Promotion Engines and Shipping: Part 2 - Strategies
In the first part of our series, we explored the challenges of integrating shipping options with promotion engines within ERP systems, particularly when dealing with multiple shipping representations and incomplete basket objects. In this second part, we focus on a practical strategy to overcome these challenges: looping through each available shipping option, adding it to the basket object, and then calling the promotion engine to apply the appropriate discounts.
The Strategy: Looping Through Shipping Options
One effective solution to ensure accurate discount application across various shipping methods is to loop through each available shipping option during the checkout process. This strategy involves systematically adding each shipping option to the basket object, then calling the promotion engine for each scenario to determine the correct discount. This approach ensures that the customer is presented with accurate pricing, including any applicable promotions, for each shipping option.
How It Works
Retrieve Available Shipping Options: When the customer reaches the checkout page, the ERP system first retrieves all available shipping options based on the customer’s location, order details, and any applicable conditions (e.g., free shipping thresholds, geographic restrictions).
Iterate Through Each Option: The system then loops through each shipping option, temporarily adding it to the basket object. This step effectively simulates the selection of each shipping method, allowing the promotion engine to evaluate the total cost, including any discounts or promotions tied to shipping.
Call the Promotion Engine: For each iteration, the system calls the promotion engine with the updated basket object, which now includes the current shipping option. The promotion engine calculates the final price, applying any relevant promotions to the shipping cost. This could include discounts like “Free Shipping over $50” or percentage-based reductions on expedited shipping.
Store and Display Results: After processing all shipping options, the system stores the results, including the discounted prices for each shipping method. These results are then displayed to the customer, allowing them to choose the shipping option that best suits their needs, with the assurance that all discounts have been accurately applied.
Benefits of This Strategy
Accuracy: By individually processing each shipping option through the promotion engine, this strategy ensures that all potential discounts are correctly applied. This prevents scenarios where the customer might see incorrect pricing or miss out on eligible promotions.
Transparency: Customers are presented with clear, accurate pricing for each shipping option, including any discounts. This transparency builds trust and enhances the shopping experience, reducing the likelihood of cart abandonment due to unexpected costs.
Flexibility: This method can handle a wide range of shipping representations—whether static codes, dynamic rates, or shipping as a special product—ensuring consistent and accurate promotion application regardless of how shipping is integrated within the ERP system.
Implementation Considerations
Performance Optimization: While looping through each shipping option provides accuracy, it may introduce a slight delay during checkout, especially with numerous shipping options. It’s essential to optimize the looping process to minimize any impact on performance.
Edge Cases: Consider scenarios where the promotion engine might fail to return a valid response for one or more shipping options. Implement fallback mechanisms to handle such cases, ensuring that the customer experience remains smooth and error-free.
User Interface: Ensure that the results are clearly presented to the customer, highlighting the most cost-effective or recommended shipping option based on the applied promotions.