty it or continue shopping. If the customer chooses to pay via PayPal, can I ship the whole SC list to PayPal, along with the already-calculated Shipping/Handling, shipping address, and precalculated sales tax?

 

Fifth, I will want to be able to give bulk discounts on price and shipping. That means that I can't just pass off the shopping list to the SC software and have prices and S/H fixed with (very) simple rules. I have to work with the latest update of the SC contents, in case someone starts out with a large (discounted) order and then trims it down to quantity 1.

 

Sixth, it would be nice if after some time period (say, 1 hour) without cart activity, for a pop-up to ask the user if they wish to continue shopping. If not, would they answer a very brief survey as to why they are abandoning their SC? To help remind customers that they are in the middle of shopping, is it possible to present a "filled" SC picture on the "View Cart" form button (or an "empty" SC if they haven't shopped yet, have emptied the cart, or have checked out already)? That would need a link between the SC software and the PHP code defining the page to select the appropriate <img>. Is it possible to update already viewed (and cached) pages to use the correct SC image? I might be able to "instantly expire" a page and force a refresh, but it would be nice to only force a refresh of the <img> if it changes.

 

Seventh, the SC should conform to all the accepted rules about SC behavior: provide visual feedback that something's been added to the SC, so customers don't repeatedly press the "Add to Cart" button. Don't force customers to go through the full SC display page, unless it's really easy to get back to the page they were on. Make it easy to remove an item with one button click (NOT just by setting quantity to 0). Make it easy to change quantities and update the SC. Show running total, including S/H (default rates) and any bulk purchase discounts. If the customer has already given a shipping address, show the proper sales tax amount. On a shopping page, don't treat any buttons as "auto-Enter" unless the "quantity" has been reset to 0 (better: set default quantities to 1 and force the user to click on "Add to Cart" rather than pressing Enter... how to users without a mouse handle this?). The customer must get the full total cost presented to them before they commit to paying.

 

Eighth, the interface between the form (page) and the SC software and the SC site (if used) should be hack-resistant. While of course I will check the amount paid against the items ordered, quantities, S/H, and sales tax (shipping address), it would prevent some headaches if the system isn't too open to manipulating the data being POSTed to my CGI or the SC site.

 

Ninth, a secure Website (SSL) should not be required for my pages (at least, until I go with a Merchant Account and Payment Gateway in the future). Any customer information (address, credit card numbers, etc.) should be secure.

 

So, can osCommerce work this way, either right out of the box, or with minimal fussing on my end? I'm not adverse to writing Perl or PHP code when that's what's needed to customize it. Thanks much!

 

Phil Perry

[Guest]

It can all be done with OSC if you are willing to work for it. You DO need SSL to protect your clients info.

[wheeloftime]

I'm considering 5 different shopping carts (SCs) for my Web site, and would like to know if osCommerce can handle what I need without major contortions. First, I don't want the SC to take over my pages -- I want only to drop in <form> code for "Add to Cart", "View Cart", and any size/color/etc. selection buttons to my own pages. I don't mind going to the SC's own pages for "View Cart" and "Checkout", so long as I can at least customize it with a logo or name. (Note: if it's a secure https page, store my logo on your own system so customers don't get warning messages about insecure content.) If this SC software does normally generate its own pages, I might use them in the future. Otherwise, I would be using them as models for generating my own pages from a database.

 

So, can osCommerce work this way, either right out of the box, or with minimal fussing on my end? I'm not adverse to writing Perl or PHP code when that's what's needed to customize it. Thanks much!

 

Phil Perry

Without commenting on the rest (which can mostly be done quite easily with contribs and some self working) I would say no. You can't just take out 'some form code' and put that into your own pages. Put your momentary look into the osC shop seems a better and more logic approach.

As you seem familiar with PHP etc. it might be a good idea to download the latest osC release, install it and get a better idea of how it works and meanwhile look at the sources also and then decide if you can go along with minimal fussing.