# Conversion and the path to purchase

> Foundation three of seven. The path from product page to confirmed order is where good intentions die: a shipping cost revealed too late, a forced account creation, a checkout with more fields than it needs. Around 70% of carts are abandoned before purchase (Baymard).

Source: https://barkingcat.ai/thinking/bulletproof-for-the-golden-quarter/conversion-and-the-path-to-purchase/

## Bulletproof for the Golden Quarter · Foundation 3 of 7

Does the journey to a confirmed order remove friction or add it.

Download the full playbook as a PDF: [fifteen pages, no form, no email, no gate.](https://barkingcat.ai/assets/bulletproof-for-the-golden-quarter.pdf)

## Removing every reason to pause

The path from product page to confirmed order is where good intentions die. A shipping cost revealed too late. A forced account creation. A checkout with more fields than it needs, on the device most of your traffic now uses. Checkout is the narrowest and most fragile part of the operation, and the part most retailers test least.

70%

of carts are abandoned before purchase

39%

name unexpected cost at checkout, of those abandoning for a reason other than browsing

Baymard Institute; US survey base, treat as directional.

**70% and 39%.** Around 70% of carts are abandoned before purchase. The most cited fixable reason is unexpected cost at checkout, named by 39% of shoppers who abandoned for a reason other than browsing. Baymard Institute; US survey base, treat as directional.

**The customer test.** At the single most decision-heavy moment, the checkout, have you removed every reason to pause that you control. The ones you leave in are the ones your competitor removed.

## On the checklist
- Shipping cost is visible early, not sprung at the final step.
- Guest checkout exists and works.

## Before peak arrives

This playbook is the front-end read a house can run on itself. [The Barking Cat Review](https://barkingcat.ai/review/) takes the whole house apart, shop front and back office, finds the binding constraint, and puts commercial numbers against it before peak arrives.

## Find your constraint before the traffic arrives

[THE PRE-PEAK CHECKLIST](https://barkingcat.ai/thinking/bulletproof-for-the-golden-quarter/checklist/)

## Contact

steve@barkingcat.ai

Barking Cat Advisory Limited. Registered in England and Wales, company number 17338003.