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Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

ilakovac.com

71–80 of 204 posts

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the point is that Google Analytics shouldn't be an essential part of your site, so it totally breaking for any reason should be unnoticeable to the end user.

If it had broken, the code in the post would have worked. How exactly is code supposed to handle a dependency existing, but not being the API shape that it should be because a browser extension added an incomplete stub? Should every line of code get wrapped in try/catch? There's a big difference between "resilient against a missing dependency" and "being resilient in the face of getting literally any object instead o…

> Should every line of code get wrapped in try/catch?

Everything Google Analytics does is expendable, so the block of code that deals with it should be wrapped in try/catch.

> There's a big difference between "resilient against a missing dependency" and "being resilient in the face of getting literally any object instead of the dependency you expected to get."

If Google pushes a breaking change to the Google Analytics API tomorrow, that shouldn't break checkout either.

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#73

Hang on: The Tee Spring code checks if GA is there and works without it, the website breaks because Ad block replaces GA with a fake object that doesn't have the same API. Perhaps some companies have the resources to check if their websites run with different ad blockers, but expecting websites to work when plugins are replacing and breaking running code is a big ask.

But you don't even need to check, you just don't blow up and still check out if it doesn't work?

Put it this way, forget adblock, if the GA call fails, it should still check out. (Assuming the problem doesn't affect other stuff too, like internet down or whatever.)

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#74

Some critical sites I need to pay through are so fundamentally broken by uBlock Origin and uMatrix that I've been forced to use the embedded browser in the LastPass app. Since they're utility bills, credit cards, insurance portals, etc, I don't really have a choice not to use their services.

You can just disable your ad blocker for the website.

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#75
post #30

Your checkout shouldn't trigger ad block. Stop slavishly bowing to GA everywhere. I'm about to give you money. That's the only 'analytic' you should care about. I'm tired of being treated as little more than a data cow, always ready for milking. Just. Stop. To the person who ignores people who complain because their 'non-standard' browsers fail on their site, why do you have a site if you don't care about your users…

Unless you're a big or medium sized org, fixing an issue that is seen by less than 0.01% of visitors is probably waaay down the priority list on the backlog

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#76
This is the most infuriating thing ever. Plus checkouts that rely on constant popups for authentication and confirmation which usually get blocked too.

I basically have to switch to another browser to actually checkout on anything because there's so many things I'd need to disable to get them to work.

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#77
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're talking about a checkout. We're at the end of the sales funnel, where the monetary exchange is finalized, the deal is sealed, the value delivered. Breaking this based on an ad blocker just loses you money.

> Breaking this based on an ad blocker just loses you money. That's false. Similar thinking to how the MPAA said that downloading a MP3 is a lost sale. There was never a sale to begin with, the user is not interested in a purchase regardless of whether the pirated content is available. Here, the user will just go through the checkout again in a browser without ab-block or disable it. Why would they suddenly not need…

This is assuming that they know the ad blocker is causing the problem. I'm just going to buy the power washer from amazon because your site's checkout is not working!

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#78
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're talking about a checkout. We're at the end of the sales funnel, where the monetary exchange is finalized, the deal is sealed, the value delivered. Breaking this based on an ad blocker just loses you money.

> Breaking this based on an ad blocker just loses you money. That's false. Similar thinking to how the MPAA said that downloading a MP3 is a lost sale. There was never a sale to begin with, the user is not interested in a purchase regardless of whether the pirated content is available. Here, the user will just go through the checkout again in a browser without ab-block or disable it. Why would they suddenly not need…

Considering it has been reported that over half of potential customers will abandon a purchase if a page takes over 3 seconds to load, failing to load at all suggests you'll likely get similar - if not higher - losses

https://www.vouchercloud.com/resources/consumer-psychology-t...

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#79
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same thing happened to me with Domino's Canada. The call to place the order was returning a well-structured JSON error message (it didn't recognize the city I had entered, which was my suburb rather than my "post town") but the front-end wasn't telling me anything!

This is why I always call to order for takeout or delivery. I'd say that 75% of the time I experience some kind of technical issues with online ordering. Just talk to the human at the store.

I can't help but think of the article on posted on here about a week ago with the old woman who refused to order milk online after her service canceled phone ordering.

Re: Ad block shouldn't break your checkout

#80
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same thing happened to me with Domino's Canada. The call to place the order was returning a well-structured JSON error message (it didn't recognize the city I had entered, which was my suburb rather than my "post town") but the front-end wasn't telling me anything!

This is why I always call to order for takeout or delivery. I'd say that 75% of the time I experience some kind of technical issues with online ordering. Just talk to the human at the store.

More and more businesses are adding prerecorded responses and menus to their regular line. It’s a matter of time until we completely automate delivery calls too, I guess.
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