Kobo eBook Shopping Cart

[treadlightly]

This is not related to the shopping cart, but I have searched for a book different ways (search title vs. click on author's name) and got different results with different prices. I would have been upset to have bought the book only to find out there was another version $2 cheaper. Other than a different cover the ebooks appeared to be identical.

[icedtea]

Definitely add me to the 'please add a cart system' list. It would take some work to figure out the logistics of coupon application to single items, but surely it can be done.

I've taken to only using gift cards for purchases in the meantime to avoid several smaller charges on my CC.

Kobo is an Airmiles affiliate in Canada, and since I pretty much only buy fiction, my individual purchases are never over $20, the amount needed to earn one airmile.

[Witty Username]

Add me to those who want a shopping cart/basket.

I only started to look at Kobo for ebooks when WH Smith announced their partnership. I thought I was missing something, but learned from this site that Kobo only allows me to buy one book at a time.

I rarely manage to buy just one book so I doubt that I will ever buy from Kobo unless a more sensible shopping system is implemented.

I also agree with the comments about the search system - even searching for a book you know is there can result in 100s of irrelevant titles showing up.

[Arithonne]

The lack of a shopping cart to make a multiple ebook purchase used to really bug me. It doesn't anymore, since I can just purchase an e gift card instead of individually charging my credit card for each individual book.

In some ways, I actually prefer that, as if I were restricted to just my credit card, I would feel pressured to make fewer larger dollar value purchases, where as with the payment coming out of a gift card balance, I have no problem buying just the book I want. I always though the worst part of buying pbooks online was having to wait until I had a large enough order to qualify for free shipping.

[bob123]

I agree that kobo should add a shopping cart.(how hard can that be???)

Originally Posted by PeterT

How do most people buy books? From their PC and a web browser to kobobooks.com (or another branded version), from Kobo Desktop, or from the Touch itself?

I've bought a few from the Touch but mostly from the website.

I but all my book through a web browser (firefox)

[SCION]

Originally Posted by bob123

I agree that kobo should add a shopping cart.(how hard can that be???)
...

According to a Kobo support forum (GetSatisfaction), this has been in development since last year.

[ZombWii]

Blah, blah, blah.... you all want a "shopping cart" at Kobo. When you finally get one it will probably be at the expense of having discount codes...and then you'll all REALLY be mad.

Does Amazon do discount codes? Sony?

Having a "shopping cart" model which utilizes discount codes, in conjunction with the current "Agency" pricing system under which many, many of the most popular titles and authors are non discountable is indeed possible. But it would be a complete customer service nightmare.

My mother-in-law has a Kobo. I do not want to have to explain to her why 2 of the books in her "shopping cart" can be discounted and 2 cannot...and I'm sure Kobo would rather avoid that can of worms too.

Their solution is to provide us all with many discount codes, which we all adore, and one-item-at-a-time processing. The code either works or it does not.
The "inconvenience" of having to put each desired book through separately is offset by the fact that you never have to get off your butt to go to a brick & mortar bookstore again. And for those of you having your credit cards frozen for buying 12 $0.99 books in one day...well it kind of serves you right. Yeah, I said it.

[dmacmart]

Others have pointed out that discount codes and shopping carts are not mutually exclusive. I would bet that developer resources are directed elsewhere at the moment - support for KV, KT, and reportedly KW - plus the new physical-shipping store for eReaders. And probably this has been true since the beginning.

As a developer I know that broken functionality and brand new features can take precedence over cleaning up already-working items, even those that are a little clunky.

[rashkae]

Originally Posted by ZombWii

And for those of you having your credit cards frozen for buying 12 $0.99 books in one day...well it kind of serves you right. Yeah, I said it.

Actually, it was a dozen $7 books. I kind of wish the Mastercard had chocked *befored* I managed that rather than after But thanks for playing.

[jaqen]

Yes to shopping cart, please! Either that, or a cumulative billing like Apple does: you can buy one book at a time, each one getting authorised on the spot, but you only get one cumulative bill every 24-48 hours. Or something like that.

[estelle58]

I also would love a chopping cart

[Xennex1170]

Originally Posted by jaqen

Yes to shopping cart, please! Either that, or a cumulative billing like Apple does: you can buy one book at a time, each one getting authorised on the spot, but you only get one cumulative bill every 24-48 hours. Or something like that.

That sounds like a reasonable idea.. Maybe even go through a 3rd party service like "BillMeLater".

[Terisa de morgan]

ZombWii, that customer nightmare already exists: Fictionwise customer service suffers it: coupon code and Samhain, my mother doesn't need explanations, thanks.

[Danger]

Here's a simple change. Make these 3 changes; instead of a buy now, change it to Add Book to Shopping Cart add the buttons Check Out Now and another button to Continue Shopping.

So you go through the process of adding your book, you add the discount code, the site checks if the code is valid or in the case of agency price fixing the option the add the discount code is greyed out along with the current message "Sorry no discount codes allowed due to agency pricing. Once the discount code has been validated, you can now add the book to your cart. "What I can't discount this book, screw that I'm going to Continue Shopping."

This way each book has to have it's own discount code, those that can't be discounted won't be.

[filmo]

Originally Posted by Danger

Here's a simple change. Make these 3 changes; instead of a buy now, change it to Add Book to Shopping Cart add the buttons Check Out Now and another button to Continue Shopping.

So you go through the process of adding your book, you add the discount code, the site checks if the code is valid or in the case of agency price fixing the option the add the discount code is greyed out along with the current message "Sorry no discount codes allowed due to agency pricing. Once the discount code has been validated, you can now add the book to your cart. "What I can't discount this book, screw that I'm going to Continue Shopping."

This way each book has to have it's own discount code, those that can't be discounted won't be.

If only programming was that simple I would be a programmer making minimum wage.