� CMP-3110 ~ E-Commerce Applications Development

Chapter 07

The Checkout and Order Process

The Checkout and Order Process

In this chapter, you will learn:

• About the different processes involved in the checkout and order process
• How a number of other e-commerce websites, large and small, deal with their checkout and order process
• How we should structure our checkout and order process

Some examples of Existing System

We will look at the following stores:

• Amazon
• eBay
• Play.com

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Amazon

Amazon

Let us take a look at the stages involved in its order process:

1. Select products to purchase

2. Detailed basket displayed on side of each page

3. Authentication:

• Login
• Register
• Do nothing—already logged in

4. Select delivery address

5. Select delivery method

6. Select gift wrapping

Amazon

7. Enter payment details.

8. Enter voucher code.

9. Confirm details.

10. Process payment.

11. Order processed.

12. Order dispatched.

13. Happy customer.

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Amazon

Limitations:

• Moving backwards between stages in the order process is not possible
• The default shipping method adds a charge to the order
• The page where the customer enters their payment details is missing the price of the order

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Amazon

Useful features:

• Streamlined authentication: The customer can both log in and start the registration process from the same page, without the need for going to a separate page
• Detailed basket:
• Shown on each page is very detailed.
• The details it shows include:
• Product names
• Links to the products
• Price
• Quantity
• Author
• Type (for example Paperback)
• Condition (for example new/used)
• Subtotal

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Amazon

Useful features:

• Gift wrapping: The customer can choose to have their order gift wrapped, useful for sending it direct to a recipient
• Flexibility to choose delivery address: This makes it really easy for customers to have orders sent to different addresses
• Tracking of payment history: On the payment page, the previously used card is recorded

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eBay

eBay

• eBay is a very different type of e-commerce website; it is an auction website
• The sellers are other eBay users, and not eBay itself
• Because of the way eBay works, we can safely assume that the order process will be very different

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eBay

Payment Method:

• The customer views an item of interest.
• The customer indicates intention to purchase or bid on the item.
• The customer either signs in or registers (authentication).
• The customer confirms their intention to purchase (assuming Buy It Now, or successful winning of auction).
• if they change their mind later, they can be penalized
• The customer can either make their purchase, or continue shopping.
• When the customer is ready to pay, they first enter their delivery address.

eBay

Payment Method:

• Payment details are then entered, along with the ability for the customer to enter a voucher code.
• The customer then reviews and confirms their order; this is generally for them to confirm the details are correct, as they are technically not permitted to back out of the purchase at this stage.
• eBay processes payment.
• The seller processes the order.
• Happy customer.

Play.com

Play.com

Let us discuss their order process, to see how they operate.

• First the customer selects the products they wish to purchase.
• A basic basket is displayed at the top of each page.
• Authentication:
• Login
• Go to register page
• Do nothing—already logged in
• The customer selects a delivery address.
• The customer then reviews and confirms the order
• The payment is processed.
• The order is processed.
• Happy customer.

Play.com

Interesting points of note:

• There are a few interesting points from Play.com's order process, these are:
• Unlike many other e-commerce sites the ability for the customer to enter a voucher code is not directly integrated with the order process
• one of the delivery addresses is the cardholder's billing address
• The basket contents are displayed at each stage of the process
• The order process is very quick (provided the customer has a card and delivery address on file)

The process

1. View the basket
• Enter voucher code.
• Select shipping method.
• Review cost based on shipping and voucher code.
2. Authentication:
• Log in.
• Register.
• Do nothing—already logged in.
3. Select delivery address.
4. Select payment method

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The process

5. Order confirmation.
6. Display payment details.
7. Payment is made.
8. Order is processed.

The basket

• At the basket stage, we can add two simple features, which in some stores are separate stages in their own right.
• We can allow the customer to enter a voucher code
• the customer can immediately see the cost they should be paying for their order
• We can allow the customer to select their preferred shipping method
• Different shipping methods often change the end cost of an order

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The basket: An overview

Authentication

Why should we authenticate the user at this stage?

• To populate the delivery address form with these details

Login

• Username
• Password

Register

• Username
• E-mail address
• Password
• Default delivery address

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Payment method

Offline payment method:

• e.g. Cash on delivery
• Advantages:
• Enables more people to make a purchase
• No transaction costs (aside from any costs incurred from our business bank)
• Disadvantages:
• Payment isn't instant
• If using a check, we need to wait for it to clear before dispatching
• It may have been a fraudulent order

Payment method

Off-site payment method:

• Third party involve for payment (PayPal)
• Advantages:
• Low barrier for entry
• we can facilitate recurring billing
• Disadvantages:
• Takes the customer off-site
• Some off-site payment gateways have stigma associated with them

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On-site payment method

The on-site payment method is the most professional way to allow online payments

• Advantages:
• Keeps the customer on-site
• Generally, recurring billing can be done with this method
• Disadvantages:
• Security considerations
• SSL certificate to be installed on the server (mighty be costly and need more development)

Payment details

• For offline payments this may be a postal address, a reference number, a name to make checks payable to, and instructions
• For off-site online payment methods, this will be a link or a button to the off-site payment gateway, such as PayPal
• For on-site online payment methods:
• page must be securely encrypted
• contain relevant text boxes
• separate address field

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