When customers buy products from you, they will be asked to create an account.
Podia lets you choose at what point in the checkout process the account setup occurs: before customers finalize their purchase or afterward.
Introduction
When customers buy products from you, they will be asked to create an account. This makes sure their purchases are linked to their accounts, allowing them to access their products whenever they want in the future.
Podia lets you determine where in the checkout process you want the account setup to happen: before or after checkout.
Pick the option that best meets your particular needs. Here are the advantages and disadvantages associated with each:
Account setup before Checkout:
Customers must create a full account before the payment step, which includes email, name, and password (or login, if they already have an account)
Ideal for obtaining complete customer profiles for invoicing and tax purposes
External integrations, such as email and Zapier, will trigger immediately
Account setup after checkout:
People will need to to provide an email address or log in (if they have an account already) before proceeding to the payment
Name and password will only be needed after the payment and any upsells
Results in less friction prior to payment, potentially increasing conversion rates
Risk of incomplete customer profiles, impacting the collection of full invoicing details
Possibility that customers might close the window before account creation, hindering product access
May lead to more login issues due to customers not completing their account setup
External integrations, like email and Zapier, are only triggered after complete account creation
Configuring your checkout account setup preference
Here's how to configure checkout account setup options for your account.
In the sidebar menu, click on Settings.
Locate the Payments settings group and click on Edit next to the Account setup option.
Choose one of two options for account setup timing: before checkout or after checkout.
Require account setup before checking out: People will be required to sign up or login before checking out
Require account setup after checking out:People will be prompted to create an account after checkout.
They will need to provide their email address during checkout.
They will be prompted to provide a name and password after checkout to complete their account.
If they do not complete their account, it will be marked as incomplete.
Incomplete accounts cannot access their products.
Implications of post-checkout account creation
Requiring account setup after checkout can have some implications, especially if people leave before setting up a name and password after buying your products.
Third-party integrations
Third-party integrations for products/community signups - such as email integrations and Zapier triggers - will only fire after users finish creating their accounts.
If users leave the "Finish creating account" page without creating their accounts, integrations to external ESPs (email service providers) and Zapier won't fire until they finish setting up a password for their accounts.
Incomplete profiles
Customers won't be able to skip setting up a name and password step, but they might quit the window and leave without finishing up their account creation process.
If this happens, their account will remain in an Incomplete state until they finish the account creation process.
Incomplete accounts won't be able to access their products until they finish setting up a password for their account. You can easily trigger an "Account setup email" or send them directly to your forgot-password page.
The link to your forgot password page is yourwebsitedomain.com/forgot-password.
For example, if your website URL is university.podia.com, then your login page link would be: university.podia.com/forgot-password
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Will customers be able to checkout as a guest?
Will customers be able to checkout as a guest?
No. Checking out as a guest is not possible.
Customers must create an account when purchasing your products - but you can control if this happens before or after checking out.
My customer is not receiving the account setup email... HELP!
My customer is not receiving the account setup email... HELP!
If customers are having trouble receiving the account setup email you're triggering, try sending them to your /forgot-password page.
The link to your forgot password page is yourwebsitedomain.com/forgot-password.
For example, if your website URL is university.podia.com, then your login page link would be: university.podia.com/forgot-password
Still need help? If you have any questions, send an email to [email protected] or click the purple help icon to send us a message 😄