Can I Configure To Where People Don't Have To Create An Account

[jwalker]

Hello

 

By nature, I am not a joiner and if I have to create an account with someone to purchase something I will go to a different site. Hence, obviously I want to set up my store to where people do not have to create an acount- in fact- I would like to get rid of that option all together. Can this be done, and, more importantly, by someone who knows nothing about this PHP crap. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I can be reached at [email protected]

 

THX :blink:

[Jack_mcs]

It can be done but you will have to edit the files. Take a look at the Purchase Without Account contribution.

 

Jack

[♥Vger]

If you go to the website of any large company e.g. Amazon, Waterstones, B&Q, Comet, Argos, Marks and Spencer etc. they get you to create an account. They wouldn't do that if it wasn't essential to their business.

 

I get a little fed up of all the posts here from people who ask for solutions so that customers don't have to create an account.

 

If you want to do that then fine, but you'll end up without any history or mailing list of customers - and as any business professional knows their mailing list is invaluable in bringing in repeat business. If an online business goes broke then very often the only thing of value which they can sell on is their domain name - and that's only of any value if it comes with a mailing list.

 

Vger

[jwalker]

You have to get business to get repeat business, and there are a lot of people like me out there who do not like creating accounts. I have ran an online business for 7 years on another site that mandated acct sign up. I received so many phone calls from people wanting to place a phone order so they would not have to go through that, along with people that came back for repeat business and did not remember there log-in information. . .

[denzel2364]

You have to get business to get repeat business, and there are a lot of people like me out there who do not like creating accounts. I have ran an online business for 7 years on another site that mandated acct sign up. I received so many phone calls from people wanting to place a phone order so they would not have to go through that, along with people that came back for repeat business and did not remember there log-in information. . .

 

 

Reduce the info to only necessary. for example, you dont need a load of useless questions. Oscommerce account creation is far better than say ebay etc.

 

Its worth keeping

[♥Vger]

You can, from within your osCommerce admin panel, turn off the need for people to provide the following in the Create Account page:

 

1. Gender

2. Date of Birth

3. Company

4. Suburb

5. State

 

All this leaves is a Name, Email address, Postal Address, Password, Phone Number, Fax Number

 

Fax Number can just be commented out of the root level create_account.php page.

 

Unless you only sell downloadable products the other fields are necessary to ship goods to, except for the Password field. If they forget their password all they have to do is to click the "Password forgotten" link. You need their email address and phone number for contact if anything goes wrong with the order.

 

Vger

[madcrazygirl]

If you go to the website of any large company e.g. Amazon, Waterstones, B&Q, Comet, Argos, Marks and Spencer etc. they get you to create an account. They wouldn't do that if it wasn't essential to their business.

 

I get a little fed up of all the posts here from people who ask for solutions so that customers don't have to create an account.

Vger

 

Hurrah Vger :thumbsup: Thought I was the only one!

 

Can perhaps see some one off purchase businesses wanting no account but as far as building long term customer relationships certainly not.

 

I adjusted the checkout process at the beginning so that it unobtrusively became part of the ordering process and therefore have a very low rate of cart abandonment. Customers expect to have to give you their name and address and contact details so you can process their order - pretty standard stuff when shopping online.

 

I personally also expect stores I have shopped with before to know my details and feel quite irritated if I have to tell them again :angry: I am in fact more likely to revisit a shop I have used before because I know ordering will require less of my time.

 

Used well your mailing list is valuable and depending on your business will create sales. The old adage about the cost of obtaining new customers versus looking after existing......