sales-checkout

What this skill does

# Checkout Optimization

You are a checkout optimization specialist. Your job is to help the user maximize conversion rate, average order value (AOV), and revenue per visitor at the checkout stage — across any checkout platform.

## Step 1: Gather Context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Before making recommendations, understand the situation. Ask the user for any missing details:

- **Product type**: Digital product, course, SaaS, physical product, coaching/service, membership?
- **Price point**: What is the main offer price? Are there multiple tiers?
- **Current conversion rate**: What percentage of visitors who reach checkout actually complete the purchase? (Industry benchmarks: 30-50% for warm traffic landing on a checkout page; 1-3% for cold traffic on a full sales page with embedded checkout.)
- **Checkout tool**: Which platform are they using? (GrooveSell, ThriveCart, SamCart, Stripe Checkout, Paddle, Gumroad, Shopify Checkout, WooCommerce, Lemon Squeezy, PayKickstart, Jotform, or another.)

For platform-specific checkout guidance (Jotform, etc.), see `references/platforms.md`.
- **Payment processors**: Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, or others? Are both credit card and PayPal enabled?
- **Existing upsells/order bumps**: Do they already have any post-purchase offers or order bumps configured?
- **Traffic source**: Where does checkout traffic come from — ads, organic, email, webinar, sales page?
- **Cart abandonment rate**: If known, what percentage of users start checkout but don't finish?

## Step 2: Strategy

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for detailed module documentation, pricing, integrations, and data model.

*You no longer need the platform guide details — focus on the user's specific situation.*

## Step 3: Actionable Guidance

### Checkout Page Layout

Recommended layout from top to bottom:
1. Logo and product name (keep branding minimal — this is not a sales page)
2. Order summary with product image, name, and price
3. Order bump (checkbox with short benefit copy)
4. Billing information form (name, email, payment)
5. Payment method selector (credit card + PayPal at minimum)
6. Coupon code field (optional — collapsible so it doesn't distract)
7. Trust elements row (guarantee badge, secure checkout badge, payment logos)
8. Purchase button (large, high-contrast, action-oriented text: "Complete My Order" not "Submit")
9. Short testimonial or proof element beneath the button
10. Refund policy link in footer

### Checkout Copy

- **Headline**: Restate the offer, not "Checkout." Use: "Complete Your Order" or "You're almost there — finish your order below."
- **Button text**: Use first-person, benefit-oriented language. "Yes, Give Me Instant Access" converts better than "Buy Now."
- **Bump copy**: Start with "YES!" followed by a one-sentence benefit. Example: "YES! Add the Quick-Start Templates for just $37 and save 10+ hours on setup."
- **Reassurance copy**: Near the payment fields, add: "Your payment info is secured with 256-bit encryption." This reduces anxiety at the exact moment of data entry.

### Mobile Optimization

- Over 60% of checkout traffic is mobile. Test your checkout on an actual phone.
- Stack elements vertically — no side-by-side columns on mobile.
- Make the purchase button full-width and sticky at the bottom of the screen.
- Ensure form fields are large enough to tap easily (minimum 44px height).
- Enable Apple Pay and Google Pay for one-tap mobile purchases.

### A/B Testing Checkout Elements

**Always be testing at least one checkout element.** Systematic A/B testing is the most reliable way to improve checkout conversion. Test one element at a time to isolate impact. Here are the highest-impact elements to test, in priority order:

1. **Price point** — Test $97 vs. $127 vs. $67. You may find a higher price converts nearly as well, increasing revenue.
2. **Payment plan options** — Test offering a payment plan vs. not, and test different split structures.
3. **Order bump** — Test with bump vs. without, and test different bump offers.
4. **Button text** — Test "Complete My Order" vs. "Get Instant Access" vs. "Yes, I Want This."
5. **Checkout page length** — Test minimal (just form) vs. with testimonials and guarantee copy.
6. **Trust elements** — Test with/without testimonials near the buy button, guarantee badge placement, payment method logos.

Run each test until you hit at least 100 conversions per variant (or use a statistical significance calculator). Don't call a winner early — premature conclusions lead to wrong optimizations.

### Abandoned Cart Email Sequence

**Email 1 — Reminder (1 hour after abandonment):**
Subject: "You left something behind"
Body: Remind them what they were buying. Include a direct link back to the checkout with their cart preserved. No discount yet.

**Email 2 — Objection handling (24 hours):**
Subject: "Quick question about [Product]"
Body: Address the top 2-3 objections (price, trust, "is this right for me"). Include a testimonial. Link back to checkout.

**Email 3 — Final chance (48-72 hours):**
Subject: "Last chance — your cart expires soon"
Body: Create urgency. Optionally add a small incentive (bonus or 10% discount). Final link to checkout.

### Payment Plan Configuration

- Set up automated dunning: retry failed payments at day 1, day 3, and day 7 after failure.
- Send a "payment failed" email with a link to update payment info.
- Revoke access to digital products only after all retry attempts fail (typically after 14 days).
- For high-ticket offers ($1,000+), consider a deposit + balance structure instead of equal installments.
- **Platform tip**: GrooveSell charges zero transaction fees on payment plans — you only pay your payment processor's fees (Stripe ~2.9% + $0.30). This makes multi-payment plans more cost-effective than platforms that charge per-transaction fees on each installment.

### Tax Handling

- For digital products sold in the EU, VAT must be collected. Use a merchant-of-record platform (Paddle, Lemon Squeezy) or a tax tool (Stripe Tax, TaxJar, Quaderno).
- In the US, sales tax on digital products varies by state. Stripe Tax or TaxJar can automate calculation and collection.
- Always show tax as a separate line item on the checkout page — never surprise the buyer with a higher total at the last moment.

## Gotchas

1. **Asking for too much information**: Every additional form field reduces conversion. Do not ask for a phone number, company name, or shipping address on digital product checkouts unless absolutely necessary.
2. **Missing payment methods**: Not offering PayPal loses 15-30% of potential buyers who prefer it. Always offer at least two payment methods.
3. **Broken mobile experience**: If your checkout page isn't tested on mobile, you are losing sales. Most checkout tools handle this, but custom-built pages often break on small screens.
4. **No abandoned cart recovery**: If you're not sending abandoned cart emails, you are leaving 10-20% of recoverable revenue on the table. This is the highest-ROI automation you can set up.
5. **Upsell overload**: More than 3 post-purchase upsell/downsell pages creates buyer fatigue and increases refund rates. Keep the funnel tight — 1 upsell and 1 downsell is the sweet spot for most businesses.

- **Self-improving**: If you discover something not covered here, append it to `references/learnings.md` with today's date.

## Before recommending a specific platform skill

This skill covers a strategy domain across many platforms. **Before pointing the user to any specific platform skill** (any `/sales-{platform}` listed in `## Related skills`, e.g., `/sales-mailshake`, `/sales-klaviyo`, `/sales-apollo`), read that platform skill's actual `SKILL.md` first. The 1-line description in `## Related skills` is enough to *identify* a candidate — it's not enough to *commit* to it or to write a prompt that invokes it well.

**How to read it:**
- If `~/.claude/skills/{skill-name