Pay to register

[gstar]

I'm looking to implement a pay to register feature.

I've found a couple of add-ons but they all appear to not be available anymore.

Is there such an add-on that is compatible with latest Xenforo version?

 

[Will Franco]

the integration with the payment systems is still in the Stone Age, or maybe at one time it actually advanced to the Copper Age, but it sucks to have my own Premium Membership Model and loose payments, and sometimes clients, because the system isn't robust enough to handle Premium Member's financial requirements without confusion and chaos.

Yes, and it's a case of installing the payment system logic from membership softwares. Because instead of selling courses, paid membership communities are selling access to nodes within a forum.

@CivilWarTalk From my perspective, XF began as a pure forum software: register-only. Forum owners wanted to monetize the network and register-then-pay (paid upgrades) was installed. The next step is pay-then-regsiter (paid membership communities).

I'm sorry to harp on this so much...

The root is pay-then-register, once this logic is adopted, the functionality will follow quickly. Because the goal is payment (conversion, retention, and maximization).

In our use case, beyond maximizing conversions on the sales page (new registration page version), we don't want users to register for free. It sets the wrong precedent. We want high-quality users, low post volume, high post quality. Based on the conversations I've had with XF community managers, the goal is registration and post volume.

It comes to the goal of the forum.

Type 1: Regsiter-only. Primary goal: I want as many people to register; engagement is secondary.

Type 2: Register-then-pay. Primary goal: I want to maximize engagement to incentives paid upgrades.

Type 3: Pay-then-register. Primary goal: I want to improve the quality of my network.

I tend to rant. Sorry in advance. I say all this with sincerity.

In my use case,

I want to sell membership (aka a sales page, not a registration page).

I want to retain revenue (update credit cards, etc).

I want to get people to purchase upgrades (node, resources, and more).

 

[CivilWarTalk]

Yes, and it's a case of installing the payment system logic from membership softwares. Because instead of selling courses, paid membership communities are selling access to nodes within a forum.

@CivilWarTalk From my perspective, XF began as a pure forum software: register-only. Forum owners wanted to monetize the network and register-then-pay (paid upgrades) was installed. The next step is pay-then-regsiter (paid membership communities).

I'm sorry to harp on this so much...

The root is pay-then-register, once this logic is adopted, the functionality will follow quickly. Because the goal is payment (conversion, retention, and maximization).

In our use case, beyond maximizing conversions on the sales page (new registration page version), we don't want users to register for free. It sets the wrong precedent. We want high-quality users, low post volume, high post quality. Based on the conversations I've had with XF community managers, the goal is registration and post volume.

It comes to the goal of the forum.

Type 1: Regsiter-only. Primary goal: I want as many people to register; engagement is secondary.

Type 2: Register-then-pay. Primary goal: I want to maximize engagement to incentives paid upgrades.

Type 3: Pay-then-register. Primary goal: I want to improve the quality of my network.

I tend to rant. Sorry in advance. I say all this with sincerity.

In my use case,

I want to sell membership (aka a sales page, not a registration page).

I want to retain revenue (update credit cards, etc).

I want to get people to purchase upgrades (node, resources, and more).

I don't think we disagree on the majority of your points, unless I'm misunderstanding something about your post.

My forum "IS" a register for free platform with a premium option after the fact...

That doesn't change the fact that the Payment Integration is OLD, OUTDATED, and IN NEED OF UPDATE, and I think UPDATES THAT HAVE BEEN REQUESTED FOR OVER A DECADE, furthermore, UPDATES that would ENHANCE Register then Pay Forums like ours, AS WELL AS provide options for others who are looking for PURCHASE ACCESS AT REGISTRATION OPTIONS.

Don't get hung up on the fact that we are asking for an update to the payment system. XF has had a payment system from the beginning, the problem is the whole world moved forward, and XF acted like nothing needed to change JUST BECAUSE the old system still "works", regardless of how functional it actually is.

Besides, priorities change. Today is not 2011. We all know we can't make money selling Google Ads the same way we once did. I don't know about you, but in my niche Premium Memberships are now the prime money makers that keep our forums open!

Let's not forget that.

 

[Will Franco]

I don't think we disagree on the majority of your points, unless I'm misunderstanding something about your post.

Yes, we’re saying the exact same thing and coming at it from different angles.

If the emphasis is focused on payments, the situation resolves.

How do I sell a membership? The least possible steps for a user to purchase a product or membership for the first time.

How to I promote an upgrade? Get the upgrade in front of users, push button simple where they don’t have to reenter bank card or payment information.

How do I retain membership income? Update card info links at the bottom of emails. Simple reminders to update card info. Notify admin of cards that will expire.

Very basic stuff, no more no less.

A Zapier integration would be nice too! That maybe is the first step.

 

[TPerry]

In my use case,

I want to sell membership (aka a sales page, not a registration page).

I want to retain revenue (update credit cards, etc).

I wonder in the grand scale of things, how many would need pay before register.
This sounds more like something that could (and maybe should) be addressed by outside developers.

 

[Will Franco]

I wonder in the grand scale of things, how many would need pay before register.
This sounds more like something that could (and maybe should) be addressed by outside developers.

The thought crossed my mind.

How many people want/need to pay then register? Probably not that many.

How many people would benefit from it? More than you would expect.

There's no need to involve an outside developer. It's a super simple feature, a few lines of code.

 

[Ozzy47]

Then get to coding it since it’s simple and only a few lines of code.

 

[Will Franco]

Then get to coding it since it’s simple and only a few lines of code.

Fair point. I'm not a coder.

Reframe: From my limited understanding of the situation, I can't imagine it's a big job!

There are a couple of addons with this pay then register functionality. Based on the stats, the demand is clearly there. The challenge, these addons have dozens of other features. It would be nice to have a baked-in version with no bells and whistles.

It would be an attractive feature to market - perhaps a selling point?

 

[AndrewSimm]

If I visit a website to buy a bicycle my process might look like this:
1) Visit website
2) Add bicycle to cart
3) Click checkout
4) Enter shipping address
5) Enter email
6) Enter payment method
7) Submit
8) Given option to complete registration to track progress

The process for an forum upgrade
1) Visit website
2) Signup for account
3) Select upgrade from however it is displayed to me
4) Select upgrade option and payment option
5) Submit

In the first example I purchased a bicycle and in the second a forum account. In both scenarios I picked the product before I payed. If you want an improvement to XF then request that it take the user to upgrade options after creating an account. All of that being said, this is a pre-sales forum and not a suggestion forum.

ps. if your entire forum is behind a pay wall then you are doing it wrong. Your choice though.