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

[Head Honcho]

Hi Jonathan,

On 29/07/2009, at 1:19 PM, Jonathan Schwartz wrote:

> 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¢.
>

Not wanting to be contrary, but, in my mind, there's no "wasted  
effort" in saving the cart data before the order is confirmed...  
there's the same amount of coding in both.  One you need to keep track  
of line items in session variables, the other you need to keep track  
of items in the database. The only "effort" is in deleting "dead"  
items/orders.

But I agree, it needs to be a business decision.

Regards

Michael Ward
--
Head Honcho
CustoMike Solutions
Member, FileMaker Business Alliance
Member, FileMaker Technical Network
FileMaker 7 Certified Developer
FileMaker 8 Certified Developer
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10 Wandoo Crt
Wheelers Hill, 3150
ph 0414 562 501
headhoncho at customikesolutions.com


> 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
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