Managing Customer Scope and Shipping Countries in Magento 2

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Understanding Customer Scope in Magento 2
  3. The Challenge: Global Scope with Local Shipping Restrictions
  4. Solution Overview
  5. Step-by-Step Configuration
  6. Conclusion
  7. FAQs

Introduction

Imagine a retail landscape where your customer can sign in once and access multiple store views within your Magento ecosystem. Seamless customer experience, right? However, this convenience can introduce complexities—particularly, how do you restrict shipping options while maintaining a global customer account? This conundrum is common among Magento 2.3 store owners who operate in different geographical markets. In this article, we dive into how to manage Customer Scope globally in Magento 2 while limiting the list of shipping countries for each website.

By the end of this article, you'll understand how to configure your Magento store to balance global customer access with region-specific shipping options. We'll walk you through the steps of customizing your Magento installation to achieve this balance, ensuring optimal customer experience and efficient store management.

Understanding Customer Scope in Magento 2

Before we delve into the solution, it is essential to grasp the concept of Customer Scope. In Magento 2, Customer Scope defines how customer accounts behave across multiple store views within a Magento installation.

Global Customer Scope

A Global Customer Scope means an account created on one store view can be used to log into any other store view within the same Magento installation. This is extremely beneficial for users who browse multiple stores under your brand umbrella, fostering a more interconnected and convenient shopping experience.

Website-Specific Customer Scope

On the flip side, a Website-Specific Customer Scope restricts a customer’s login to the store where they initially registered. This is usually less convenient for customers but can simplify management for businesses targeting vastly different demographics per store view.

The Challenge: Global Scope with Local Shipping Restrictions

The primary challenge arises when you enable a Global Customer Scope but need to restrict shipping options based on each store’s geographical location. By default, Magento enables all countries for shipping if the Customer Scope is set globally, complicating localized shipping strategies.

Solution Overview

To achieve the goal of a Global Customer Scope alongside restricted shipping countries, we'll override specific default Magento behaviors. This involves:

  1. Disabling the default AllowedCountries plugin.
  2. Creating a custom plugin to filter the displayed countries at checkout based on store-specific configurations.

Step-by-Step Configuration

Disabling the Default AllowedCountries Plugin

Start by disabling the default plugin to avoid any conflicts with our custom logic. This can be achieved by modifying the di.xml file in your custom module.

  1. Open the di.xml file located in your custom module directory.
  2. Disable the AllowedCountries plugin:
    <config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:ObjectManager/etc/config.xsd">
    <type name="Magento\Customer\Model\Plugin\AllowedCountries">
        <plugin name="allowed_countries_plugin" disabled="true"/>
    </type>
</config>

Creating a Custom Plugin

Now, develop a custom plugin to control the allowed countries list based on store configuration. This plugin will override the default Magento behavior.

  1. Create the custom plugin class:

    namespace Vendor\Module\Plugin;

use Magento\Customer\Api\Data\AddressInterface;
use Magento\Customer\Api\AddressRepositoryInterface;
use Magento\Framework\App\Config\ScopeConfigInterface;
use Magento\Store\Model\ScopeInterface;

class AllowedCountries
{
    protected $scopeConfig;

    public function __construct(ScopeConfigInterface $scopeConfig)
    {
        $this->scopeConfig = $scopeConfig;
    }

    public function aroundGetAllowedCountries($subject, callable $proceed, $store = null)
    {
        $allowedCountries = $proceed($store);

        // Fetch custom configurations
        $customAllowedCountries = $this->scopeConfig->getValue(
            'general/country/custom_allowed_countries',
            ScopeInterface::SCOPE_STORE,
            $store
        );

        // Filter the countries based on custom setting
        if ($customAllowedCountries) {
            $allowedCountries = array_intersect($allowedCountries, explode(',', $customAllowedCountries));
        }

        return $allowedCountries;
    }
}

  2. Update the di.xml file to use your custom plugin:

    <config xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:noNamespaceSchemaLocation="urn:magento:framework:ObjectManager/etc/config.xsd">
    <type name="Magento\Customer\Model\Plugin\AllowedCountries">
        <plugin name="custom_allowed_countries" type="Vendor\Module\Plugin\AllowedCountries" />
    </type>
</config>

Configuring Store View Settings

Finally, configure your store views to restrict shipping countries appropriately.

  1. Navigate to the Admin sidebar: Go to Stores > Settings > Configuration.
  2. Expand: In the left panel, expand General and select General > Country Options.
  3. Configure the allowed countries for each store view:
    • In Custom Allowed Countries field, input the countries you wish to enable for that store.

Testing and Validation

After implementing the above configurations, it's important to rigorously test the checkout process for each store view. Make sure that only the allowed countries are displayed in the dropdown list during the checkout process, validating that the configurations work as intended.

Conclusion

Setting up a Magento store with a Global Customer Scope while controlling shipping destinations per store view can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it is entirely manageable. By disabling the default AllowedCountries plugin and implementing a custom solution, you can provide an optimal balance between global accessibility and local shipping restrictions. This setup not only enhances customer experience but also aligns with varying logistical frameworks across your business’s different geographical markets.

FAQs

1. Can I use this configuration for different Magento versions?

The steps outlined are specific to Magento 2.3, but the overall approach is adaptable for different versions with minor modifications.

2. Will these configurations affect the performance of the Magento store?

If implemented correctly, the performance impact should be minimal. However, always ensure to test thoroughly in a staging environment.

3. What if a customer’s preferred shipping country is no longer available?

The customer will be prompted to choose a different shipping country. Ensure your store communicates shipping policies clearly to avoid confusion.

4. How do I revert back to the default configuration?

Simply re-enable the default AllowedCountries plugin in the di.xml file and disable the custom plugin.

5. Is it possible to extend this configuration to filter countries based on other criteria?

Yes, the custom plugin can be further enhanced to filter countries based on additional criteria such as customer groups, product categories, or order values.