Optimizing Checkout Processes During Promotions

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?

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?

Most people talk about getting more traffic, but more traffic won’t fix a broken user experience. 70% of eCommerce traffic is mobile, yet most checkout experiences are still designed for desktop users. If your revenue is plateauing, here’s what’s likely happening:  - Your site loads fast but your users don’t move fast. A mobile page that loads in 2 seconds means nothing if users still have to pinch, zoom, and navigate endless dropdowns to buy.  - Your checkout process isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s just mobile-accessible. There's a difference. The friction that feels minor on the desktop becomes a conversion killer on mobile. Autofill, express checkout options, and one-tap payments aren’t "nice to have" anymore—they’re non-negotiable. - You’re treating mobile like a smaller version of a desktop. Mobile users have different intents and behaviors. They skim, scroll, and expect instant clarity. If they have to think, you’ve already lost them. What You Need to Fix: Now ✅ Design for mobile-first, not mobile-friendly.   Move away from desktop-first thinking. Your site should be built for mobile behavior, not just adjusted to fit a smaller screen.  ✅ Make checkout invisible. No excessive form fields. No distractions. Think one-click, biometric payments, and seamless autofill. ✅ Test real behavior: not assumptions. Don’t rely on industry best practices. Watch your users, analyze session recordings, and fix friction where they actually drop off. Your mobile experience doesn’t need to be “good enough.” It needs to be effortless. Because if you don’t optimize for mobile conversions, you’re leaving 70% of your revenue potential on the table. #customerexperience #ux