Working with guest access on the website

Administrators can configure InsiteCommerce websites to allow for unregistered users or guests to access or checkout from websites. The process of enabling this functionality involves just a few clicks, but the real challenge is in deciding if guest access or checkout is the right strategy for the website. There are a number of factors to consider when making this decision and the rationale and conclusions are not the same for every website.

To start, there is a common belief that enabling guest access or guest checkout will increase the number of transactions on a site, as customers can avoid the minor hassle of creating accounts. Although this can be true, there are also some potential downsides to allowing guests to checkout from a site without registering. So when making the decision to allow or not allow guests and guest checkout, consider the following points:

  • Returns, exchanges, or refunds can become more complicated without an associated account.
  • Allowing guests can make reviewing, modifying, or tracking orders more difficult.
  • Guests won't have the option to reorder previous orders or make use of wishlists.
  • Guests do not have any history, so there is a loss of data which could help drive future sales, possible training, or other opportunities.

The settings listed below can be used to control various aspects of the guest experience. At a minimum, AllowGuestCheckout and AllowCreateAccount need to be set to True, to allow guest access.

Setting Name Value Options Description
AllowGuestCheckout True or False When set to True, allows guests to complete the checkout process without creating an account.

Note: Guests cannot view any My Account features, such as order history or quotes.

WebsiteNavigation NoSignInRequired (default), SignInRequiredToBrowse, SignInRequiredToAddToCart, SignInRequiredToAddToCartOrSeePrices If AllowGuestCheckout is set to True, then this setting must be set to NoSignInRequired. This setting determines what users have access to before being prompted to sign in.
AllowCreateAccount True or False

When set to True, guests are allowed to create new user accounts.

Note: Enabling this setting should be considered carefully, as it can pollute the user database and some websites require specific user information to function correctly.

Updating the settings

  1. Go to Admin Console > Websites.
  2. Click Edit for the desired website.
  3. Click the Settings finger tab.
  4. Search for the settings listed above.
  5. Click Edit.
  6. Update the Value field to correct value.

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