Checkout Gate

Certain businesses require exclusivity when offering benefits like discounts, special offers, or exclusive products. The approach to achieving this exclusivity depends on various factors, such as the store’s needs, the merchant’s requirements, and the target audience.

We recently received a request from a client who needed to implement such exclusivity. Their customers had to be on an existing members list and provide valid details to purchase specific products. One challenge was that the client was migrating to Shopify and wanted to retain the existing user experience with minimal changes. They needed this gating mechanism to activate just before customers reached the checkout page.

Working closely with the client, we gathered the necessary details to create a cloud service for authenticating and validating customer information. (The creation of this service is outside the scope of this article, so we won’t delve into those details.)

Once the service was operational, we integrated it with the store, adhering to the specified requirements and limitations. Our solution involved capturing the customer’s intent to proceed to checkout and interrupting the default process by opening a familiar form in a pop-up. This form required the necessary information, which was then sent via AJAX to the cloud service for validation. If the response was positive, the customer was directed to the checkout page as usual. If not, an error message prompted the customer to review their information.

This approach was tailored to the client’s needs, platform, user experience, and available tools. However, similar behavior could be implemented in various ways. For instance, in another scenario, we could require customers to log in, with a tag linked to their account identifying their eligibility.

At Silver Ponies, we are committed to delivering the best possible product, considering the scope boundaries and unique aspects of each project. Let’s discuss how we can bring your project to life!