[FX.php List] Shopping Carts - Keep in SessionVars or Add Records right away?

[Jonathan Schwartz]

Hi Joel,

My experience is that should be a business 
decision, not just a technical one.  Technically, 
it can be done either way with advantages and 
disadvantages for each.  However, the Client has 
to WANT to offer a richer shopping experience 
and/or be EAGER to data mine the abandoned 
shopping carts for possible clues why customer do 
what they do. Otherwise, saving the order data 
before the order is confirmed is a wasted 
effort...at least from a business stand point.

My 2¢.

Jonathan



>Hi all
>
>Anybody have any thoughts on *when* in shopping 
>cart functionality it's best to add items as 
>records to the database?
>
>My initial thinking is that it would make more 
>sense to just keep items in Session Variable 
>arrays and only add anything to the database at 
>the time of Checkout -- to keep the DB from 
>bulking up with unpurchased items left in the 
>cart.  But searching online, it seems that carts 
>often add records to the database as soon as 
>they go into the cart.  (Might that be different 
>when using MySQL as opposed to FMP?)
>
>FWIW - Users on this site will average 1-4 items per order.
>
>Whaddy'all think?
>
>TIA,
>-Joel
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-- 
Jonathan Schwartz
Exit 445 Group
jonathan at exit445.com
http://www.exit445.com
415-370-5011