Checkout

Checkout is the part of an e-commerce flow where the customer reviews their cart, enters shipping and billing details, chooses a payment method, and confirms the order.

It’s the highest-friction moment in the store: every extra field, surprise fee, or forced account can trigger cart abandonment. A clear checkout shows progress, totals shipping early, allows guest purchase when possible, and hands payment to a trusted payment gateway (backed by a payment processor). Security via HTTPS / SSL is non-negotiable.

A real-life example of checkout

You pick three items, open the cart, and land on a short path: address → shipping → pay. Shipping cost is visible before the final click, Apple Pay is an option, and you never had to create an account. That’s a healthy checkout. Hide the delivery fee until the last screen, and many buyers leave.

Platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce ship checkout out of the box; the craft is reducing friction. For recovery when people still bail, see cart abandonment recovery strategies and earlier-funnel tips in Beyond Add to Cart.