Effective Checkout Processes

From the department-of-mythbusting: our Just Walk Out technology is not going anywhere but to even more locations worldwide. Let's walk through what's really going on here... If you want to optimize any experience, a great place to start is with the biggest, most egregious, inefficient part of that experience. For physical shopping - you don't have to look much further than waiting in line for a checkout. It's boring, and it's a waste of time for both the shopper, and the store. So when we started to look at how to improve physical shopping - we started with the question: how do we take out the line? This is a hard problem - but it led to inventions like Just Walk Out (an AI and sensor fusion system for checkout-free shopping), Amazon Dash Cart (where you scan items as you place them into your cart), and Amazon One (our palm-based payments and identity). These technologies are complementary, and serve a very different purpose depending on these store and shopping task: 🚶 Just Walk Out is great for really quick, "mission driven" shopping - like small-format convenience stores for snacks, drinks, and so on. You know what you want, and you don't want a lot. Enter. Grab. Just walk out. Even with relatively few items sold per visit, we have already sold over 18 million items in Just Walk Out stores, and there are now more than 140 third-party locations with Just Walk Out technology in the U.S., UK, Australia, and Canada. The response from shoppers to Just Walk Out in small-format stores has been so strong that we will launch more small-format third-party Just Walk Out stores in 2024 than any year prior, more than doubling the number of third-party stores with the technology this year. 🛒 In larger grocery stores, where customers are making a big weekly trip and buy a greater number of items, customers so far prefer Amazon Dash Cart. Dash Cart serves as a shopping companion that travels through the store with a customer, helping them locate items with an on-cart screen featuring maps and navigation, and receive personalized shopping experiences, all while tracking their savings and spending in real time. ✋ Regardless of the size or format of the store, shoppers tell us they like the security and convenience of Amazon One. Amazon One is in 500+ Whole Foods stores, other Amazon stores, and 150 third-party locations like stadiums, airports, fitness centers, and more. Just Walk Out, Dash Cart, and Amazon One - together - let us remove these pesky lines in more places than we could in isolation. They are complements to one another - like The Beatles. Stronger than the sum of their parts. So don't believe the headlines. Just Walk Out isn't going anywhere, except into more locations, in more countries, to help more shoppers, and more businesses. Now back to your regular scheduled programming... :)

A client came to us frustrated. They had thousands of website visitors per day, yet their sales were flat. No matter how much they spent on ads or SEO, the revenue just wasn’t growing. The problem? Traffic isn’t the goal - conversions are. After diving into their analytics, we found several hidden conversion killers: A complicated checkout process – Too many steps and unnecessary fields were causing visitors to abandon their carts. Lack of trust signals – Customer reviews missing on cart page, unclear shipping and return policies, and missing security badges made potential buyers hesitate. Slow site speeds – A few-second delay was enough to make mobile users bounce before even seeing a product page. Weak calls to action – Generic "Buy Now" buttons weren’t compelling enough to drive action. Instead of just driving more traffic, we optimized their Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy: ✔ Simplified the checkout process - fewer clicks, faster transactions. ✔ Improved customer testimonials and trust badges for credibility. ✔ Improved page load speeds, cutting bounce rates by 30%. ✔ Revamped CTAs with urgency and clear value propositions. The result? A 28% increase in sales - without spending a dollar more on traffic. More visitors don’t mean more revenue. Better user experience and conversion-focused strategies do. Does your ecommerce site have a traffic problem - or a conversion problem? #EcommerceGrowth #CRO #DigitalMarketing #ConversionOptimization #WebsiteOptimization #AbsoluteWeb

The most successful ecom checkouts have only 8 form fields, max. Yet the industry average? A whopping 14.88 fields. Your customers are mentally exhausted before they even reach your checkout page. They've already made dozens of micro-decisions just to select your product. Google's Retail UX research shows 27% of users abandon orders due to "too long/complicated checkout processes." Every unnecessary dropdown, checkbox, and text field creates another opportunity for your customers to give up. We've identified three form optimizations that consistently boost conversions: ↳ Use a single "Full Name" field instead of separate first/last name fields ↳ Default "Billing Address = Shipping Address" and hide it unless changed ↳ Eliminate optional fields entirely... if you don't absolutely need the data, don't ask for it Every extra form field costs you conversions. And according to that Google report, the best performing sites have slashed their checkout forms by 56%. The psychology is simple: every decision depletes your customer's mental energy. By the time they reach payment, their decision tank is running on empty. Are you sabotaging conversions by asking for information you don't actually need?

How a mobile cart redesign increased transactions by 3.4% Problem: Checkout drop-off rates were killing mobile revenue. → The cart design was cluttered, unintuitive, and frustrating for users. → Visitors struggled to understand their next steps, leading to high abandonment rates. Solution: We did a deep dive into user behavior with: - Google Analytics: To identify friction points in the funnel. - HotJar heatmaps: To track user interactions and frustrations. - User Testing: To understand why visitors were dropping off. What we found: Visitors needed clearer CTAs, smoother layout, tap-friendly elements. We implemented a mobile-specific cart redesign with these improvements: Larger tap targets for easy navigation. Streamlined layout to reduce decision fatigue. Stronger calls-to-action to guide users through checkout. Testing Process: We A/B tested the revamped cart design against the original. - Audience: Mobile visitors. - Metric: Increase in visits to checkout. - Duration: Conducted over a statistically significant period. Results: The redesign delivered across all key metrics: - +8% lift in visits to checkout. - +3.4% increase in transactions. - $1.39 boost in revenue per visitor (RPV). Here’s how you can use this for your brand: Eliminate friction with clear pathways. Simplify deep-funnel elements for mobile users. Invoke the “Don’t Make Me Think” principle to guide users seamlessly to checkout.

Abandon cart is only 1/7 of the story. Most brands only hit "send" after an empty cart, without realizing there are 𝗦𝗜𝗫 other exit points are waving a white flag for help. 1. 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They bounced from the home page. Use a soft re-invite - "Still exploring? Here's what people love most on day one." 2. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They browsed a category but never drilled deeper. Spotlight a best-seller from that collection and add social proof. 3. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They typed a query and left. Fire a message that echoes the exact term ("Looking for red linen?") and suggest a shortcut to results. 4. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They lingered on a product page. Send a quick FAQ or user photo to erase last-mile doubts. 5. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Items in cart, but life got loud. A gentle nudge plus urgency ("Inventory is low") wins the easy saves. 6. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They reached the billing screen. Address friction directly-shipping, payment methods, guest checkout, whatever the data shows. 7. 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Card entered, transaction failed or timed out. Offer alternative payment options or a one-click resume link. Each of these moments carries different intent signals-search terms, dwell time, SKUs, even error codes. Feed that context into your flows and the message feels helpful, not pushy. Remember: most shoppers aren't saying no. They're saying 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸. Meet them exactly where they paused, and "later" turns into "order confirmed."

I've worked with SFCC brands pulling in 9 figures a year. And many leaked revenue at the same exact place. Checkout. Let's be honest: You can have the perfect product. A smooth PLP. A stunning PDP. But if your checkout makes customers hesitate (even for a second) they're gone. And they don't come back. Here's what I've learned the best brands do differently when optimizing checkout in Salesforce Commerce Cloud - without sacrificing UX. 1. Don't just reduce friction. Eliminate it. Customers abandon for simple reasons: • Promo codes that don't work • Forms that ask for info twice • Shipping costs that show up too late Top brands build flows that assume urgency: • Pre-filled fields from session data • Real-time validation with inline feedback • Shipping transparency up front A slow or unclear step isn't "just UX." It's lost revenue. 2. Offer fewer payment methods than you think - but make them obvious More isn't always better. Confusion creates delay. Delay kills conversion. What works: • Credit/debit (always) • Apple Pay / Google Pay • PayPal / Shop Pay • Affirm / Klarna (only if AOV supports it) Smart brands prioritize based on data. They test placement, auto-detect device types, and default to what converts fastest. 3. Mobile isn't secondary - it's everything The biggest brands I've worked with design for tap-first, scroll-second. That means: • Full-width input fields • Large tap targets with spacing • One-column flow • Sticky CTA at the bottom of the screen If your checkout feels like a spreadsheet on mobile, you're already losing. 4. Use Business Manager like a growth engine, not just a CMS I've seen many teams hard-code checkout logic. Top teams know better. They use: • A/B tests for live checkout experiments • Real-time rules that adapt without redeploys SFCC is powerful - if you treat it like a tool, not a template. Your checkout is the last conversation your brand has with your customer. If that conversation feels clunky, confusing, or exhausting - you won't get a second one. Want to grow revenue without spending more on ads? Fix the one place that silently kills conversions: Checkout. What did I miss?

Building your checkout flow is like crafting a sales conversation. Every element either moves customers closer to purchase or creates friction that drives them away. Most DTC brands obsess over ad creative but underestimate checkout design. Here's the truth: A well-designed checkout can lift revenue more than your best-performing ad. 3 critical areas to master: 🥵 Cognitive Load → Every question, field, or decision point in checkout adds mental friction. Your job? Remove unnecessary thinking. If a customer has to calculate free shipping thresholds or wonder about the order’s arrival day, that’s friction. 👍 Trust Signals → First-time buyers need different reassurance than repeat customers. Your checkout should adapt. New customers might need reviews and press features. Loyal customers want their status acknowledged and rewarded. 💎 Value Perception → Shipping costs hit differently at various price points. A $7 shipping fee on a $30 order feels expensive. The same fee on a $100 order? Barely noticeable. The problem is even when brands know these principles, they struggle to implement and test them effectively. That's where smart checkout optimization comes in. At Obvi, we've been methodically testing these elements. Our latest focus is reducing cognitive load around free shipping thresholds (FSTs)... Using PrettyDamnQuick with Avi Moskowitz, we tested adding a simple note showing exactly how much more a user needed for free shipping. No complicated math for customers. No uncertainty about what the threshold is or how to reach it... The results after 25 days →  • +$0.78 more revenue per customer (meaning the messaging IS pushing people to add more to their cart) • Better conversion rates • Higher average order values across the board This nicely illustrates why checkout optimization matters. One small friction point removed = real revenue impact.

Last week, the California Privacy Protection Agency fined a retailer $345,000 for failing to effectively effectuate consumers’ opt-out preference signals to prevent the sharing of their personal information (see decision below). The remedies outlined in the settlement are a clarion call for #privacypros. In short, the CPPA says privacy tech alone is not enough, just as Teresa (T) Troester-Falk wrote in an op-ed published by the IAPP today https://lnkd.in/eNqYpD4x. The CPPA alleges that the retailer relied on third-party privacy management tools without assessing their limitations, validating their operations or monitoring their functioning. They also allege the retailer required consumers to provide too much personal information (including sensitive information) to process their opt-out requests. Privacy tech is often critical today – there are far too many consumer requests, data sources, third-party partners, and assessments to manage manually – but it is equally vital to have a knowledgeable #privacypro building and overseeing the privacy program around it. This will only get more important as AI achieves its potential and scales across society. So what does the CPPA settlement require specifically? Beyond correcting the alleged deficiencies, the CPPA specifically requires the retailer to: -       “develop, implement, and maintain procedures” to identify disclosures and ensure it processes opt out requests appropriately -         “establish and implement, and thereafter maintain policies, procedures, and technical measures designed to monitor the effectiveness and functionality” of its methods for complying with opt-out requests -         “develop, implement, and maintain procedures to ensure that all personnel handling Personal Information are informed of the Business’ requirements under the CCPA and its implementing regulations relevant to their job functions” – i.e. conduct #privacy training -         “maintain a contract management and tracking process to ensure that contractual terms required by the CCPA are in place with all external recipients of Personal Information” Lots for privacy pros to focus on as they gain efficiencies and scale with privacy and #AI governance tech.

The moment of truth in ecommerce isn't adding to cart - it's CHECKOUT. This is where your revenue is either captured or lost. With over 80% of Shopify traffic now coming from mobile devices, an optimized checkout experience is essential. Master these 20 checkout optimization tactics to boost your conversion rate: 1. Allow guest checkout (account creation can wait, but use Rivo for that) 2. Offer multiple payment options 3. Display security badges prominently (use Platter+) 4. Design for mobile FIRST 5. Minimize form fields ruthlessly 6. Show ALL costs upfront (no surprises) 7. Use clear progress indicators 8. Use one-page checkout flow (can test against multi-page, but one-page outperforms in our experience) 9. Design clear, compelling CTAs 10. Capture exit intent with smart prompts 11. Support autofill functionality 12. Optimize loading speed (critical on mobile) 13. Show visual cart reminders throughout 14. Enable "save cart" features 15. Move account creation AFTER purchase 16. Offer risk reversal/return policies 17. Make support options post-purchase clear and easy 18. Test and measure continuously 19. Add post-purchase offers (use Platter+) Checkout optimization isn't one-and-done, but you can easily improve your checkout performance by double-digit percent. Commit to making small, continuous improvements based on data that comes in.