Order capture mechanisms

WebSphere Commerce supports several mechanisms for submitting orders. A customer or Customer Service Representative can submit an order using any of the following methods:

• Requisition lists are lists that a customer creates after browsing a catalog. That customer, or others in the same organization, can then order repeatedly from the same list. A user can maintain multiple requisition lists. Each item in a requisition list has the following attributes:
  • Catalog entry
  • Quantity
  • Store
• Wish lists can also be used again. Customers can browse a catalog and place products in a list. When they finish browsing, they supply shipping and payment information, converting the list to an order. Each item in a wish list has the following attributes:
  • Catalog entry
  • Quantity
  • Store
• Shopping carts are containers like actual "shopping carts"; customers browse a catalog and place products in the cart. When they finish browsing, they enter shipping and payment information to complete the order. After a shopping cart is submitted for order processing, it cannot be reused. Each item in a shopping cart has the following attributes:
  • Catalog entry
  • Quantity
  • Price
  • Shipping address
  • Shipping method
  • Store
  • Requested ship date
  • Contract
  • Payment method
• Scheduled orders are recurring orders. The customer enters shipping and payment information as well as the recurring time scheme, and the scheduler submits the order according to this time scheme.
• Quick orders are orders that customers create for a catentry, using payment and shipping information from the customer profile.
• Copied orders - orders that customers create by copying an existing order, adding or modifying shipping information, and submitting the order.
• Sales quotes allow buyers to place an order with the seller during a specific period. They are available only in Multichannel Sales Center, to registered business direct and consumer direct customers. Buyers can request a quote by using the IBM Sales Center (CSR). The CSR offers the buyer a prepared quote. This quote includes all the item prices, a total amount, a quote token or quote ID, and the expiry date of the quote. If the buyer agrees to the specifications of the quote before the expiry date, then the CSR generates an order from the quote and submits it.