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 log in, 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 provide an email address or log in (if they have an account already) before proceeding to the payment
Password will only be needed after the payment step, and any upsells
Results in less friction prior to payment, potentially increasing conversion rates
Risk of incomplete contact 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
Profile setup step
Whether account setup happens before or after checkout, customers will be prompted to complete their profile after checking out/registering for one of your offers.
During this step, they’ll be asked to add details like their name, profile picture, social links, a short bio, and define their profile privacy preferences. Only their name is required, and the rest is optional.
If people entered their name during checkout, it will automatically carry over to the profile setup step, so they won’t need to enter it again.
This profile helps you identify these people in your account and makes interactions within your community feel more personal.
Configuring your checkout account setup preferences
Here's how to configure checkout account setup options for your account.
From your home feed, click on your site name and select Admin from the dropdown menu.
From the Admin dashboard, click Settings > Payments in the sidebar menu.
Click 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 log in 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 their passwords 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 until they've set a password for their accounts.
Implications of post-checkout account creation
Requiring account setup after checkout can have some implications, especially if people leave before setting up a password after checking out.
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 the password setup step, but they might close the tab 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 yoursite.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
FAQs
Are customers able to check out as a guest?
Are customers able to check out 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
Is there a way to disable the need for my customers to create an account at all?
Is there a way to disable the need for my customers to create an account at all?
For paid products, your customers will always need to set up an account, but adjusting your checkout account setup preferences will help to determine at which point in the process they are prompted to complete the setup.
For free digital downloads, you can avoid account setup completely by choosing the Free Email Delivery option.