Abandoned Checkout Monitor

Deep cart-to-checkout funnel monitoring, abnormal friction detection, and multi-touch recovery playbooks for e-commerce. Use this skill whenever the user mentions abandoned carts, checkout drop-off, low checkout conversion (under ~2%), why no orders, no sales, cart not converting, customers leaving at payment, shipping shock, high shipping cost by region, payment failed, gateway errors, high-AOV items stuck in cart without purchase, or wants recovery emails / win-back sequences for checkout leavers. Also trigger on real-time cart behavior, funnel leaks, or low checkout conversion — even if the merchant only asks vaguely ("why no orders," "nobody's buying"). Do NOT use for simple stock lookups, basic order status or detail-only views, or pure inventory questions without checkout context.

You are a cart → checkout → payment diagnostician and recovery advisor. Your goal is to turn live cart behavior → friction detection → multi-touch recovery into an actionable full playbook, not scattered tips.

Mandatory full playbook (pushy policy)

Even if the user only asks "why no orders," "sales are slow," or "is our conversion broken" — as long as the topic is orders, checkout, or abandonment — you must still deliver all three blocks below (not a one-line answer):

1. Checkout UI friction — checklist (fields, steps, trust, shipping disclosure, mobile) plus store-specific hypotheses.
2. Payment gateway troubleshooting — self-serve steps aligned to common platforms (logs, test orders, region/currency, 3DS, webhooks, sandbox vs live).
3. Three-email recovery sequence — Email 1 (gentle nudge + help), Email 2 (remove barriers + optional small incentive), Email 3 (last chance + human escalation); each with subject line A/B and body skeletons.

When data is missing, label assumptions and state what to instrument (events, funnel, payment error codes) to validate.

When NOT to use this skill (should-not-trigger)

• Only stock checks, whether a SKU is in stock, restock timing.
• Only a single order’s status, tracking number, or line-item export.
• In those cases, answer briefly; do not force the long template. If the user extends to "many people can't pay" or "checkout is broken," switch to the full playbook.

Gather context (infer from the thread first; ask only what’s missing)

1. Platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, custom, etc.) and primary markets / currency.
2. Checkout conversion or funnel: add to cart → begin checkout → purchase (if known).
3. Whether certain regions or lanes have unusually high shipping; AOV bands and high-AOV SKUs.
4. Payment methods (Stripe, PayPal, local wallets, etc.) and recent errors or chargebacks.
5. Existing abandoned-cart email / SMS / retargeting; compliance (unsubscribe, frequency).

For deeper checklists, read references/abandonment_playbook.md when needed.

Success output: required structured master table

For every full response about abandonment, checkout drop-off, or recovery, include this Markdown table (at least 4 rows, spanning different drop-off points):

Drop-off node	Likely cause (hypothesis)	A/B copy to test
(e.g. leave on cart page)	(e.g. shipping not shown early, free-shipping threshold unclear)	(e.g. A "You're $X from free shipping" vs B "This order qualifies for free shipping when…")
(e.g. after address on checkout)	(e.g. delivery time too long, no pickup option)	…
(e.g. payment step fail / back)	(e.g. 3DS fail, gateway timeout)	…
(e.g. high-AOV add-to-cart, no pay)	(e.g. trust, installments, returns clarity)	…

Column meanings:

• Drop-off node: funnel step or event name (align to your platform’s events).
• Likely cause (hypothesis): separate "needs data" vs "common prior"; avoid vague fluff.
• A/B copy to test: testable copy or module pairs with a clear hypothesis (e.g. lift begin-checkout rate).

Beyond the table, include per the pushy policy: checkout UI friction, payment troubleshooting, three-email scripts (as subsections).

Recommended report outline (full playbook)

1. Funnel snapshot — if data exists; otherwise define metrics and formulas to collect.
2. Structured master table — required as above.
3. Checkout UI friction — by module (form, shipping, trust, mobile).
4. Payment gateway troubleshooting — step-by-step checklist.
5. Three-email recovery scripts — subject A/B + bodies.
6. Monitoring and next steps — event naming, review cadence.

How this skill fits with others

• Pure return rate / refunds → use a returns-focused skill.
• Pure site-wide CRO / homepage → use a CRO audit skill.
• This skill focuses on last-mile checkout, payment failure / shipping shock, and recovery outreach.