Checkout friction audit

Large-scale checkout research keeps finding the same causes of abandonment: extra costs shown too late, forced account creation, too many fields, and not trusting the site with a card. This skill checks your checkout for each of them and tells you what to fix first.

When to use

Checkout conversion (begin_checkout → purchase) below the store's own history or under ~45%.
Before and after a checkout redesign or a platform migration.

Input

Screenshots or a written walkthrough of every checkout step on desktop and mobile, the field list per step, shipping and payment options with costs, and if available GA4 step drop-off (begin_checkout, add_shipping_info, add_payment_info, purchase).

Checklist

Costs and delivery

Shipping cost or a reliable estimate visible in the cart, before any personal data is asked.
Free-shipping threshold shown with the remaining amount.
Delivery date or range per method, not just carrier names.
Taxes and duties stated for cross-border orders.

Account and flow

Guest checkout offered and at least as prominent as sign-in. Account creation offered after the order, with a password field only.
Step count visible; no step that only confirms data already entered.
Back navigation keeps entered data.

Forms

Target 7–8 fields for a standard order. Common surplus: separate first/last name, "Address line 2" expanded by default, company, title, phone marked required with no reason given.
Billing address = shipping by default (checkbox).
Postcode-based address lookup or autocomplete; correct autocomplete attributes and mobile keyboards (numeric for card, tel for phone).
Inline validation after the field loses focus, error messages that say how to fix it.

Payment and trust

Wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay) and local methods for the market.
Card fields visually secured; total with all costs repeated next to the pay button.
Coupon field collapsed to a link so it does not send people off to hunt for codes.

Scoring

Each finding: severity (1–3) × reach (share of checkouts affected, from data or estimated and labelled as such) → priority. Effort as S/M/L. Report only what you observed; mark anything not visible in the input as "not verified".

Output format

| # | Step     | Finding                                   | Sev | Reach | Effort | Fix |
| 1 | Cart     | Shipping cost first shown at step 3       | 3   | 100%  | S      | Show estimate by postcode in cart |
| 2 | Details  | Account required, no guest option         | 3   | ~60%  | M      | Add guest checkout, offer account after purchase |
| 3 | Details  | 14 fields, phone required without reason  | 2   | 100%  | S      | Cut to 8, explain phone use |
Not verified: 3-D Secure flow (no screenshots)

License

MIT

checkout-friction-audit