Pre-order Questions

when a client placed a preorder and is going back to select their image later, there is a completely different order that goes through with no reference to the original order. We will have to do a lot of work to match these up to make sure they are all fulfilled. if a client doesnt select their image, we will pick one for them and it will be difficult and confusing if there are double orders.

Edited by

That's just how it works. It is a new order when they come back to select the photos for their pre-ordered products.

Edited by

Mr. Foster

In your workflow what's the advantage to offering "Pre-Order", if the client has to come back to your site to choose their favorite image? Seems to me this is not a situation that benefits from Pre-order.

In our workflow for volume sports, we offer "Pre-Order" until the day before the shoot, then we turn it off and print out all the pre-orders. On photo day if the athlete says "My mom paid online" we either note that on their order envelope or if it's a small group we reach for the online orders and grab their print out and put the frame number on the print out and place it in the pile with regular order envelopes. Pre-Order works well for our workflow :-)

I think this is all just a matter of workflow, and if it doesn't fit into yours then simply make a feature request and don't complain that Tim didn't make his software work exactly the way you want it to.

Edited by

If that were the case then the pre-order section of this site would not need to exist. The reason it was added was to offer the ability of the client to place an order that images were not available for and then once the images were added to the gallery for them to select their preferred images for their order. If I were just doing a simple sports picture day order I would not offer a "pre-Order" option just an order that I would select the image number for myself. The problem with the way this was set up is that it assumes that the client does not do any other transactions with your company after a pre-order is placed until the images are selected. Once a pre-order is made they cannot, place another pre order OR place any order that is not a preorder without causing the pre-order that was placed to be messed up. I'm not sure what anyone's workflow is but that makes absolutely no sense to me. The pre-order should be secluded from any other orders that are placed after and should only be able to affect the original order.

Edited by

Mr Foster

After reviewing the manual, does this not work for you?

Pre-Order and coming back to select photos or not
In your price list settings in Photo Products -> Price Lists -> Edit Settings for the price list, there is an option if the customer will be returning later to select photos for their pre-orders.

If you want them to select photos for the products they purchased when the photos become available, set it to yes. When set to yes, the products they purchased will automatically be added to their cart and will be there for them to select photos for when the photos become available.

Edited by

My big problem here is not that the feature didn't work the way I wanted it to. I understand that not everything on here suits my company and probably various features don't suit most companies in some way. My main problem was the email response I got from someone who's company I have supported financially and through referral for many years now. The feature that released is flawed in a major way that can affect a client's confidence in the competency of your company. That should be taken seriously or at least deserves a professional response that states that the feature isn't or couldn't be set up in a way that won't interfere with clients' future orders.

I would say, as a continued paying client I deserve at least that. I would not treat my clients in that way.

Edited by

Mr Shuck,
With all due respect, I don't think you have tested this feature. That all makes perfect sense and seems it should work in that way. Unfortunately, it is not that simple. If the client places ANY order before their images are available or before they have selected them, it will mess up the pre-order and they will no longer be able to go and select their images.

Edited by

Mr Foster

This brings me back to my original question: "What advantage is there for you to offer "Pre-Pay", if cllients have to come back to the site to select images?" I'm not trying to offend, just genuinely curious what "pre-pay" does to help you in your business model.

Edited by

The advantage is that we offer a more expensive version of a picture day, they are offered digital backgrounds and get to select their own image rather than us choosing for them because they are paying more for a service we provide rather than a cheap and quick snap on a baseball field. We feel our clients deserve that if that are going to invest in us in that way.

Edited by

Mr Foster

Now that I understand and agree with, but I think you could have said that without the jab a volume photographers. We all have our niche and provide a service to our customers, you will not hear me talk poorly of other photographic areas or photographers.

Best wishes for 2020!

Edited by

It's really not a jab. My company also does high volume photography but you know I'm sure that a regular shoot does not contain any creative editing and limited posing. I was trying to articulate that quickly and may have come off a bit brash.

Edited by