Perlshop 4 - QuickBuy Mode

Overview

QuickBuy mode combines the actions of entering the store, selecting an item for purchase, and then checking out into a single mouse click. This is desirable for on-line businesses that sell one specific item or service, and do not need the complexities of a complete on-line catalog.


Using QuickBuy Mode

QuickBuy mode is used in place of the standard Perlshop Enter command. Product information is put into an order form, just as it would be for a normal Perlshop catalog page. The 'action' form field is set to 'quickbuy'. 

<form name="demo" method=post action="!MYURL!">

<input type=hidden name="action" value="quickbuy">
<input type=hidden name="order_id" value="!ORDERID!">
<input type=hidden name="showcart" value="0">

<input type=hidden name="item_id" value="item_001">
<input type=hidden name="item_name" value="Widget 1">
<input type=hidden name="item_price" value="1.00">
<input type=hidden name="item_weight" value="2.5">
<input type=hidden name="item_option1" value="Purchased via QuickBuy">
<input type=hidden name="item_option2" value="Small">
<input type=hidden name="qty" value="1">

<input type=submit value="Quick Buy">

</form>
Since this form takes the place of the normal Perlshop 'Enter' command, the web page containing this form does not go inside the Perlshop catalog directory. Instead, it goes in the standard html directory for your web site.


The "order_id" Input Field

Under normal circumstances, the value of the order_id field should be set to !ORDERID!. This lets Perlshop create a unique order ID value for this purchase, just as it would for a regular shopping session.

As of Perlshop 4.2.08, the order_id field can be used to specify an order ID value to use.
For example:

<input type=hidden name="order_id" value="321654987">


The "showcart" Input Field

Once the QuickBuy button has been pressed, two options exist as to what the customer will see next. The first option is to take them directly to the Check Out page. This is useful for situations in which the QuickBuy web page contains all of the information needed for them to make an informed purchase.

The second option is to take the customer to the View Cart page, which allows them to see their shopping cart prior to their checking out.

These options are controlled by the "showcart" input field of the QuickBuy form. If this value is set to 0, as shown in the example above, the customer is taken directly to the Check Out page. If the "showcart" value is set to 1, the customer is taken to the View Cart page.


QuickBuy Examples

Take the Perlshop QuickBuy Demo to see this feature in action.


Necessary Settings for the ps.cfg File

Since QuickBuy mode is intended to be used in place on the standard on-line catalog paradigm, many of the standard features of Perlshop do not make sense when used with QuickBuy.

For QuickBuy sites, it is recommended that the following Perlshop command buttons to turned off:

This can be done by following the instructions in the ps.cfg file.