Working with Checkout
Nautical uses the checkout object to manage a buyer's shopping cart. This includes adding items to the cart, attaching shipping and billing addresses, and processing payments, through the final conversion into an order.
Features
Guest checkout or attach user — Supports both unauthenticated (guest) checkout and authenticated buyer checkout.
Login for access — Optional controls for requiring buyers to log in to view products, see prices, or proceed to checkout.
Attach a purchase order number — Facilitates attaching purchase order numbers to the checkout.
Add buyer notes — Option to include buyer notes for the entire checkout or specific line items.
Pass metadata from the buyer — Save custom checkout fields by passing metadata through the API on the checkout and its lines. This allows you to collect additional information from buyers during the checkout process. Note that enabling this feature must be done at the marketplace level.
Shipping method per seller — Shipping selections are made per seller, based on configured methods and destination address.
Override shipping costs — Supports programmatically overriding shipping costs at checkout.
Apply voucher codes — Buyers can apply voucher codes at checkout for discounts on checkout line items.
Converting the checkout — Options to convert the checkout include:
Order — Creates a finalized order, consisting of a marketplace order and one or more seller suborders.
Quote — Request a quote, where the marketplace operator can prepare a quote and send it to the buyer for approval before payment.
Checkout limits — Options to define checkout limits include:
Quantity limits — Limits on the total quantity of all products in checkout.
Line item limits — Limits on the quantity of a specific product in the cart or purchase.
How it works
A checkout with Nautical works as follows:
- When a buyer starts browsing your storefront, the checkout process begins with the following:
- Generate a new checkout instance, associating it with the buyer if they are authenticated.
- Add items to the checkout, specifying product variants and quantities.
- If shipping is required for any items in the order, it must be defined before you can complete the checkout:
- If not already set, update the destination address for the order.
- Assign shipping methods for each applicable seller in the order.
- Nautical updates the order total with the shipping cost, including taxes if enabled.
- When it's time to complete the checkout, the buyer chooses a payment method and confirms the order. Nautical then creates the payment and converts the checkout to the order.