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'Buy Now' or 'Add to Cart' buttons


ArtcoInc

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On how many pages should I have the 'Buy Now' or 'Add to Cart' buttons?

1) One school of thought says that you should have them everywhere, giving your customer every opportunity to make a purchase.

2) Another school of thought says that they only need to be on the product_info page, as this is the only page that properly and completely describes the product, cutting down of erroneous purchases and/or returns.

Thoughts?

Malcolm

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Some random thoughts...

One problem with having both "Buy Now" and "Add to Cart" for a given product, is that someone is going to add it to their cart, then hit "buy now", then check out, and get ticked off because they bought the product twice. If you "Buy Now", the store should offer to remove it from the cart, and vice-versa (you added it to the cart after already having done a "buy now" purchase... at least remind the customer of that).

As a customer, I think I would be annoyed at having to go through the payment process at least twice, once for each "buy now" purchase, and then for checkout of anything I had in my cart. I think "Buy Now" and "Add to Cart" should be coordinated in some way -- if you have stuff in the cart, presumably you are intending to go through checkout and a single payment, rather than making two or more separate purchases. I wouldn't prevent this from happening, but I think most customers would appreciate being reminded so as to avoid a double purchase. Of course, some may have no intention of checking out the cart and plan to abandon it (carrying stuff around only for comparison purposes).

Perhaps if there's already something in the cart, the best route would be to offer to add the "buy now" item to the cart, rather than doing a full "Buy Now" on it. Or, silently add it to the cart with a flag, and wait until checkout (of the cart) to combine the payments. The risk here is that the customer abandons the cart (leaves the store, forgetting that they never completed the purchase of that Buy Now product) and you never get a chance to get payment. Of course, impulse buying is more likely with "Buy Now", which would be a reason to have it available everywhere.

Might a customer want to pay by two different methods, say one credit or charge card for the "buy now" product, and another for the rest of the cart? Or would that be better handled at checkout -- split up the cart contents by how it's going to be paid for, and/or who it's to be shipped to?

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@MrPhil

Thank you for your feedback. I had not considered 'Buy Now' and 'Add to Cart' to be different things. I thought of 'Buy Now' as just a different way of saying 'Add to Cart'.

In light of your point, I can see that *IF* a shop owner sets up their shop so that 'Buy Now' and 'Add to Cart' *ARE* different (can osC do that?), then there could indeed be a concern.

In your mind, how would you implement a 'Buy Now' that is different from an 'Add to Cart'? And, if they are different, do you include both buttons on the product_info page? The product_listing page? If not both, which button do you put on which page?

(or, are you talking about something like a PayPay Express button (which is displayed in the shopping cart, isn't it?)?)

As I see it, if there are two different payment methods, or two different shipping addresses, then the customer needs to enter two different orders. Trying to split one order into two based on shipping addresses and/or payment methods sounds like a nightmare!

That said, my original (but now modified) question still is: Should the 'Add to Cart' button be *only* on the product_info page, or should it be everywhere an item is shown (ie: new products, specials, product_listing, etc)?

Malcolm

 

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Well, "Buy Now" or "Buy it Now" has always meant to me, "I want to purchase this RIGHT NOW, all by itself, not in a cart full of other things, and pay for it immediately." That's my expectation when I see that phrase, not "add to the shopping cart". I think I first saw it on eBay (as opposed to entering a bid on it), so that's the definition that's stuck with me. BN means (to me) "go directly to shipping and payment, and then (often) exit the store". You could have both on any or all pages that a product appears on, but I gave my concerns in my previous post about that could lead to an accidental double purchase or other problems, unless the two buttons are coordinated in some way.

As for multiple shipping addresses or payment methods, it would certainly be easiest for the store to have the customer just to enter two different orders. However, this can be inconvenient for a customer, who has to go through the shopping experience twice. Perhaps a better solution would be to push around two (or more) carts, and put a product in one of them? They would have separate checkouts, with different shipping and payment. The best interface might be to drag and drop the product into the basket, rather than clicking "add to cart". Or, if you have multiple baskets/carts, drag and drop the "add to cart" button/icon to the basket. Something like that.

I would put both buttons everywhere a product appears, to encourage impulse buying if that's the customer's thing, or to rack up more sales with a cart. I would think it better to be consistent and not have "add to cart" in some places, "buy now" in others, and both on some pages. Now, whether a given product gets just one button or both is something you would have to decide. From the coding standpoint, it would be easiest to always do the same on all products. However, you may not want to handle an impulse purchase of a single pack of chewing gum... either you'll lose money on shipping and handling, or the charges will be so high that the customer will quit in disgust.

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@MrPhil

As far as I can tell, in the current version of Edge, the 'Add to Cart' and 'Buy Now' buttons are used interchangeable. Either one takes the user to the shopping cart, with the item added.

(Now that I am aware of this, I'm going to change these to be more consistent throughout the shop)

Malcolm

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Interesting topic.  

If you look at any of the big boys ecomm sites...hardly any have a buy (aka put this in my cart) button anywhere, other than on the end product page.  

 

If anyone can find a "big" shop that has buy buttons on (eg) category page, link us to it...I'd like to take a look.

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13 hours ago, Dan Cole said:

I guess Walmart could be seen as a big ecomm ;)

So they do it.  

Dependent upon shopowners demographic;

Repeat customers
- these people buy the same old stuff with no need to check product description and images

New customers
- I cannot imagine a new customer who would not go to the product details page

If you look at those two demographics...is a buy button needed?

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Walmart's "Add to cart" button is not the same as a "Buy Now" button. I agree that it would be a bit unusual for someone to put such a major item in their cart without looking at the details page, but hey... maybe they just use the same template for $1.49 hair pins as they do for a $677.00 gas generator.

Yeah, Walmart would count as "fair to middlin'" in size.

Now, just what are we discussing here? Buy Now and Add to cart are two very different things (in my eyes, anyway) -- the former is a commitment to purchase immediately (go directly to shipping and payment), while the latter is merely putting the item in the cart or basket, to (probably) be purchased at the end in checkout. It doesn't really make sense to me to buy some items now and others (slightly) later, in the same shopping trip. It can make sense to offer both, for impulse purchases and normal purchasing, but as I discussed earlier, be wary of mixing the two.

On the other hand, a discussion about where it makes sense to put purchase buttons (how many opportunities do you get to make that sale) is a good one, but is separate from the Buy Now/Add to Cart discussion.

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Personally I have my Purchase Buttons ( I don't think most customers really make any distinction about whether it is called a Buy Now or Add to Cart button these days ) on both my Product Listing and Product Info pages....about 50% of my business is repeat business so I think it makes sense to do that in a business like mine.  I think if my demographic was entirely or mostly new customers I'd want them to see the product details (product info page) and would likely just want my Purchase button shown there.  I think your customer demographic should dictate how you handle this....and probably how many lawyers you have involved in your business. :biggrin:

Dan

 

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On 16.9.2017 at 3:38 PM, MrPhil said:

Walmart's "Add to cart" button is not the same as a "Buy Now" button. I agree that it would be a bit unusual for someone to put such a major item in their cart without looking at the details page, but hey... maybe they just use the same template for $1.49 hair pins as they do for a $677.00 gas generator.

Yeah, Walmart would count as "fair to middlin'" in size.

Now, just what are we discussing here? Buy Now and Add to cart are two very different things (in my eyes, anyway) -- the former is a commitment to purchase immediately (go directly to shipping and payment), while the latter is merely putting the item in the cart or basket, to (probably) be purchased at the end in checkout. It doesn't really make sense to me to buy some items now and others (slightly) later, in the same shopping trip. It can make sense to offer both, for impulse purchases and normal purchasing, but as I discussed earlier, be wary of mixing the two.

On the other hand, a discussion about where it makes sense to put purchase buttons (how many opportunities do you get to make that sale) is a good one, but is separate from the Buy Now/Add to Cart discussion.

I completely agree with all points except "purchase later". I found it useful. Sometimes I can create a list of cosmetics which I want to purchase step by step or do not purchase, especially when I try the new brand.

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On 9/16/2017 at 2:38 PM, MrPhil said:

On the other hand, a discussion about where it makes sense to put purchase buttons (how many opportunities do you get to make that sale) is a good one, but is separate from the Buy Now/Add to Cart discussion.

I believe the original intent of @ArtcoInc was to discuss this...

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@MrPhil

As I said, I did not see a difference between 'Buy Now' and 'Add to Cart'. The current version of Edge use both interchangeably. And, to expand that further, I do not know how a 'Buy Now' function, if indeed different than 'Add to Cart', would be implemented in osC, at least not without major core changes.

Regarding 'purchase later', isn't that what a Wish List is supposed to be?

That all said, as @burt correctly points out, my original intent was regarding the placement of the 'Purchase Buttons', however you choose to label them. I understand the school of thought that says that the buttons ought to be everywhere, giving the customer more opportunities to buy. That was why I brought up the question ... to get different thoughts and opinions on the placement of the buttons, and why.

Lastly, the topic was raised about A-B testing. Has anyone done any A-B testing with their osC shops? If so, how did you do it? (yes, this is getting off topic, but ...)

Malcolm

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If Edge is using them interchangeably, it's wrong. It should pick one or the other, with consistent use of "Add to cart" being preferred. I think that's the clearest and least ambiguous phrasing, that won't leave a visitor fearful that they're committing to paying for the item like "Buy Now" might. A true "Buy Now" function would indeed require some changes (empty the cart, put this one item in it, and proceed to checkout -- more than that if you want to keep the existing cart contents and keep shopping, even more if you want to check for duplication between Buy Now and cart). I didn't say anything about "purchase later"; Flora said that. That would be a Wish List function.

It's not a bad idea to have some sort of "Purchase" button everywhere that the item is displayed. If someone wants to throw a diamond ring in the cart without checking the details, that's their concern. Just make it clear that there is a way to get product details, if you're not already on that page (as an aside, being able to pull up product details on anything already in the cart would be useful, for comparison shopping).

Having both Add to Cart and Buy Now could be confusing as to which is which, but would offer the convenience of impulse buying. Having icons on the buttons (arrow pointing down into shopping cart, and arrow pointing right to cash register) could help clarify which does what. I discussed before the problems of having both buttons, and conflicts between them. It's also possible to have multiple carts, if you wish to ship to different places or pay for some purchases with one method, and others with another credit card, all in one shopping trip.

Malcolm, I just noticed in the email notification, that it's Artco Inc (incorporated). That sans-serif font that the forum uses I always saw as "Art Colonic" (an el rather than an EYE) :) (and always thought that was a rather strange ID to pick)  That's why I dislike sans-serif fonts!

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26 minutes ago, MrPhil said:

Malcolm, I just noticed in the email notification, that it's Artco Inc (incorporated). That sans-serif font that the forum uses I always saw as "Art Colonic" (an el rather than an EYE) :) (and always thought that was a rather strange ID to pick)  That's why I dislike sans-serif fonts!

FWIW, ARTCO stands for Artist's Reliable Tool Company. We sell glassblowing tools and supplies, along with safety apparel (which I have under a sister website: GlovesForGlassblowers.com).

I too dislike sans-serif for this same reason! When I went to register my domain, artco.com was taken. So, I picked artcoinc.com (even though we are not actually incorporated. Just planning for the future <g>). Anticipating that there could/would be some confusion, I went ahead and registered the domain artcolnc.com too (with an L, not an i). Maybe one of these days, I'll get around to setting up a redirect from one to the other.

Malcolm

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Buy Button (imo does not matter if it says "add to cart" or "buy now", this is easily changeable) should only be at the product page.

Everywhere else that the product shows (category lists, manufacturer page, new products, specials etc) should be a link to the product page.

Why have I (and I stress that this is a personal viewpoint) come to this conclusion;

1.  Shopowner might very well have data that must be read (terms?) or have options that need to be chosen.

2.  The look of the overall site is imo cleaner

3.  Less code!

Repeat Customers

Customers that are repeats - we all have them.  The ones who know what they want and just want to go add add add add.  In this case give them a way to see the products they have previously bought and go "add all to cart" or tickboxes to select which ones to add again.  Or something else that saves this type of customer from wasting time visiting product pages.  There are many mods that allow this sort of behaviour (wishlist, save for later, personal page, etc etc) - I can think of at least 5 off the top of my head.

Conclusion

Buy Buttons only at product page.  For repeat customers, give them something else entirely.

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On 9/20/2017 at 5:46 AM, burt said:

Repeat Customers

Customers that are repeats - we all have them.  The ones who know what they want and just want to go add add add add.  In this case give them a way to see the products they have previously bought and go "add all to cart" or tickboxes to select which ones to add again.  Or something else that saves this type of customer from wasting time visiting product pages.  There are many mods that allow this sort of behaviour (wishlist, save for later, personal page, etc etc) - I can think of at least 5 off the top of my head.

Conclusion

Buy Buttons only at product page.  For repeat customers, give them something else entirely.

In theory I agree with this but in practice I find that most customers don't login until they have to ie to check out.   At that point they already have what they want in their shopping carts so adding to the cart based on previous order history usually doesn't help much -- at least that has been my experience.   Previous customers also tend to order other items, they may have purchased in the past from other vendors, rounding out their orders.  They don't need to visit the product-info page.  Allowing them to "add to cart" from any of the pages using product_listing routine saves another step and click.  To me, as was stated earlier, I think this all depends on your customer demographics so your mileage might be different.

Dan

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3 hours ago, burt said:

Nothing about logging in ;)  Expand your mind, mannnnnnnnnnnn

But it hurts when I do that.  :biggrin:

Dan

PS:  For anyone else reading this and who don't what to hurt themselves, think tokenization.

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Hello,

I agree with @MrPhil, the 'Buy Now' should be used for impulse buyers that are interested in only that product. By clicking that button, the buyer should be taken to a page where they enter shipping details. PREFERABLY A ONE-PAGE CHECKOUT. Quick and easy. Also consider giving the customer an opportunity to add that product to the shopping cart just in case they change their mind and would like to add other products. Place a 'Switch to Cart' button or some other mechanism with a caption like "Click to add this product to shopping cart and to continue shopping". 

The 'Add To Cart' button function as normal.

 

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On 23.9.2017 at 9:10 AM, discxpress said:

Hello,

I agree with @MrPhil, the 'Buy Now' should be used for impulse buyers that are interested in only that product. By clicking that button, the buyer should be taken to a page where they enter shipping details. PREFERABLY A ONE-PAGE CHECKOUT. Quick and easy. Also consider giving the customer an opportunity to add that product to the shopping cart just in case they change their mind and would like to add other products. Place a 'Switch to Cart' button or some other mechanism with a caption like "Click to add this product to shopping cart and to continue shopping". 

The 'Add To Cart' button function as normal.

 

I think it is like Amazon has. Am I right?

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