Checkout flow audit
We go through checkout as a buyer — from cart to "paid": how many steps and fields, can you buy without registration, are errors clear, is the final total visible without surprises, is it convenient on a phone, do the payment methods feel trustworthy. We find what makes people abandon checkout halfway and give a prioritized plan. Honestly — this is a review of the scenario and usability, not a rebuild of it: the audit by itself does not bring more payments, that is verified by tests.
Checkout flow audit — overview
A checkout flow audit is a one-time expert review of the order process from cart to payment confirmation: how many steps and fields it has and whether any are unnecessary, whether you can order without mandatory registration (guest checkout), whether field labels and error messages are clear (is it obvious what exactly to fix), whether the final total is transparent upfront (shipping, taxes, fees — no surprises at the end), whether there is a step indicator and it is easy to go back, whether input and autofill are convenient on a phone, whether there are enough payment methods and they feel trustworthy (clear security marks, no suspicious redirects), and what happens on a payment error. Honestly about the main point: this is diagnosis, not design, development or payment-system integration; and it is not a guarantee of a rise in conversion or the number of payments. Abandoned checkout is not only about the checkout itself: the cause is often the price, the shipping cost, trust in the store or the product. So the recommendations are reasoned hypotheses for A/B testing, not "we will raise conversion by X%". Separately on security: we review the UX of trust signals and the convenience of payment, but we do not perform a security or PCI DSS compliance certification and we do not review the payment-integration code — those are separate tasks for specialized experts. With access to analytics (where in the checkout funnel people abandon) the review is deeper and relies on your numbers; without access it is an expert assessment by walking through — much is visible, but some problems remain unseen without analytics. It is a snapshot in time: forms and payment systems change. You get a report with prioritized problems and recommendations; the design, copy and development are done separately or by your team. An important boundary: this is an audit of the checkout and payment step specifically, not an audit of the cart (what is in it and how people get to it — separate) and not an audit of the pricing page — those are adjacent but separate services. If there is no checkout as such yet or there are very few orders, there is almost nothing to analyze and you most likely do not need the audit yet. Picture this: instead of "people reach checkout and abandon" you learn that you require registration before purchase, you show shipping only at the last step, the form has 15 fields, and on a phone the pay button runs off the edge — and you see what to fix first. The base price starts from 16,000 ₽ (it includes an expert run-through of the checkout, an analytics review when there is access, a detailed prioritized report and a list of hypotheses — usually cheaper than rebuilding the checkout blindly); it depends on the complexity of the checkout and the number of steps.
Problems we solve
- Buyers reach checkout but abandon without paying.
- You do not understand at which checkout step you lose people.
- You suspect extra fields or mandatory registration get in the way.
- The final total or shipping pops up as a surprise at the end.
What's included in the Checkout flow audit service
- Number of steps and fields; whether any are unnecessary
- Guest checkout (purchase without mandatory registration)
- Clarity of fields and error messages
- Transparency of the final total upfront (shipping, taxes, fees)
- Step indicator and the ability to go back
- Convenience of input and autofill on a phone
- Payment methods, UX of trust signals, behavior on a payment error
- A prioritized report with hypotheses for A/B tests
What you get
- Clear understanding of what makes people abandon checkout
- Priorities: what to simplify and test first
- A map of problem steps on the cart → paid path
- Understanding where the problem is in checkout and where in price, shipping or trust
How the work goes: steps
- We clarify the platform, payment and shipping methods, goals and collect access to checkout and analytics
- We go through checkout as a buyer and review the funnel and steps up to payment
- We prepare a report with priorities and hypotheses and review it with you
Why PDV Expert
- Fixed price and timeline — no surprises on the invoice.
- Report and recommendations in plain language — clear without a technical background.
- In touch at every step and answering questions about the result.
FAQ
Will conversion to payment grow after the audit?
The audit itself does not raise it. Abandoned checkout is not only about the checkout: the cause is often price, shipping, trust or the product. We find the weak spots and give hypotheses, but what will work is verified by A/B tests; growth is possible only after implementation and is not guaranteed.
Do you check payment security and PCI compliance?
No. We review the UX of trust signals and the convenience of payment from the buyer's perspective. Security certification, PCI DSS compliance and reviewing the payment-integration code are separate tasks for specialized experts.
How is this different from a cart audit?
A cart audit is about the cart itself and the path to checkout. This audit is about the checkout and payment process after the cart. They complement each other, but they are different services.
About the provider
The «Checkout flow audit» service is provided by PDV Expert — a team specialising in «Diagnostics & monitoring». We work under contract and deliver a written report with recommendations.