Creating a User-Friendly Omnichannel Checkout Process

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?

You got the click. They liked the product. They hit "Add to Cart." Then...silence. Cart abandonment isn't always about price or timing. It’s about cognitive overload right before the finish line. Let’s break it down: 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲: - Multiple upsells - Confusing discount fields - Cross-sell suggestions - Shipping ETA popups - Shipping insurance opt-ins - Loyalty nudges - People also bought… That’s 7 new decisions after they’ve already made one. It is one thing to try this with loyal, returning customers. But first time visitors…PUMP. THE. BRAKES. It’s like agreeing to a date...and getting handed a prenup over appetizers. What to fix in your cart flow:  𝟭. 𝗡𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹     You don’t need 5. You need 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁, 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝟭 𝘁𝗮𝗽.  𝟮. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼-𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀     Don’t make them copy/paste a code from email. That’s friction.  𝟯. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆    Surprise shipping is the #1 cart killer. Be upfront or offer a free shipping threshold. And, Make sure shipping messaging actually matches what is presented in the checkout.  𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁     Guest checkout. Express pay. Shop Pay. Don’t make them log in just to give you money.  𝟱. 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀     No floating widgets, quizzes, or surveys once someone is in checkout mode. Focus = finish. Great example: BattlBox With their subscriptions, they go from click to checkout speedy fast. No distractions outside fo a checkout bump. And 1-click checkout options. Zero chaos. Treat your cart like the final step in a relay race. You don’t hand the baton and then ask 3 questions mid-sprint.

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.