The product page gets all the attention, but most abandoned carts are lost in the last two steps. These are the checks we run on every store before we touch anything else.
1. Measure the cart and checkout pages on their own
Cached homepage scores tell you nothing about checkout, which is never cached. Test the cart and checkout pages with a product in the cart, logged out and logged in.
2. Count the requests on the checkout page
Sliders, chat widgets and pop-up scripts loaded site-wide often end up on checkout too. Anything that does not help someone pay should not load there.
3. Look at the fragments request
The cart fragments request runs on every page view to refresh the mini cart. On a busy store it can be the single most expensive request on the server. Disable it where the theme does not need it.
4. Trim the form
Company name, second address line and phone number are optional for most shops. Every field removed is a reason less to give up.
5. Offer the wallets people already use
Express payment buttons skip the form entirely for returning buyers. They are usually a configuration change, not a project.
6. Check the slow queries
Large order tables without the newer order storage, autoloaded options bloated by old plugins and missing object caching account for most slow checkouts we see.
If your checkout feels slow and you are not sure where to start, send us the URL and we will take a first look.