Automating Order Processing
Overview
Computers excel at performing repetitive tasks, like taking orders, or sending emails. Why process your orders manually when the computer can do it for you!
Many websites are completely automated - all orders are processed automatically. The owners of such sites simply need to check their status page every now and then, and take the cheques to the bank!
Even if you can't automate the whole ordering process, you can always automatically receive the payment, store the order details (in your database), then send a confirmation email.
If you have a tangible - i.e. physical - product, it has to be 'shipped' to your customers. If you do this yourself, you can't automate it. If you use an order fulfilment company - then all you'll need to do is forward the order to them (via email) - easy!
If you're selling intangible products such as membership to a website, or if your product is downloadable - you can simply password protect it, and send the password to your customers when the order completes! As there's no physical product that needs packaging and sending, it's easy to automate the whole process...
Notification
When your payment processor receives a payment for you, they'll send you a notification of some sort...
- METHOD #1: Email Notification
All credit card processing service providers will send a confirmation email when an order completes. You can set it up so that email is forwarded to a script, which then processes the order automatically.
- METHOD #2: Script Notification
Some providers, such as PayPal, will trigger an order processing script on your website directly.
Processing orders consists of the following steps:
- The script is triggered. All the order info is passed to the script.
- The order data is verified. (Checks are made for any errors in the data.)
- The order data may be copied back to the provider as a further verification.
- The order data is written TO the Database.
- The password for the product bought is retrieved FROM the Database.
- An email containing the password is sent to the customer. This will unlock the product they bought.
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The Webmaster's Bureau - Free Scripts
There are 2 scripts you can use.
- ipn.php - PayPal Processing 'Robot' (does more than the example script PayPal distribute).
Written in PHP. Named after 'Instant Payment Notification'. This script is explained in detail in the PHP PayPal script page.
This program should reside in a directory off your public_html directory (where your webpages go) i.e: '/yourname/www/paypal', so it's accessible to PayPal.
- ebot.pl - Email Processing 'Robot'.
Written in Perl. This program automates payments notified by email. Automation using this script is explained in the Perl Order Processing Script page.
e-bot.pl resides in your '/yourname/cgi-bin' directory.
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