Most ecommerce store owners optimize their ads. Almost none of them audit their checkout.

The average Shopify store loses 68–73% of customers between "add to cart" and "order confirmed." That is not a traffic problem. That is a conversion problem.

Five places money leaks every week in the stores I audit:

1. Too many steps before payment

Every extra click costs you buyers. Ideal flow: cart → single-page checkout → confirmation. Three or more checkout pages costs 15–20% of would-be buyers.

2. No exit-intent capture

A customer hovering over the back button has a 35% close probability. One exit pop-up with a 10% discount or free shipping offer recovers 6–12% of those exits. Zero ad spend required.

3. Missing trust signals at payment

SSL badge, money-back guarantee, and recognizable payment icons need to be visible at the moment of purchase — not buried on the homepage.

4. No price anchoring

Showing the original price crossed out next to the sale price increases conversion by 17% on average. Simple. Most stores skip it on the actual checkout page.

5. Forced account creation

If a customer must create an account before purchase, you lose 23% of them. Guest checkout is not optional — it is the standard.

These are patterns I see in audits every week, not opinions.

Fix the checkout before spending another dollar on ads.