eRatex includes many Settings, Prompts and content area (Topics) which affect how the checkout page behaves and looks.
Settings can be managed from the Configuration, Settings menu at the top of the Admin Console.
Prompts (text and button labels) can be managed from the Content, Manage Prompts menu at the left of the Admin Console
Topics can be managed from the Content, Manage Topics menu at the left of the Admin Console.
All checkout options are detailed within the following sections.
Settings
All of the checkout settings and other options affect how shoppers experience the checkout process. Among the most dramatic are the two listed here. The following two Settings are potentially the most dramatic.
Edition.Checkout.HideOrderSummaryUntilLogin
Controls whether or not the Order Summary area appears before the shopper logs in. If True, the Order Summary, illustrated below, does not appear until the shopper logs in. If set to False, the Order Summary area appears even when the shopper has not logged in to eRatex, though Place Order buttons are disabled until all checkout requirements are satisfied.
Edition.Checkout.HideSelectionsUntilLogin
Controls whether or not Checkout Selections appears before the shopper logs in. If True, the Checkout Selections area, illustrated below, does not appear until the shopper logs in. If set to False, the Checkout Selections area appears even when the shopper has not logged in to eRatex. Once the shopper successfully logs in to eRatex, Checkout Selections appear.
By hiding one or both areas described above, you can dramatically change the shopper's experience and focus attention on logging in before completing shipping, payment, etc.
The following illustrates the checkout with both Settings are set True. This results in a minimal, clarified view of checkout until the shopper logs in.
Miscellaneous Checkout Settings
The following miscellaneous checkout Settings control checkout behavior and look-and-feel.
ContinueShopping.Enabled
Set True to display a "continue shopping" link at the top of checkout. Works with ContinueShoppingURL Setting. No link appears when set False.
ContinueShoppingUrl
This can be set to the relative path of a page on your site (i.e. c-1-myproducts.aspx, products.htm, etc). Shoppers who click "Continue Shopping' on the checkout page will be redirected to the page defined by this setting instead of back to the page from which they came.
Promotions.Enabled
Set True to enable and display the Promotion control in checkout. The Promotion control does not appear when this Setting is False, and shoppers may not enter promotion codes.
GiftCards.Enabled
Set True to enable and display the Gift Card control on the checkout page. The Gift Card control does not appear when this Setting is False.
DisallowOrderNotes
Set True to enable and display the Order Notes control.
Checkout.ShowOkToEmailOnCheckout
Set True enable and display the OK To Email control. If enabled, this control enables shoppers to opt in or opt out of email lists. The control is not visible in checkout if set False.
RequireOver13Checked
Set True to enable and display the I Am Over 13 control. The control is not visible in checkout if set False. If True, shoppers who create a new account must check this box on their account page.
Shipping-related Checkout Settings
The following settings control how the Shipping controls in checkout behave.
AllowShipToDifferentThanBillTo
Set True to allow shoppers to specify a shipping address different than their billing address. If False, shoppers can only enter a billing address; the shipping address will be set to match the billing address. Recommended setting = True.
ShowShippingIcons
Set True to display shipping icons (FedEx, UPS, etc.) adjacent shipping options in checkout. Recommended setting = True.
RATEX.ShippingMethod.AutoSubmitSelection
If set to False, checkout displays an Apply Shipping Method button such that the shopper must first select a shipping method, then click the button. If set True, the button does not appear and when the shopper makes a selection, checkout automatically recognizes the shopper has selected a shipping method. Recommended setting = True. See also RATEX.ShippingMethod.SelectFirstByDefault Setting.
RATEX.ShippingMethod.SelectFirstByDefault
If set True, the first shipping method in the list is automatically selected when the shopper arrives on checkout. If your store uses In Store Pick Up, this setting should be set False because In Store Pick Up methods can be configured to collect additional information from the shopper, but only if the shopper actively selects such a pick up method. If your store does not have In Store Pick Up, or if your In Store Pick Up methods do not require additional information for pick up locations, then it is likely best to set this value to True; otherwise, set it to False.
NumberOfShippingMethodsToDisplay
Specifies the number of shipping methods initially visible to the shopper. If this value is less than the total number of shipping methods configured for your store, then a More Options link appears which enables shoppers to view all available methods. Set the value to 0 to disable this functionality and display all available shipping methods when shoppers arrive at checkout. Recommended Setting = 0 unless the store has been configured with a large number of shipping methods.
In the following illustration, the store has two available shipping methods and the NumberOfShippingMethodsToDisplay value is set to 1.
Shopping Cart Related Settings
The Shopping Cart section, which lists all items the shopper has added to their cart, appears at the bottom of the checkout page. The following Settings control Shopping Cart behavior.
LinkToProductPageInCart
If True, the product name is a link to the relevant product page. If False, the product name appears only as text. Shoppers may enjoy their ability to click to the product page, but best practices suggest setting this value to False because doing so may improve conversions.
ShowPicsInCart
Set True to display product images adjacent to product descriptions in the shopping cart. Recommended Setting = True.
ShowEditButtonInCartForRegularProducts
If set True, an 'Edit' link appears which leads to the product page to let shoppers change selections for that product - typically the product variant, size, color, etc.
ShowCartDeleteItemButton
If True, a Delete link appears in the shopping cart adjacent each line item. Recommended Setting = True.
Custom Data Settings
eRatex provides the ability to collect custom data. Stores may have up to three fields to collect custom data, and administrators can specify whether of not the data is required or optional. The data can be collected on a shopper's account page, during checkout, or both. If a shopper enters custom data and places an order, the custom order data displays on the order on the Orders, Manage Orders page in the Admin Console.
Nearly every piece of text that appears in checkout is a configurable Prompt. Changing field labels, button labels, and other text can have a significant impact on the shopper experience. To change a Prompt value, choose Content, Manage Prompts from the left menu in the Admin Console. Search for the Prompt you'd like to change, change the value, Save and Close, then click the Refresh Store button.
eRatex includes thousands of Prompts, enabling control over nearly every piece of text on the site. Except in rare occasions, the Inline Editor is easiest way to change the value of a prompt because Inline Editor allows point-and-click editing, avoiding the need to know the names and meanings of Prompts. Please refer to Inline Editing for more information.
The figure below is a map of most of the checkout Prompts administrators can modify. If you want to manage a particular Prompt without using the Inline Editor, search Prompts for one of the Prompt names highlighted in this figure and change its value.
Some checkout Prompts do not appear in the preceding illustration, and are also impossible to manage with the Inline Editor. The following illustrates Prompt names which pertain to the Account section in checkout.
In general, you can also filter for "Checkout" in Manage Prompts to see a full list of checkout-related prompts.
Recommendations:
Consider setting the button text, checkout.saveemail, to "Next".
Topic Configuration
Announcements, department charge disclaimers, and general disclaimers may optionally be added to the checkout page. By default, these Topics are blank and will not display until configured.
checkout-announcement Topic
Displayed at the top of the checkout page, this topic could be used to provide the shopper with information about store promotions or important checkout notifications.
checkout-deptcharge-signup Topic
If the shopper selects the Department Charge payment option, this Topic will display below the Department Charge Number entry form.
checkout-disclaimer Topic
This Topic occurs after the shipping selection and before payment selection. It could be used to provide information about available shipping methods, payment methods, or other disclaimers.
Guest Checkout
The GuestCheckout Setting controls whether customers can checkout without logging in or creating an account. Clearly, the login behavior on checkout depends significantly upon the value of the GuestCheckout Setting, and upon the combination of this value and some of the other checkout-related Settings. For example, If GuestCheckout is set to PasswordNeverRequested AtCheckout, the Edition.Checkout.HideSelectionsUntilLogin and Edition.Checkout.HideOrderOptionsUntilLogin values have no effect - Checkout Selection and Order Option areas immediately appear when any shopper lands on checkout.
eRatex administrators can configure the store to limit which products shoppers may purchase through Guest Checkout. Please refer to Guest Checkout for more information regarding Guest Checkout Restrictions.
PayPal Checkout
Please refer to PayPal Express Checkout to learn how to enable PayPal, and how the shopper experience is affected when enabled.
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