Because Miva Merchant is a modular shopping cart, you will eventually find yourself needing to go out and purchase additional modules to extend its functionality. Love it or hate it, you are going to have to spend $300 to $500 on additional modules for your shopping cart.

The world of Miva Merchant modules can be a scary one. There are literately hundreds of different modules to choose from and some which even do the same thing but are made by different companies. We have decided to make your life easier and review some of the more popular modules so you know what to expect before you make the purchase.

Additional Checkout Data Pro by Sebenza made our top ten list of most important Miva modules. It allows you to add additional checkout fields on your checkout screens. This is perfect for things like, “Where did you hear about us” or “Additional Information” or “Gift Message”

This module is also perfect to create a "purchase order" (PO) field at checkout. This is a must have field for any business dealing with larger orders.

One of the really nice qualities of all Sebenza modules, is that they provide you with detailed installation instructions, and also an outline of any customization which is required. You can view the PDF instructions here.

Once installed, the module allows you to add the additional fields to any of the checkout screens using a simple token.  
<mvt:item name="acdpro_template" />

All you have to do is add this token to the page template you want the fields to appear on. Also make sure you add the “acdpro” item to that page as well. All the items can be found under the “items” tab for each page.

The actual editing of which fields you want to appear is done in the “System Extension Configuration” tab. Here you are provided with a text area to customize the fields to fit your needs.

Summary

This module is easy to install, easy to customize and also comes with detailed instructions. You can create any type of field you wish and even make required fields, or fields which add an additional fee to the order. This comes in handy when you want to add a gift wrap option or something of that nature. We highly recommend this module to all of our clients. You can get more information about this module here.

About the Author: Brennan Heyde is an e-commerce consultant working in San Diego, Ca. He specializes in online marketing and SEO for e-commerce.  Have a struggling e-commerce website? – Contact Brennan today for a site analysis.