Guest Checkout Options

[bryan76]

Dawn Theme

I require accounts to checkout as i want to limit fraud and also need some extra info which I wrote into the Account Register page. I want to keep accounts but also allow for Guest Checkout. how is this best accomplished? how can I format the page and ask more necessary questions in the process?

If it could be an express account creation during checkout that might be best. but i want to explore all the options.

Thanks!

[Imogen]

Hi there, @bryan76. Thanks for taking the time to reach out to the Shopify Community Forums with your question. My name is Imogen. It's good to meet you.

If you're wanting require customer accounts, then you won't be able to offer a way for customers to use 'guest checkout', as you're removing the ability to checkout without logging into an account with specific information attached. Editing the checkout page itself is also not possible, as this code is locked down pretty tightly for security purposes. If you're looking to provide a way for customers to quickly create an account without completing the typical required steps, you'll need some help from a third party like a Shopify Expert to achieve this.

[bryan76]

thank you Imogen.  I realize all that yet Guest Checkout implies that you do have customer accounts but can also checkout as a guest.  i see some info in Shopify docs about this. I know we cannot effect the checkout (I do use an app to make some checkout changes fyi) but there must be a way to get this done as it is very normal website feature offered by other platforms.  and, as mentioned, Shopify talks about it here: https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/blog/guest-checkout#

[Imogen]

Thanks for following up, @bryan76! Referencing the link you shared 'Guest Checkout' is the process of allowing your customers to complete their orders in your checkout without needing an account. If you have set up your store so that customers are required to create an account before being able to checkout, then you won't be able to offer 'guest checkout', which is the process of checking out in your store without signing in. If you turn off the requirement of customer accounts, then customers will be able to checkout either by logging into their account, or by using the then available 'guest checkout' functionality. If you have the requirement to login to your account to checkout turned off, then customers have the option of checking out while being logged in, or they can use the 'guest' functionality.

[bryan76]

having no customer accounts enables it is just a normal checkout process.  checkout as guest means you can choose to create an account OR checkout as guest.  

this is a very very common feature of ecom sites.  very common.,  you are saying Shopify 100% has no way to enable this basic functionality?  or you just don't know the answer?  I

[Blair]

Thanks for the prompt response. 

To gather a bit more information, are you able clarify where in the document mentioned above you see the option to checkout as a guest or log in as a returning customer? 

To provide some clarification, if you require the customer to log in to their account before checkout then they will not be able to checkout as a guest. This is a limitation of the feature and can learn more about it here. 

While I can completely understand how that may not be ideal, I'm more than happy to pass this feedback along to our Developers. Our Shopify Plus plan however, provides you with the ability to customize your checkout and access features like the one you've mentioned above. To learn more about upgrading your plan, you can head over to our Shopify Plus page. 

Take care!

[bryan76]

the limitation is the issue.  I would most certainly leave Shopify before moving to Shopify Plus.  not a consideration for us

basically we need to ask additional customer account questions somewhere in the process.  the basic shopify name and email will not work.  so I have coded a registration page that asks a number of questions.  that information lands in the account notes in Shopify.

in order to get conversations to an acceptable level we need to ask these question in the checkout process.  as of now the flow is very bad as when someone clicks checkout and is not logged in it leaves the checkout process and goes to a login sscreen.  then click register for a new account.  after that they have to click the cart  again to then get to checkout.  then they can see the shipping fees etc.  we are losing over 90% of all customers in this process.  plenty of websites ask additional questions and/or allow the customer to register for an account during checkout.  

just looking for a professional order/checkout process like every single one of our competitors have.  many have said I made a huge mistake choosing shopify and I am now realizing why. I am a year into working 80+ hours a week on the site just to get to this point of hating myself for choosing a platform that doesn't allow this basic ecommerce functionality