New PC add-on: Quick Order Entry

Man you were working late last night, looking at your posting time.  This one must have bugged you.  I know the feeling.  I usually solve my stuff in sleep dreaming up solutions.  An odd thing, but always worked for me. ;-)

There is a two part to it.  One is clicking on the products list to the left, the other is manually entering the sku.  Both act differently.  I like the way it acts when you manually enter the sku, by offering a link to click on.  It is just not as apparent why to click there.  The wording needs to get changed to click here for product options.  It is nice that it takes you to the product page, but not so nice that it takes you to the viewcart page.  Especially after you have added several items to the quick order page.  There it depends on its location and how it acts from there.  I've done different way and it kind of interferes and can be confusing to the shopper.  My suggestion is the link with the popup page, but instead of going to the viewcart come back to the quick order page.   Then the bahavior would be more in tune with the rest, like for quantity etc.  This also allows the customer to finish its quick order before going to checkout.
Katharina

I think I like the input from Hamish, its right along my alley.  I know it always a good idea to avoid pop ups, but in this case it makes sense.  I don't think that customers will look for the instruction page.  I personally almost never do, unless there is a problem.  BTW I like the way it handles incorrect sku input, what about out of stock items that do not allow back ordering?  My partner also had an idea about the minimum order thing.  He has seen on other sites where it automatically put in the minimum with a message behind it.  Something to think about, plus it makes entering items faster because it cuts back on validation at the submitting point.  As I've said before I've been on sites where it validates each line before you can continue adding line items.  This will then eliminate checking at the submit button part.
Katharina

Hamish, do you think the customer knows the difference between the quick order form and the cart.  I think most will, but I always worry about the few dummies out there.  They can sometimes we a pain and you wonder if the world is full of them.  I personally think PC is simple and easy to use, less confusing then amazon, until I get another one of those customers.   I guess they just stick out.    At least they have money to spend.    (cute faces). 
Anyway good idea with the text.  I think Greg will be done with the add-on by Monday, they way it is going right now.  I still have to update to the newest version of PC, have to do taxes, and I'm on Jury Duty in February.  So much work, not enough time.
Katharina

I guess the answer comes in two parts.   The first is that technically, sure, anything obviously is possible. The second is justifying such development, because there is potentially more than just "product options" to deal with. 

QuickOrder now features an admin setting that allows the merchant to select between a dynamic or a static (pre-generated, like the existing category navigation) category/product listing.

Edited by Greg Dinger - 08-February-2009 at 10:38pm