CheckItOut, alternative checkout for Magento
If for some reason you are not a big fan of Magentoโs default One Page Checkout concept / workflow, it might be worth checking out alternative. Usually these alternatives come in a form of so called “one step checkout” where main difference is that entire customer data / payment data / shipment data is displayed not just on one page, but in one “piece”. Why is this important? Well, it usually leads to a bit better user experience. Even a fraction better user experience can make a difference between new order and abandoned cart. No one likes abandoned carts :).
Let me present you with one possible “one step checkout” like alternative, the CheckItOut! Magento extension by EcomDev.
There are several key things that make this extension stand up. Before everything, extension is simple. Simple in terms that it modifies standard Magento checkout in the places where it is really needed. Usually this is not something people who buy extension pay attention. But I cannot stress enough how important it is to use stable extension that do not poke around core Magento functionality a lot. The simpler, the better, as long as it do itโs job. Quick overview of the code show most fo the focus on custom checkout controller EcomDev_CheckItOut_OnepageController which in turn extends the default checkout controller Mage_Checkout_OnepageController. This is “turned on” by a router definition within app\code\community\EcomDev\CheckItOut\etc\config.xml file. Meaning CheckItOut inherits all of the default controller behaviour then simply implements itโs stuff in the proper controller method. This approach is relatively solid as it is straight forward and you know that at any point you simply disable module and your default checkout kicks in.
Code itself looks “rock solid” and it looks like they achieved a lot of functionality without a single class rewrite (except controller). Layout seems to be easy modifiable due to the nice CSS files that go along with it.
On top of that there is a quality developer manual that goes with it. We all love good documentation when it comes to Magento.
This is all nice and all, but what about real frontend features?
Given that the extension is based on the standard Magento checkout, all payment methods and additional Magento customizations are supported. Meaning, it should be fully compatible with features like: Gift cards, Customer balance, Reward points, etc.
Additionally extension functionality can be disabled for all websites or a particular website. Plus, you can return standard Magento checkout at any time by changing configuration field in the admin interface.
Seems like a nice product, especially since it costs only โฌ249.00. I say only, because you should think twice before you actually pay anyone to code custom checkout just for your Magento store.
All in all, definitely worth checking out if you are in need for “one step checkout” like process.
Cheers.
27 comments
Is this compatible with magento 1.9.2.1 ?
Hi everyone
I was hoping someone could offer me some advice.
Our client requires a bespoke checkout with many custom fields, some of which will be conditional on selections made during the user input.
eg. Time at address X ‘–>Result – if less than X show input box Y.
We’ve tried Aitoc’s Checkout Attributes, which works great but doesn’t allow conditional input as the input fields appear to be generated on the fly. We’ve tried countless tutorials found by hours of googling with little success.
Gravity forms for WordPress handles this kind of thing really well. Is there anything similar for Magento?
We are at a bit of a loss, so any help gratefully received.
Thanks
hello guys,
Please, I need some help. I know that is possible to add a product to the cart via querystring in the url. For example, the url below will put the product 13 in the cart.
http://magentoserver.com/checkout/cart/add?product=13&qty=1&options%5B12%5D=57
My question is if someone know how to pass customer information via URL. The point is, I have a form in another website and my plan is when someone fill this form, then he will be redirect to my checkout page with all the fields filled (firstname, email an so on…).
Is it possible? And someone knows how can I do that?
CheckitOut 1.3 is out now and will make your Magento customer much more happier! http://www.ecomdev.org/2012/02/27/checkitout-1-3-0-will-make-your-customer-much-more-happier.html
A faster checkout will improve conversions, however to blatantly state this as a fact in the description is merely the product of a marketing exercise.
The easiest way to speed up your checkout process is with a Postcode/Zip lookup extension. In the UK I suggest using http://www.postcodesoftware.net as their support is unrivaled.
Is this OPC overpriced – hell yeah! But the developer is right 40-60 hours is expensive. Again to me this indicates that the project may not have been professionally managed or that the dev team hasn’t mastered their craft as yet.
Fact, you can purchase Magento One Step Checkouts elsewhere and for less, but as in my experience these can be prone to browser compatibility issues (just like this version perhaps).
If you have convinced yourself you need this version and that spending over the odds for an extension doesn’t bother you then buy it – personally I would try the other developer houses first as a) their demos work, b) they have been around for years and c) They are Magento partners.
Carl your comment is very dissapointing and lacks honest opinion. Pitty also you commented anonymous, developers are very fond of this extension for many reasons you probably do not understand…
I’ve seen the CheckItOut extension. It looks awfull and not very appealing.
Also, I’m not convinced this checkout improves the conversion. If even the OneStepCheckout appears to be not improving the conversion, then this extension which is pretty much similar won’t do it either.
Hi Zoba,
You should specify domain name of you production website. It is licensed per live Magento instance, not per domain name, and you DO NOT need to get a separate license for semilive or development installment.
Hi Vibha,
You simple disabled all the available checkouts in Magento. There is no checkout like you want for Magento (without ajax), except Multishipping One.
Hi,
M a newbie in magento.I am following inchoo and learned new things.
I want multy stage checkout without ajax..i.e. older way where user select shipping and redirect to new page then select billing and then redirect to next page. Let me know if you provide such extension.
I have disabled onepage checkout and set “Allow Shipping to Multiple Addresses” to No.. But front side checkout button is gone.. Any help will be appreciated.
Hi,
I’m really interested in this extension…but I didn’t understand the meaning of the required field “Magento Installment Main Domain”.
My question is: what happens if I put here my application’s production URL (eg: http://www.my-magento-store-production.com)…can I test my application, with chekItOut installation, in a staging or local machine, reached from another URL (eg. http://www.my-magento-store-local.com)?
Can anyone help me, please?
thanks in advance!
Is their website down?
Hi Justin, our demo store is http://demo.ecomdev.org/, or try some our clients like http://www.scotch-soda.com/ which is processing high volume sales.
Do they not have a demo? I didnt see a link from their website.
Thanks voor your review on CheckitOut extension CW!
Cw, I’m curious. I certainly would not judge the extention on the basis of free extensions, because then I must skip a very large part of extention creators. What was bad in the demo? I also not fount any fragile code, and i use it now on a site wit morgen then 15 extensions and everything work fine.
I was given the opportunity by Aldo to try out CheckItOut extension. Installation took a couple seconds of FTP followed by enabling the extension in the magento backend. The extension did not completely work out of the box for me because of a popup/overlay css clash with my current template – it was an easy fix, and I doubt many people would hit the same problem. The code itself is very well organised; every function is commented. Configuration in the backend is straight forward, as expected of a quality extension. There is a compatibility mode for Magento 1.4 template users too.
I’ve looked at onestepcheckout, GoMage LightCheckout, Fire Checkout and goldenspiral’s. CheckitOut is up there with the best.
re: Maarten,
I’ve looked at the demo of the j2t checkout (Bad!), and I’ve tried a few of their free extensions. They tend to offer functional code but in a very fragile state that tends to break other extensions/core functions.
Anybody seen this extention:
http://www.j2t-design.net/index.php/j2t-one-checkout-va-version-ahead.html
I have installed it, and i am very happy with it.
Hi CW, thanks for your comment on our Checkout extension. Please drop me an email so I can sent you a developers licence of it so you can give it a try ๐
Hi Branko,
You talked about how good is the module code quality.
My question is:
Have you ever used other solutions and realized the development did not follow the best practices?
Nice article. I haven’t previously heard of EComDev but their extension looks neat and tidy.
I’ve been shopping around for a onestep checkout extension for a long time, there are lots around – they all seem to be ripping off each other’s features and posting fake comments on magento connect in an attempt to put down the competition – so it’s difficult to get accurate testimonials.
249EURO (+tax) is a small price to pay for a good extension if you are serious about e-commerce. The issue is can you get a similar or superior product for less. I can’t fault CheckitOut but I haven’t been swayed yet that it’s the best solution.
I tried Golden Spiral Studios ‘Free’ solution on a test site. It was an absolute nightmare to install. It also didn’t work very well. I contacted them via Live Chat and pointed out that their extension did not work, I got a reply that they were currently inundated with customers (lol) and that I should email them instead.
I also discovered some encoded base64 string which when decoded seemed to send back your customer order data to Golden Spiral. Having posted that on the Magento Connect page, they pointed out it was within their rights to do this under their terms and conditions. A few days later I could no longer find Golden Sprial on Magento Connect. Beware of free lunches.
I definitely agree that 249EURO is a small price to pay for something that can push sales… but damn, spending that for making checking out easier is a bit tough right now.
I really like One-Click Cart Checkout, but after Branko’s comment, I definitely agree and somewhat hesitated.
Decisions, decisions. I hate adding on extensions, but I really feel a one-page checkout would be worth it.
Any other opinions on One-Click Cart Checkout, the free extension? It doesn’t look that bad. I was thinking of backing up and testing it out for a good 20 minutes but I’m not so sure…
Well written article. Thanks for the recommendation.
But there is one little thing about the grammar:
“as long as it do itโs job” should be “as long as it does its job”.
We also use the CheckitOut extension and are very pleased. It’s a great example how a Magento extension should be fabricated.
@Milen: what’s wrong paying for something which is really great? We also reviewed the One Click checkout but it really doesn’t compete with the Ecomdev extension.
@Milen
I mean no disrespect, but do you really think 249 Euro is a lot for extension that possibly makes difference between successful new order and abandoned cart?
Let me remind you that an hour of custom development costs around $60-$120 (usual price), and coding something like this takes over 30-40 hours of development. “Unfortunately” Magento extensions are not iPhone/iPad apps where millions of users purchase a one dollar app and everyone, including developer are happy.
Additionally, you say you are using free extension. If anything I learned in today’s business is that nothing is actually free. Even Magento which you can download and use for free is not “free” as it costs you resources to get on top of it’s wast features. As for “…Even it adds some new order features…”, I’ve been doing this Magento business for over 3 years now and in that time I’ve seen store owners using over 30-40 free extensions on their store, until things started to go sideways (in terms of corrupted database, etc.) and before you know it, they where offline for days/weeks with their online business dead in the water. eCommerce is serious business, throwing in everything that is free is not a good idea.
I myself have written tens of free extensions that are not even put on Magento Connect, for which I offer no support, and always get cranky when I see people using it in big stores.
My point, it’s not expensive if you run serious business with serious traffic and you want stable product with support.
Once again, I meant no disrespect, my reply is focused towards a lot broader spectrum of store owners, not just you.
Interesting, but I wonder why one need to pay such an amount. Recently I am using One-Click Cart Checkout (by Golden Spiral Studio) which is still free and I am quite happy with it. Even it adds some new order features as for example order comment and desired delivery date. Not to speak that this combines both cart and checkout in a single page.
YEHH,
It’s the best onepage checkout I’ve ever seen. The code is very clean and following the best Magento traditions. Unfortunately it has a few very little bugs, but EComDev alredy fixing it.