Forum Moderators: buckworks
a) Edit My Profile (allows you to update billing, shipping, phone numbers, etc and other details)
b) View Previous Orders (allows you to view the details of previous orders you've placed on the site, and it also notify's you the status of the order [processing / pending / despatched] )
c) Log Out
Has anybody got any suggestions on what they would like to be in the control panel? i.e. a calendar (might do, but would you find it useful?)
Regards,
Carl.
1. "After they have registered" - bad news if you are requiring people to register before buying, they just don't like it
2. Access is not designed for a multi user environment like an e-commerce store - more than 6 or 7 people on your site at one time and it'll start falling over - use MySQL or MSSQL instead.
but firstly, tell me why dabs.com have over 1 million customers when they have to register before they order?
'people just dont like it'
carl.
P.S. anybody got any ideas for features for my control panel?
Also, depends on the store, but some way to remind people of things they'd like to buy (sparks lets you keep track of important dates to send cards... ) based on information they've provided and things they've bought. Hard to abstract though...
For a database... uksports is 100% right. Access is well, not up to snuff to power a website. If you'll need more power than MySQL can provide, MSSQL or Postgresql would be options.
So, my whole site is now running off MySQL databases, thanks for telling me that! lol
Has anybody else got any ideas?
a) View previous orders
b) Edit my profile
c) Items we think you would like...
d) Log out
Fine! :-)
I dont really want to code a feature which sorts out returns, I would prefer they contacted customer services via the contact page/form or through our unique Live Support System...
(im not telling you how it works or what it is! :P )
Carl.
because you and I are not dabs, they are a very large company who started off by not having to register to buy online and you could also call in and buy at the sales counter.
Now everything is done online only with no sales counter so that is why you have to register.
Hope this helps
ncw164x
My point is that no matter how large you are, dabs are giving the example and showing that they're making sales, and they have loads of customers, and the intelligent thing to do, would be to follow that example, people dont mind registering, as long as you show them beforehand the benefits of registering, they'll do it, simple because they know its gonna save them time in the long run. Thats why people come to ecommerce stores in the first place. To save them time and money. They dont need to drive to a shop, only to find that the product they want is out of stock or very expensive, they just go on the computer because they know the only thing they're paying for is the ISP charges (you dont even need to leave the house and pay for the petrol in your car, or general wear-and-tear on the car). Generally ecommerce stores are way cheaper than high-street shops. I got my mobile 20% cheaper from the online Orange shop, simply because there arent large overheads to pay for and i didnt need to leave the house and it arrived the next morning... If people didn't like registering, the UK's leading online stores wouldn't have registration forms. I'll let you balance up the pro's and con's yourself, but I think you'll find that they do...
I hope you understand the messange I am trying to send across, and a merry xmas to you all!
There are an awful lot of people on here with experience of small to medium sized e-commerce ventures, and the subject of registration before shopping has been discussed many times, and my reading of it is that for those who have tried, registration before shopping has not worked.
We don't have that system for instance, but we do insist on people making an account as part of the checkout routine (they have to choose a password in other words) as that does save us alot of time in "what is the status of my order" type phone calls.
What we do have is a mailing list, and the mailing list 'Thank you' autoresponder includes details of how to create an account for shopping in the future - about 1 in 100 actually do this.
Good luck with your venture, and maybe registration before shopping will work for you, but if it's a new venture, I would suggest that anything that may prevent you making sales and revenue has to be studied in great detail before implementation.
That's an entirely different beast from most small unknown e-commerce shops. Any shop I have seen stats for has dismal performance when people are required to register before shopping. All published data I've seen also indicates a boost in sales after that policy is changed.
Maybe something worth considering?
My point is they are a large company who have spent a lot of money off line advertising in PC magazines sponsorship branding etc and equally a lot of investment with their online store. They turnover mega millions each year
They are a different animal to the likes of you and I in the sense what works for a large company does not always work for a small site, in theory Yes in practice NO
They were well established long before they started to make visitors register before they buy
That is my point not trying to put you down just stating the facts. By all means make visitors register but you could put buyers off, they can purchase anywhere online, anywhere they want because it is their money and the easier you make it the better for them to buy.
ncw164x
'Mega Millions'? Think again:
[dabs.com...]
(Page 9)
What I'm trying to say is that if you follow by a successful example you are on your way to getting there...
