Customer assets
A customer is a user within WebSphere Commerce. A customer can browse the store's online catalog, places an order, create an interest list, set up addresses (such as for general contact, billing, and shipping purposes), and purchase from the store or the Seller. A customer is also a user. The following diagram illustrates the assets that a customer requires to place an order from a store.
As shown in the preceding diagram, the WebSphere Commerce system contains members. Each user and organizational entity member can be assigned a role.
In WebSphere Commerce, a member can be either an organizational entity, user, or member group.
In this case, the user is a customer. A customer must provide address information and can have an interest item list. The diagram illustrates the reciprocal relationship between a member (customer) and the customer assets associated with it: a customer must own and provide an address and can have an interest list to shop at a store; the address and interest list depend on the existence of a customer.
Related reference
- Address information
- A customer must provide three types of address information, when purchasing from a store: the contact address, billing address, and shipping address. The following describes these address types; each address can be unique or the same:
- A contact address is used to notify the customer for various purposes, such as regarding the status or changes to an order, and notices about upcoming store events (such as promotions or store maintenance). The customer's contact address includes the street name and number, city, state or province, ZIP or postal code, country or region, e-mail address, phone number, and fax number. Typically, the contact address is where the customer can be reached most easily, such as a work address.
- A billing address is used to send a bill or invoice for purchases. A billing address includes the street name and number, city, state or province, ZIP or postal code, and country or region, phone number, and e-mail address. The billing address may or may not be the same as the contact or shipping addresses.
- A shipping address is used for delivering purchased goods. A shipping address includes the street name and number, city, state or province, ZIP or postal code, and country or region, phone number, and e-mail address. The shipping address may or may not be the same as the contact or billing addresses.
- Interest lists
- Stores can support interest lists. That is, customers add products, that they may like to order in the future, to their interest lists. An interest list is not a shopping cart; a interest list can contain items from multiple stores, and does not contain prices, shipping addresses, shipping modes, inventory availability information, or calculated amounts such as discounts, shipping charges, and taxes.