[ic] How to add a subscriber-based reminder service?

D Zhang - msi interchange-users@icdevgroup.org
Wed Jan 8 14:26:02 2003


> 1. how to provide a means for users to sign up? this could be part of an
> online account signup, but I'd also like to make it easy to sign up with
> minimal info

add an option in mailing list  in account record.

> 2. how to process the sign-up?

setup your userdb in mysql which can be queried later by a script run with
cron job.

> 3. how to access the db via a cron job to email out the reminders?

setup your products and order db in mysql, write a script which can be
called by cron job.

> 4. how to process the links in the reminder email?

write a script that will update your db records and bring up an order page
when needed. Your customer will then make final decision on what and how
many to order.

It's a complete automation solution, interacting with interchange.


David
-----------------------
dzhang@msihosting.com
http://www.msihosting.com
-- Export in ecommerce solution and interchange hosting



----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerry Kirk" <gerry_kirk@alumni.uwaterloo.ca>
To: "interchange" <interchange-users@icdevgroup.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 12:41 PM
Subject: [ic] How to add a subscriber-based reminder service?


> I would like to add a piece of functionality that would invite users to
> sign up for a service that would remind them when it is time to replace
> worn-out parts on their vacuum. After signing up, they would receive a
> message after a specified duration reminding them to replace
> such-and-such, with a one-click link to buy the product on-line.
>
> The subscription portion would record which vacuum they own, the last
> time each particular part was replaced, possibly factors such as amount
> of use, then calculate a replacement interval and date of first
> replacement.
>
> A cron job would run daily to check the date of the next replacement
> against the current date, and send out reminders when the two are equal.
> The next replacement date would then be updated.
>
> Another idea would be to provide multiple links in the reminder email,
> to assess the consumer's course of action, something like:
>
> buy online
> remind me in 7 days
> no plans to buy anytime soon
>
> which would update replacement date records. I have no idea how that
> could be done yet, except that there would have to be a web page that
> would process the last two options. For the first item, a purchase of a
> replacement part should trigger when the next reminder should go out.
>
> So, my questions are:
> 1. how to provide a means for users to sign up? this could be part of an
> online account signup, but I'd also like to make it easy to sign up with
> minimal info
> 2. how to process the sign-up?
> 3. how to access the db via a cron job to email out the reminders?
> 4. how to process the links in the reminder email?
>
> Thanks,
> Gerry
>
> ________________________________________________________________________
> Gerry Kirk
> IT consulting for positive change
>
> ph 705.759.8026
> fax 780.401.3517
>
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