1 click checkout

[jxm28788]

Appologies for the duplicate, but the v6 forum seems to have died a death, and I'm guessing the answer will be the same for 6 and 7 anyway (and if it's not then at least I get a good reason to upgrade)...

If I have a website that sells only one product (and only in 1's), then I don't really need the catalog product page (ie. product details and 'click here to add to basket' or 'enter qty') and I don't really need the basket either.

Sooooooo... Is it possible to have a brochure page with the sales blurb, then a button that says 'BUY NOW!' - and this button would then add 1 of the item to the basket and take the shopper direct to the checkout?

or, slightly more advanced - 'buy now' goes to another brochure page which tries to up-sell them another related product - and then 'yes' adds both items and goes to checkout, or 'no' just goes to the checkout with the original item only?

Can it be done and how do I do it?

The checkout itself is optimised so now I want to optimise the path TO the checkout.

btw, I want this to be a bypass of the catalog page(s), not a replacement.

For some reason my product page is out ranking (by far) my brochure page in certain search engine listings, so I still want people to be able to arrive in the catalog and order in the same way.

But I also want the option to just press a button and jump straight to the checkout...

[Mike Hughes]

I'm sure the standard answer is that you can't do this, but I think with a bit of lateral thinking we could work out a way.

One way I can think of would be to create your own session file for the customer and then take him straight to checkout. The session files look fairly straightforward (see the example below) and an example could be created by making your own order and abandoning it at checkout. If you then CHMOD it to give read access you can download it to your PC and take a look.

What you do have to do though is either read the actinic cookie to get the right session name (or write to it with the session name you want) so that the checkout process will use the right session file. I can't help on that area.

Here's what a generic session file looks like (V6)

Mike

SessionFile Version="1.0">
<URLInfo>
<LASTPAGE>http://www.domain.co.uk/cgi-bin/ca000001.pl</LASTPAGE>
<LASTSHOPPAGE>http://www.domain.co.uk/acatalog/pagename.html</LASTSHOPPAGE>
<BASEURL>http://www.domain.co.uk/acatalog/</BASEURL>
</URLInfo>
<CheckoutInfo>
<BillContact/>
<ShipContact/>
<ShipInfo/>
<TaxInfo/>
<GeneralInfo/>
<PaymentInfo>
<PONO/>
<USERDEFINED/>
<METHOD/>
</PaymentInfo>
<LocationInfo/>
</CheckoutInfo>
<ShoppingCart>
<Product Reference="XXXXXXX" Name="product 1" SID="18">
<Quantity>1</Quantity>
<QDQualify>1</QDQualify>
</Product>
<Product Reference="XXXXXXXX" Name="Product 2" SID="69">
<Quantity>1</Quantity>
<QDQualify>0</QDQualify>
<Component Index="1" Name="Component name"/>
</Product>
</ShoppingCart>
<Payment/>
<IPCheck/>
</SessionFile>

[jxm28788]

yipes! that seems overly complicated...

Isn't it possible just to 'call' the line of code that adds a product to the basket? and then 'link' to the checkout? (probably showing my complete lack of understanding of how anything works... )

[Mike Hughes]

I could well be wrong on this but my understanding of the way actinic checkout works is:

1. It looks at the cookie on your PC to tell it what session file to use.

2. It looks at the sesssion file (which is essentially your shopping cart) to see what you want to buy.

I'm not sure there's a way around this, someone else may though.

Mike

[jxm28788]

you are probably right, but I'm looking at it from a different angle -

if (in the normal way of doing things) you go to the product details, enter the qty and press the 'add to cart' button then there must be some code that is executed to perform the 'add' function.

Therefore, there must be some way of either duplicating that code, or simply 'calling' it from a different place.

Ditto, for the checkout link.

The problem is that while I can understand html, I am not familiar with java or pearl scripts or whatever it is that does the 'code' bits.

[TraceyG]

Hi John,

I don't know if this helps but check it out:

http://knowledge.actinic.com/users/k...59.html#aKB491

[Mike Hughes]

That does look like an easier way.

Mike

[jxm28788]

The phrase 'Checkout Now' must be replaced with the exact text as defined in Design | Text | Go to | Phase -1, ID 184 (Default is 'Checkout Now').

That seems ok, I can just change that text to 'BUY NOW!' and that will work.

However, this seems to be replacing the 'add to basket' button, with an 'add to basket and straight to checkout' button - which is only halfway there.

The next problem is replicating an add to cart button on a brochure page (ie. my home page) so I can do the above modification on it.

Anyone know how to do that?

Alternitevely, I guess I will have to ditch the brochure page, make the catalog product page the homepage and write the sales blurb into the product page. But I think that would be even more work!

[TraceyG]

Hi John,

The next problem is replicating an add to cart button on a brochure page (ie. my home page) so I can do the above modification on it.

You can put an add to cart option on the brochure page as per this kb article. However, it will only add to basket and not checkout.

I guess I will have to ditch the brochure page, make the catalog product page the homepage and write the sales blurb into the product page.

This may be your only option. I don't think you can do what you want directly from brochure pages as the checkout functionality is catalog based and the previous article I posted is dependent on the shopping mode set on the section, which again is catalog based.

[jxm28788]

then a button that says 'BUY NOW!' - and this button would then add 1 of the item to the basket and take the shopper direct to the checkout?

wait a moment... when you add something to the basket it says "Please wait for your browser to forward you to the next page or click here. "...

So can I just change this redirect to go to the checkout instead of back to the catalog page it came from...?

Where do I change this, and does it impact anything else (ie. is it a specific link, or a general link used in other places?)

[TraceyG]

Hi,

I've asked our development team if this is possible. I will post once I have a reply.

[webyourbusiness]

If there is only one product, Actinic is the proverbial sledgehammer to our nut...

How about creating a simple checkout FORM and submitting to your payment provider or secure checkout via your own SSL?

For instance, an authorize.net checkout form for a single product (with or without options) would be simple to achieve ... we have several that we use as "virtual terminals" for our clients - I'll get one onto a publicly visible site for you to see..

[webyourbusiness]

(two) click to checkout:

http://www.webyourbusiness.com/quick_payment.php

With authorize.net you have to use 2 clicks, as a transaction hash is generated using date/time of transaction and amount of transaction (which in the case of a virtual terminal type environment, you don't know until it's finalized.

Surely for one product a prettier version of a similar one-or-two step payment form would be much less work than attempting to re-invent the Actinic checkout procedure?

ps - that quick payment form is LIVE - I will NOT refund anything you pay using it!

[TraceyG]

Hi,

wait a moment... when you add something to the basket it says "Please wait for your browser to forward you to the next page or click here. "...

So can I just change this redirect to go to the checkout instead of back to the catalog page it came from...?

OK, we can do this if you set your shopping mode to 'Quantity in Shopping Cart'.

Edit ShoppingCart.pl from your site folder in a text editor such as notepad

Search for the first instance of.....

@Response = ActinicOrder::ShowCart(\@aFailureList);

You will see

@Response = ActinicOrder::ShowCart(\@aFailureList);	# show the cart to the custumer to edit parameters of the newly added product

Replace the above line with the following...

#	@Response = ActinicOrder::ShowCart(\@aFailureList);
	my $sCheckoutUrl = sprintf('%sos%6.6d%s', $$::g_pSetupBlob{'CGI_URL'}, $$::g_pSetupBlob{'CGI_ID'},
		$$::g_pSetupBlob{'CGI_EXT'});
	$sCheckoutUrl .= "?";
	@Response = ACTINIC::EncodeText(ACTINIC::GetPhrase(-1, 113), $::FALSE);
	$sCheckoutUrl .= "ACTION=" . $Response[1];
	my ($bClearFrames) = ACTINIC::IsPartOfFrameset() && $$::g_pSetupBlob{UNFRAMED_CHECKOUT};
	@Response = ACTINIC::BounceToPagePlain(0, "",
		$$::g_pSetupBlob{CHECKOUT_DESCRIPTION},
		$::g_sWebSiteUrl,
		$::g_sContentUrl, $::g_pSetupBlob, $sCheckoutUrl , \%::g_InputHash,
		$bClearFrames);

Save and exit
Update the site

This will then take you straight to checkout after adding to cart.

I hope this helps

[jxm28788]

If there is only one product, Actinic is the proverbial sledgehammer to our nut...

tell me about it. but I couldn't find a simple checkout and don't know how to code my own.

How about creating a simple checkout FORM and submitting to your payment provider or secure checkout via your own SSL?

For instance, an authorize.net checkout form for a single product (with or without options) would be simple to achieve ... we have several that we use as "virtual terminals" for our clients - I'll get one onto a publicly visible site for you to see..

does that cost anything, and how do I know how to integrate it with protx?