Hi there, im interested in starting up my own online music store.

I just wanted to know what are the benefits of having people create accounts to buy items to websites where people dont have to create accounts to buy anything?

Advantages are that you can build a mailing list up of clients, get there email address' and home address' and then advertise new offers to them. But disadvantages are that people don't like signing up as much and it makes some people leave your store.

Hope this helps...

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They key is to have a account created for them when they place a order ... dont actually word it as " create a account "

Originally Posted by adam2007

They key is to have a account created for them when they place a order ... dont actually word it as " create a account "

That sounds like some nice info there m8. But one thing im just a lil confused about when you say have an account created after they order. how will that work?
If its created automatically couldnt they just keep ordering without login in? or will i need to get some sort of IP block be enabled for customers that have purchased once before?
Correct me if ive gone down the wrong road m8. Cheers

just ask them to provide a password with there order... then using there details , email as a login and a password create the account..

so it is part of the order form , rather than them having to go out there way to create the account.

Actually, there are several considerations.

I prefer to set up and also to buy from sites that never - ever want my information, other than what is needed to sell me what I want. No account, not now, not later. I'll give you my card info, but I don't want an "account", I don't want a username, I don't want a password. If I ever buy again, I'll enter it all again, thank you.

Unless - it's a wholesale account where I am buying on a weekly or otherwise regular basis. Then I want to login, place my order and in those cases I want my card info on file and I don't want to have to enter it each time.

So, big difference. Wholesale, no problem with logins. Retail, ask too much and I'll just go elsewhere.

This is something you have to decide on your own. There is no cut and dried solution. And you should keep this in mind when choosing a cart. Some don't even have the capability to keep up with ciustomers. Some force them to register and jump hoops no matter what. And some are in between, or have an off/on switch for register/login.

It's actually your choice.

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with oscommerce you can have the option to have a quick checkout without account ... or create account if they choose to.

I believe it is a personal decision, some people prefer not to sign up and some want to. Each to his own.

Thanks for the above replies

One thing I've found that puts people off creating accounts is that they believe they will automatically be signed up to an email list. Making your list Opt-in instead of Opt-out normally encourages people to create an account.