Upload an image file on checkout

Hi Daniel & all

I don't know if this feature has been suggested before. If not a see it as a very important feature to make OpenCart The Tool to be used by print e-commerces: image uploading during checkout. Buyers upload an image that could be printed on products like t-shirts, mugs, business cards, etc.

Daniel do you see this as a feature that is good enough to be integrated in the core, since it involves
- an extra step on checkout process
- associate an image with an order ID
or do you see it more as an extra module ?

Regards
Tunox

personally, i feel this is bordering the "download" feature... but something that is a little more specific to the type of business you are running. an add-on module in my mind. i think the opencart model would allow a modular piece like this to be added to the checkout process?

what about looking at it that  this way .. check out the same.. but what you are buying is an upload cr that then once it is complete in the my account...  it alows for the upload based on the cr amounts bought.

just a though

A simple solution would be to direct the user to a type of "Contact Us" page, and create a form to upload the images. The form can ask the user to input the Order Reference Number, and cross check to make sure that order is valid. Before allowing the upload.

Hi guys,

Thx a lot for your input on this.

d77: I think of the download function as a feature for selling  digital product (scripts, softwares, etc) so I don't know if the image uploading functionality should follow the same principle or be an extension of it.

-=luvz2drv=- : I understand your POV but that's not what I'm after exactly. I want simply to allow a customer to upload an image that will be printed on a mug/t-shirt bought from the shop. In this case buying upload credits isn't the good choice as the functionality is there to help the customer not complicate the order process.

Tchemis: That's how I thought it first. The easy way was to let the client buy the blank mug/t-shirt and in within the confirmation email of the order include a link to an upload form completely independent from Opencart. The major problem with this is that no association is made between an order and an image (what image corresponds to what order). When you suggest that the user can input his ref number  it's a good idea, but a cross-reference check is needed. This IMO presents the same amount of work as to make a proper module and include the uploading function during the final checkout process. If I had to chose between these 2 options I'll surely select the 2nd one as the buying process will follow a logical patern ->Add a mug to the cart-> upload an image ->make payment ->receive the customized mug.

For all online Printing businesses this is the No1 feature and I think if OpenCart was to heave it, it will seduce a lot of owners/webdesigners working on such solutions, to build shops using OpenCart. As far as I know there are no free OS carts out there that do this by default. Only the crappy oscommerce has an addon which is no longer maintained hence risky in long term. i th ink this feature can be one of the things that could make OpenCart stand apart from other carts out there.

okay -- now some more thoughts.

if I buy 2 mugs - upload 1 pic ..  for each mug or they have to be the same pic.

if I order a shirt and mug..  how will you tell what is for what?

just trying to get some logic.. so I can help you out..  as I think it can be easily done..

My suggestion would be to implement this in the My Account section, after the user places the order he can be directed to the account section were he can upload the image an associate it with the order, or write a simple note during upload what the image is for, and have the note and thumbnail of the image in the invoice.

-=luvz2drv=- wrote: okay -- now some more thoughts.

if I buy 2 mugs - upload 1 pic ..  for each mug or they have to be the same pic.

if I order a shirt and mug..  how will you tell what is for what?

just trying to get some logic.. so I can help you out..  as I think it can be easily done..

I knew you would ask about this as it is the next logical question. For those who'll buy multiple customized products nothing would change.
I think we should avoid to turn off the customer with non inuitive methods of manually identifying what image goes with what product AFTER the order has been proceeded. Instead of filling up the cart with many products and add the images after, the module should "insert" an intermediary step between clicking the Add to Cart button and listing the cart contents. This surely would require some good usage of Ajax. The ordering steps in this case will be:
1. Click "Add to Cart" ->
2. An "ajaxed pop-up" invites the user to upload 1 image only ->
3. On sucessful upload view the cart contents.->
    Repeat step 1-3 to add other products or go to step 4
4. Make Payment
This way when you view the cart contents you don't need to do anything as the images have already been associated with the products before. I see this method as intuitive and another important reason to go along this way it's future national/EU regulations. In a very near future all e-commerce businesses (hence the web applications they use)  will be obliged to permit the user to buy products/services without the need to create an account. For example in France such procedures are already regulated by law but not really enforced and controlled. If the "Upload Image" module was to be hooked today with user accounts, a recode if it to hook it somewhere else will be needed when users decide to buy without creating accounts.

For the back-end part: Once the module has been installed and activated, a check box will be available at the Add a product page. Something like: Allow image uploading for this product. This way you have mixed products: in one hand regular products for which the client will follow the classic steps of adding them to the cart, and in the other hand for the products with the check box activated the user will have that extra intermediate step of uploading the image.
For the order processing: When employees view pending orders after each customized products a link will point to the uploaded image. What happens next and how the employee will process the order and organize himself it's no longer a matter of the Cart

This was a bit long and I hope it makes sense.

Regards
Tunox

p.s. I'm browsing around to find websites that have an upload feature. I'll list them here. Might give us ideas of the logic behind such a feature. I know moo.com (for those who don't know they're the creators of mootools) already does this but I never have ordered from them so I have to check it out.

okay.. I will poke around.. see what I can come up with .

cheers man 

I'm sure if you code a module for this I for one will be the first to buy it.
If you need to do some more brainstormin do not hesitate to post back.