...
Categories, tags, manufacturers, search, specials, best sellers, new products: PrestaShop has many path to a product, but in the end the customers is given a familiar listing of products, within the chosen context.
...
A detailed pricing is then displayed below, comprising the order's total cost with tax and shipping, and with if the case may be, an indicator of the voucher that was used. Further below, the available addresses.
Creating an account
Because it is one of the main source of lost customers for online shops, PrestaShop makes it really easy and straightforward to create a customer account.
When clicking the "Your account" or "Log in" links, the visitor is taken to the authentication page, where they have to fill one of two forms:
- Create an account.
- Log in an existing account.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< image
The first step for a new customer to create his account, is to enter his e-mail address in the form and validate. This will bring him to the account creation page itself. Two blocks of information are requested to get an account:
- Personal information. Everything that can uniquely identify the customer: first name, last name, e-mail (already entered), date of birth.
- Your address. This will be the default shipping address for this customer - he can have many more, but it's better to ask for one now rather than have him create one while confirming the order, and risk losing a sale.
Once registered, the customer is redirected to the "My account" page, where he can already see what he has access to: order history, credit slips, vouchers, and access to the previously entered information.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< image
Buying a product
Almost all the pages of an online feature an "Add to cart" button for a given product, and display a quick summary of the cart content. This makes it easy for customer to take the first step towards an order.
...
- (if the visitor is not logged in) Display the authentication screen, where the visitor can either go to the account creation page, or log in.
- The address-choosing page. Two addresses are necessary for an order:
- The billing address, which should be the one that is tied to the payment method.
- The delivery address, where the order should be sent. If you need to have it sent to another address, untick the "Use the same address for billing" box and either select one address among the already listed ones, or create a new one.
- The shipping page. This is where the customer can choose among a few shipping and packaging -related options. Agree to the shop's terms of service is a must, but depending on what the shop can offer, the customer may be able to choose a recycled packaging, to gift-wrap the package (with an optional gift note), and select the carrier that most suits him.
- The payment page. The customer can choose many payment options, depending on what the shop owner has set up. Cheque and credit card/Visa card are the most usual, but PrestaShop makes it easy to offer payment through eBay, Google Checkout or other 3rd party providers. The customer clicks on the chosen method and depending on the method is either sent over to the chosen 3rd party handler or continues to one of PrestaShop's page where he can enter the needed details, such as a validation before displaying cheque or bank-wire information.
- Once the customer has validated everything, he reaches the confirmation page, which begins with "Your order on name of the shop is complete". Depending on the chosen mean of payment, some final information should be provided to the customer, along with a notification of the confirmation e-mail having been sent and a link to the customer support page.
Finding a store
One of the great features of PrestaShop is the ability to get a geolocalized list of all the physical stores to which the online shop is tied. If available (as it is in the demo shop), a click on the "Our stores" block will bring up a map with a search form and radius selector.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< image
On this map, stores are indicated using the shop's logo. A click on that logo brings up a small pop-up reveals the full address and phone number, as well as the opening hours for the store, as indicated by the shop owner.