URL Parameters - Encoding / Token / ?

[kirk112]

Hi,

 

Just looking for some advice over a feature I am currently working on.  I am building on top of a custom e-commerce site and to increase conversions etc. I want to be able to send a URL to customers that is encoded with their details so that I can identify them when they arrive on the site.

 

For example 

 

customer_id=1&offer_id=50&sale_products=1,2,3,4&promoted_product=12&agent=99

 

From this query string I can query the database and get:

• the customer details from their id
• which special offer to display i.e. 20% of products
• Which products are on sale for them
• promoted product to display on the landing page
• who the referrer / agent was so we can show the partner logo

I could use some 2 way encryption to encrypt / decrypt this and then I would be able to use the parameters and variables, but I would have to split then and check which were there. Not all the vars are required.

 

But got a bad feeling over this (don't know why, it just does not feel right... and that there is a better way to do this....)

 

Can anyone see if this is a good way to achieve this or think of a better way...

 

 

Thanks

 

 

 

 

 

 

[maxxd]

Off the top of my head, you could create a table that holds deal details (customer_id, product_id, agent, expiry, etc) and simply pass the deal id in the e-mail. Thatway all your necessary info is at your fingertips but not exposed.

[kirk112]

Thanks Maxxd,

 

mmm that makes sense the deal ID could be a unique token / guid almost impossible to stumble across by accident.  Was way over thinking this

 

Cheers