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ShopSite Billing/Shipping Page FAQs

Here is a list of questions and answers about the checkout and shipping page in the ShopSite shopping cart.

How do I make the ordering system secure?

ShopSite can use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) security when customers are entering credit card information and when merchants view order information. Configuring SSL security is a two-step process, and you will have to work with your ISP on both steps:

  1. Talk to your ShopSite Hosting Partner about adding SSL security to your store. You will either be able to use a digital certificate that they already have, or they will work with you to obtain one for your store on their server. If you buy a certificate for your store, prices may vary somewhat from company to company, but as an example, a one year certificate from Thawte costs $125.
  2. Set ShopSite to use SSL security. Your ISP should tell you when they have configured the URLs to work with your certificate. In the ShopSite back office, go to Preferences > Hosting Service. In the SSL Security Settings of the screen, check the box for Use SSL security in ShopSite and Use SSL security in Shopping Cart. Fill in the URL fields with values provided by your ISP.

After installing a certificate and configuring ShopSite, you can test it by making a purchase in your store. Add a product to your shopping cart and go to the screen where you enter credit card information. Verify that you see an icon of a locked padlock at the bottom of your browser window. like this: . Complete the order (you can always use your payment gateway merchant account to refund your money later). In the ShopSite back office, go to Orders, select your new order in the list and cick View Orders. Verify that you see the locked padlock on the screen where you are viewing the order information.

Do I have control over which fields on the billing page are mandatory and which fields are optional?

Yes, you have complete control over all fields in the billing and shipping addresses. On the Commerce Setup > Order System > Shipping Screen, you can specify whether each field is displayed, whether they are required, and how many characters each field will accept. On the Store Preferences > Store Text > Checkout screen you can set the text use for the field labels, such as "Name" and "Addresss 1."

If you have ShopSite Pro or ShopSite Manager and you have enabled UPS Address Validation, customers must enter a valid city, state, and zip code combination or the order will not be accepted.

How do I turn on/off the separate shipping/billing addresses?

ShopSite Pro merchants have the ability to turn off separate shipping/billing addresses. To do so, check the box labeled Ship only to Billing Address on the Commerce Setup > Order System > Shipping Screen. Leave the box un-checked if you want customers to be able to enter separate billing and shipping addresses.

How do I add more (custom) fields to the checkout page to gather additional information?

ShopSite Pro merchants can add custom fields to the checkout page to gather additional information from shoppers. From the Commerce Setup > Order System screen, you can define any number of additional fields and place them in any of five locations on the checkout page. The information collected is included with the regular order information when viewing and downloading orders. See Creating Custom Checkout Fields for more information.

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ShopSite Help and Resource Center
February 13, 2004
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ShopSite Shopping Cart Software