Checkout flow optimization

Compare multi-step vs. single-page checkout processes to identify what reduces abandonment and optimize the final steps of your funnel.

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Checkout flow optimization
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Introduction to Executive Dashboard:

The Executive Dashboard SuccessBLOC allows you to:
What's Included?
Goals & KPIs

About the Growbook

This Growbook walks you through building a checkout flow optimization framework using GrowthOS. Rather than relying on assumptions, you’ll test how users interact with different checkout experiences and personalize interventions based on their drop-off behavior.

With GrowthOS, you can track key drop-off points across single-page vs. multi-step flows, segment users based on where they exited, launch personalized journeys based on real-time segments and experiment with checkout flow variations using GrowthOS Experiences

Benefits

  • Validate what works. A/B test single-page vs. multi-step checkout to identify the best-performing flow
  • Recover drop-offs. Trigger personalized interventions based on where and when users leave
  • Optimize UX. Spot friction, educate users, and smooth out final purchase steps
  • Increase conversions. Convert more checkouts by aligning flow, messaging, and follow-ups in real time

How It Works

To illustrate the use case, we will refer to a ecommerce store, “Threadly”  

Step 1: Set up tracking for new user activity and define key user events

Integrate Intempt's SDK into your e-commerce website to start tracking user activities. Follow Javascript SDK or Shopify integration guide to ensure proper setup. Track user activities such as browsing products, adding items to the cart, starting checkout, and completing a purchase. For example, page_view, add_to_cart, checkout_start, and purchase. ‍

Since we need to track specific steps in the checkout process, we also need to create some custom events. To do this, go to Create Event for example “Reached payment page” and select the source: “ThreadLY shopify” then select the appropriate attribute “URL”

Good to know

Ensure that you track user's email attribute so you can send emails to them. This can be done by a separate popup for newsletter subscriptions or by incentivizing users to sign up before starting the checkout process.

Step 2: Create Behavioral Segments Based on Drop-Off Patterns

Navigate to the Segments section and create new segments based on the tracked events. For instance: 

  • Cart Abandoners: Users who added items to their cart but did not complete the purchase within 1 hour.
  • Checkout Drop-offs: Users who initiated checkout but did not complete the purchase within 1 hour.
  • Payment Incomplete: Users who placed draft order but did not complete the purchase within 1 hour.

We also create additional segments based on where users reach in terms of specific steps in the checkout process. This will be useful to create branch conditions in the journeys and target specific flows for users who have reached certain steps. For instance:

  • Completed 1st step (clicked on Checkout): Users who clicked on checkout but did not complete the purchase within 1 hour.
  • Completed 2nd step (clicked register account): Users who clicked on register account after checkout but did not complete the purchase within 1 hour.

Step 3: Personalize Checkout Flow Using Experiences

Navigate to the Experiences tab and in the experiment setting, run an A/B test for Single-page checkout (fast, minimal steps) and Multi-step checkout (guided, simpler layout per screen)

  1. Go to New Experience
  2. Click the toggle switch to the right for experiment

  1. Target users using the segments or behavioral attributes (Events)
  2. Modify layout for each variant using the Visual Editor
  3. Track users’ step completion rate across both versions

This will help determine which checkout style performs better with different audiences.

Step 4: Launch Recovery Journeys for Each Segment

Each segment should trigger a customized, multi-step journey based on user behavior and friction point. 

  1. Create a new Journey
  • Go to the Journeys section and create a new journey named “Cart Abandoners”.
  1. Trigger: Cart Abandonment segment
  2. Add email actions:
  • Email 1: Reminder email  “You left something behind”
  • Email 2: Urgency-based nudge — “Popular items sell fast!”
  • Email 3: Add incentive free shipping or discount
  • Branch Condition:
    • Opened but didn’t click? → Send SMS
    • Clicked but didn’t convert? → Show timer-based urgency banner in-site

  1. Create a new journey named “Checkout Drop-off Journey”.
  2. Trigger: Checkout Drop-offs segment
  3. Add email actions:
  • Email 1: Email explaining return policies, secure checkout
  • Email 2: Send educational content — “Still have questions?”
  • Email 3: An invite to live chat or support call
  • Branch Condition:
    • Visited FAQ but didn’t convert? → Offer help via SMS
    • Ignored email? → Try retargeting ad with a testimonial

  1. Create a new journey named “Payment Incomplete Journey”.
  2. Trigger: Payment Incomplete segment
  3. Add email actions:
  • Email 1: Email nudge — “Ready to complete your purchase?”
  • Email 2: Saved cart link + social proof (e.g., “10,000+ shoppers love Threadly”)
  • Email 3: Offer help — “Have questions before buying?”
  • Branch Condition:
    • Visited FAQ but didn’t convert? → Offer help via SMS
    • Clicked saved cart but didn’t convert? → Trigger time-limited offer

Step 5: Track & Optimize

Open your journey and monitor the following metrics- Entered: Users who qualified and entered journey, Messaged: How many received the message, In Progress: Users still progressing through steps, Completed: Finished full journey, Exited Early: Dropped out before completion, Converted: Took desired action (Ordered Product).

Test and iterate on: Time delays, Incentives vs. education, Multi-step vs. single-page outcomes, Messaging channels: email, SMS, and push notifications.

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Note remove icon

Web A/B testing

Use front-end A/B and multi-page experimentation product built for any business size. Run multiple experiments on the same page.

GPS icon

Targeting & personalization

Deliver targeted messaging, personalized offers and recommend the most relevant content for your users.

Edit icon

Visual editor

Empower your team to collaborate with an easy-to-use visual editor without using developer time to get things up and running.

Presentation chart icon

Analytics

Gain insight into the impact of your experiments with statistically valid results. No complex statistical analysis required.

Search icon

Server & client-side testing

Go beyond client-side testing and deploy experiments on the server-side. Test and optimize content changes and even complete re-brands.

Shuffle icon

Flexible goal selection

Select the right goal for each personalization and experimentation campaign to ensure you’re optimizing towards the right objectives.