Your checkout is where browsers become buyers. A smooth, trustworthy checkout experience reduces cart abandonment and increases conversions. CartOS gives you control over checkout appearance, fields, and behavior while maintaining the security and reliability customers expect.
Accessing checkout settings
Go to Settings › Checkout to configure your checkout options. For visual customization, you can also access checkout styling through the theme editor by selecting the checkout page from the page dropdown.
Checkout style
Logo and branding
Your logo appears at the top of checkout, reinforcing that customers are still on your site. The logo is pulled from your theme settings, but you can override it here if you want a different version for checkout (perhaps a simpler or smaller logo).
Colors
Customize checkout colors to match your brand:
- Accent color – Used for buttons, links, and focus states. Should match or complement your store's primary color.
- Button color – The main checkout/payment button. Make it stand out.
- Error color – Color for validation errors. Red is standard and expected.
- Background – Main checkout background color
- Form background – Background for input fields and form sections
Typography
Checkout uses your theme's fonts by default. You can override with different fonts if needed, though keeping typography consistent with your store usually looks best.
Banner image
Optionally add a banner image that appears at the top of checkout. This can reinforce your brand or highlight a promotion. Keep it subtle—checkout should feel clean and focused on completing the purchase.
Customer accounts
Account options
Choose how customer accounts work at checkout:
- Accounts disabled – Everyone checks out as a guest. Simplest flow, no login friction.
- Accounts optional – Customers can checkout as guest or log in/create an account. Best of both worlds.
- Accounts required – Customers must create an account or log in. Use only if you have a strong reason (subscription business, B2B, etc.).
For most stores, optional accounts work best. Some customers prefer guest checkout; others like having order history and saved addresses.
Login prompt
When accounts are optional, you can choose when to prompt for login:
- Beginning of checkout – Show login option before entering information
- After email entry – If the email matches an existing account, prompt to log in
Customer contact
Contact method
Choose what contact information to collect:
- Email only – Standard for most online stores
- Email or phone – Let customers choose their preferred contact method
Phone number can be collected separately as an optional or required field (see Form Options below).
Marketing opt-in
Add a checkbox for email marketing signup at checkout. Configure the label text and whether it's checked by default (note: some jurisdictions require it to be unchecked by default).
Customers who opt in are automatically tagged for email marketing in your customer list and can receive campaigns through the Automation Bolt.
Form options
Full name vs. first/last
Choose whether to collect name as a single field or separate first and last name fields. Separate fields are more common and help with personalization, but a single field is faster to fill out.
Company name
Add a company name field if you sell to businesses. Options: hidden, optional, or required.
Address line 2
The apartment/suite/unit field. Options: hidden, optional, or required. Most stores make this optional—it's needed for apartments but not everyone has one.
Phone number
Phone number for shipping questions or delivery notifications. Options: hidden, optional, or required. Many carriers use phone numbers for delivery updates, so collecting it can improve customer experience.
Order notes
Allow customers to add special instructions with their order. Useful for gift messages, delivery instructions, or customization requests. This adds a text field at the end of checkout.
Shipping options
Shipping address autocomplete
Enable Google Address Autocomplete to help customers enter addresses faster and more accurately. As they type, suggestions appear. This reduces typos and improves deliverability.
You'll need to add a Google Places API key in Settings › Integrations to enable this feature.
Use shipping as billing
By default, checkout offers "Use shipping address as billing address" checkbox. This is pre-checked since most customers ship to themselves. You can disable this if you prefer separate address forms.
Payment options
Express checkout
Express checkout buttons (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay) appear at the top of checkout for quick payment. These are configured in your payment provider settings and appear automatically for supported devices and browsers.
Express checkout can dramatically speed up mobile purchases—customers pay with a fingerprint or face scan without entering any information.
Payment method order
If you have multiple payment methods, drag to reorder them. The first method is selected by default. Put your preferred method first—usually cards, with alternatives like PayPal below.
Billing address collection
Choose when to collect billing address:
- Only when different from shipping – Simpler checkout, uses shipping address by default
- Always collect – Show billing address form for everyone
Order processing
Order ID format
Configure how order numbers are generated:
- Prefix – Add a prefix like "ORD-" or your store initials
- Starting number – Set what number orders start from. Useful if migrating from another platform and want to continue your sequence.
- Suffix – Add a suffix if desired
Order confirmation
After successful payment, customers see an order confirmation page. This is auto-generated based on order details. You can add a custom message that appears on this page—use it for thank-you notes, next steps, or promotion of related products.
Policies and legal
Terms and conditions
Require customers to agree to terms before completing purchase. Enable this and select your terms of service page. A checkbox appears at checkout that must be checked to proceed.
Some merchants make this required; others leave it off to reduce friction. Consider your legal needs and risk tolerance.
Refund policy link
Your refund policy is automatically linked in the checkout footer. Make sure you have a refund policy page created in Settings › Policies.
Privacy policy link
Also linked in checkout footer. Required for compliance in most jurisdictions.
Cart behavior
Cart type
Choose what happens when customers add items to cart:
- Drawer – Cart slides in from the side without leaving the page. Modern and keeps customers in the shopping flow.
- Page – Redirect to a dedicated cart page. Traditional approach, gives more room for cart features.
- Popup – Cart appears as a modal overlay
Empty cart redirect
Where to send customers who try to access checkout with an empty cart. Usually the homepage or collections page.
Post-purchase
Order status page
Customers can check their order status using a link in their confirmation email. This page shows order details, fulfillment status, and tracking information. You can customize the messaging that appears here.
Post-purchase upsells
Show additional product offers on the order confirmation page. This is the moment of highest trust—they just bought from you. A relevant upsell can increase average order value without interrupting the purchase flow.
Configure post-purchase offers in Settings › Checkout › Post-Purchase or through a dedicated upsell bolt.
Abandoned checkout recovery
When customers start checkout but don't complete it, CartOS saves their information. You can recover these potentially lost sales with abandoned checkout emails.
Set up abandoned checkout recovery in the Automation Bolt. Create a workflow triggered by abandoned checkout that sends a reminder email after a delay (usually 1-24 hours). Include a link back to their saved checkout so they can complete the purchase easily.
See Getting started with the Automation Bolt for setup details.
Testing checkout
After making changes, test your checkout thoroughly. Use Stripe test mode or place a small real order to verify:
- Fields appear correctly
- Required fields are enforced
- Colors and branding look right
- Express checkout buttons appear
- The complete flow works on mobile
See Placing a Test Order for detailed testing guidance.
Checkout performance
Checkout is optimized for speed out of the box. To maintain fast checkout:
- Use optimized images for your checkout banner and logo
- Avoid adding external scripts that could slow loading
- Don't require more fields than necessary
Every second of delay at checkout increases abandonment. Keep it fast.