Add to cart without add to cart button??

[Stereo Steve]

This week we are doing an offer of a free cd wallet with selected packs of blank discs. To do this we have just ammended the product title of the offer packs to say that you get a free wallet. There is no discount set up for this so it's down to our packers to spot it.

Now, I wanted this offer on the front page so I figured it would be good to create a product for it. I did this, with a pic and some text explaining the offer. I created a new layout for the product page and removed the add to cart button and price soi it's a page with a big pic and a description.

This morning, someone has placed and order and there is 30 of the free case products in his cart! I've tried duplicating the order and they don't appear so whats going on?

I can't see an add to cart button anywhere on the site for this product. Is it possible to add products to the cart without the button?

Our site URL is in my profile and the offer is on the home page, top left in the best sellers. What have I done wrong?

EDIT: I have now nchecked the 'can be ordered online' box which would have been a better way of doing it in the first place (doh). I still can't see how it could have been ordered in the first place.

It does have implications as when an item goes out of stock, I usually change the layout to our 'out of stock' one which has a message and the add to cart commented out. Does this mean that these could be ordered as well?

[leehack]

Logical way i would do this Steve is to add a fragment on your home page, use the product picture, provide brief details of the offer with a 'more info' link that links through to the actual product which has been unticked for ordering online. The beauty of this is that the fragment lets you easily link to the product, even if it's not in it's own section through the link tab.

A set special offer section on the home page, where you regularly change the product(s) is my preferred method of this.

To avoid people being put off, i would also suggest you look at showing the product in their cart. The promise of a freebie is much better replaced with a visual and definite freebie.

I don't want some spotty teenager more interested in his ipod deciding whether i get my freebie or not, much better to be on the order IMO and cannot be missed then. Why have a loop that can be broken so easily would be my stance. Forgetting to include is understandable, failing to read is fireable.

[Stereo Steve]

We usually do this Lee but as it's a case per pack it would mean the customer adding the right number of the right sized cases for their order. I can see big problems with this! Also would be tricky to set up.

It would be great if actinic had the ability to add certain products to the cart when others are purchased, or a price limit is reached etc.

[leehack]

Can you use a component with text something like 'tick to add a free blah de blah'?

[TraceyHand]

you don't need to make it an optional component (ie "tick to add") do you?
Can't you just set it up as "component as separate orderline" price zero, associated product set as your normal store listed item (or detailed in the component tab, depends if you want stock control on the free item, I guess)?
Then use sum of product and component prices as your pricing model fr each of the blank disks offering the free item.
This would add the wallet to the orderlines at zero cost,....err..wouldn't it? (LOL..not entirely because I'm uploading and can't test it!)

[Stereo Steve]

Aha, of course you could. Thanks guys. Why did I not think of that? This solves several problems actually as I can add the message to the description instead of the title which makes it look tidier.

I can't believe I didn't think of that. Stock control is not an issue at the moment.

[TraceyHand]

Stock control is not an issue at the moment.

ahh..lucky you

[Stereo Steve]

We're installing a seperate accounting system which will do all the stock from all channels.

[Stereo Steve]

OK, I'm getting the issue with duplicate components not appearing and also if you buy a duplicate and the main product they appear seperately in the cart. I gather this is fixed with the 8.5.1 layouts?

Can I copy a certain part of the 8.5.1 layouts into my (heavilly customized) layouts or do I need to customize the 8.5.1 version, which would take longer?

[dmalani]

OK, I'm getting the issue with duplicate components not appearing and also if you buy a duplicate and the main product they appear seperately in the cart. I gather this is fixed with the 8.5.1 layouts?

When 'component as Separate Order Line' is ticked under 'General' Tab for a component then it will appear on its own separate line in the shopping cart. You untick this box then the details about the component will just appear as part of the product name.

Can I copy a certain part of the 8.5.1 layouts into my (heavilly customized) layouts or do I need to customize the 8.5.1 version, which would take longer?

You can copy just the necessary customised codes between different layouts.