The Require Location Selection and Location Switching Behavior settings help control how customers interact with products across different store or warehouse locations. These settings ensure users select a location before shopping, and define what happens when they switch locations mid-session.

How to Access These Settings

1. Go to Location Manage → Settings
2. Open User Experience
3. Scroll to the User Experience Settings panel

Here you will find options related to customer interaction, location enforcement, and location-switch handling.

Require Location Selection — ON/OFF

ON

When enabled:

• Customers must select a location before:
  • Adding products to cart
  • Viewing location-specific inventory
  • Viewing location-based pricing
  • Checking out

If a location is not selected:

• A prompt or modal will appear asking the user to choose a location
• The “Add to Cart” button may be disabled until selection is made
• Product pages will not display location-specific details until a location is chosen

This prevents:

• Accidental shopping without a defined location
• Incorrect stock visibility
• Wrong pricing based on default/global settings

OFF

When disabled:

• Customers can browse products without selecting a location
• The system may use:
  • A default location
  • Automatic location detection (if configured)
  • Global fallback inventory

However, it may lead to inconsistent inventory visibility unless carefully configured.

Location Switching Behavior

The Location Switching Behavior setting defines how the shopping cart responds when a customer changes their selected location. Since product availability can vary by location, this option helps you control the customer experience and maintain cart accuracy.

1. Preserve Cart

Description:
All products remain in the cart when the customer switches locations, even if some items are not available in the newly selected location.

Behavior Details:

• No products are removed from the cart.
• Unavailable products may still appear in the cart.
• Stock availability is not revalidated during location change.

Best Use Case:

• When you want a smooth, interruption-free shopping experience.
• Suitable for stores that allow backorders or plan to fulfill items from another location later.

Note:
Customers may see out-of-stock items at checkout if availability is not validated again.

2. Update Cart

Description:
The cart is automatically updated to match the selected location’s inventory.

Behavior Details:

• Products not available in the selected location are removed immediately.
• The cart always reflects accurate, location-based stock.
• No user interaction is required.

Best Use Case:

• When strict inventory accuracy is required.
• Ideal for stores with location-specific stock and no cross-location fulfillment.

Note:
This option may reduce cart items but ensures checkout accuracy.

3. Prompt User

Description:
The system detects unavailable products after a location change and asks the customer how to proceed.

Behavior Details:

• A confirmation prompt is shown to the user.
• Users can choose whether to update the cart or keep all items.
• No changes are made without user consent.

Best Use Case:

• When you want to balance transparency and user control.
• Ideal for customer-focused stores that want to avoid surprise cart changes.

Note:
This option improves user trust by clearly communicating cart updates.

Why Require Location Selection?

✔ Accurate Inventory

Customers see only stock from their selected store/warehouse.

✔ Correct Pricing

Location-based pricing is displayed only when a location is selected.

✔ Proper Logistics

Shipping, pickup availability, and delivery windows remain accurate.

✔ Reduced Customer Confusion

Prevents users from thinking a product is out of stock when it’s simply not available at the selected location.

Best Practices

• Turn Require Location Selection ON for multi-store or multi-warehouse setups
• Enable location switching confirmation to avoid accidental changes
• Clear the cart on location change if cross-location ordering is disabled
• Keep the cart if cross-location ordering is allowed
• Use a location selector modal on site load for clear UX
• Test switching behavior across mobile and desktop

Summary