We found 36 issues in Forever21's checkout, a modelled 16.5–50.8% of conversions.

The problem

When the checkout form has an error, the store clears out information the shopper already typed correctly.

Why it matters

A shopper who typed their address once and lost it to a form error frequently will not type it twice. This is a critical-severity leak at the very end of the funnel, where every lost buyer was seconds from paying.

The problem

The product price is not visible above the fold on desktop or on mobile. Shoppers have to scroll to find out what the product costs.

Why it matters

Price is the single strongest predictor of whether a shopper stays or bounces. If they can't see it in the first second, they're gone. This is the highest-impact fix on any product page.

The problem

The cart does not show a full cost breakdown. Some of subtotal, shipping, tax, or total is missing before checkout.

Why it matters

Baymard research: 48% of shoppers abandon at checkout because of surprise costs. If the cart hides shipping or tax until the final step, you are training buyers to bail.

The problem

The full order total (including shipping and tax) isn't visible before the buyer starts entering payment details.

Why it matters

Surprise costs at the payment step are the #1 abandonment trigger in every study. Buyers want the final number before their card leaves the wallet.

The problem

The Add-to-Cart button is not visible above the fold on mobile. Shoppers have to scroll to find how to buy.

Why it matters

On mobile especially, buyers scan the top of the page and decide within seconds. If the primary purchase button isn't in that first view, many will leave before scrolling.

What to do

Replace or reposition the intrusive cookie consent banner (currently with 'OK!' and 'Manage preferences' buttons taking up the bottom fold) with a slimmer bar, and place a sticky 'Add to Bag' button in Forever 21's yellow brand color fixed to the bottom of the screen so it remains visible above the fold even before scrolling to product details.

The problem

The product page doesn't tell shoppers when their order will arrive. There is no delivery date or lead-time estimate.

Why it matters

Buyers often decide between two stores based on delivery timing, especially for gifts and urgent purchases. Uncertain timing pushes them to competitors who are clear.

The problem

The product page doesn't clearly say whether the item is in stock, low stock, or out of stock.

Why it matters

Stock signals affect two decisions. "In stock" builds confidence. "Only 3 left" adds urgency. Silence makes shoppers hesitate.

The problem

The product page shows no star rating or review summary above the fold. Shoppers have to scroll to find social proof.

Why it matters

Ratings are the fastest trust signal on a product page. A shopper who lands and doesn't see any social proof in the first view assumes it's a low-quality product or a new store.

What to do

Add a star rating with review count (e.g. '★★★★☆ (89 reviews)') directly beneath the 'STRIPED BARREL LEG JOGGERS' title and above the '$24.99' price, matching the black/yellow theme used elsewhere on the page.

The problem

There's no returns or exchange policy communicated on the product page itself. Shoppers have to hunt the footer or FAQ to find it.

Why it matters

"What if I don't like it?" is the last question in every purchase. If the answer isn't obvious, hesitation kills conversion, especially for higher-price items and apparel.

What to do

Add a short returns statement (e.g. 'Free 30-day returns') directly under the Klarna 4-payments module near the ATC button at ~y=0.4-0.55, so shoppers see the policy without scrolling to the footer links.

The problem

The cart does not clearly show tax, either as an amount or as a note that tax will be calculated at checkout.

Why it matters

Buyers in the US and Canada expect a tax line before they commit. Silence at the cart step means a jump in the total at checkout, and that jump is what makes them abandon.

The problem

The cart doesn't offer any express wallet button (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, PayPal Express).

Why it matters

Express wallets skip 60-80% of the checkout form. Shop Pay alone lifts checkout completion by ~1.7x. On mobile especially, one tap vs six form fields is the biggest single conversion lever left in ecommerce.

What to do

Add express wallet buttons (Apple Pay, PayPal, Google Pay, Shop Pay) directly above or below the black 'CHECKOUT' button near the '$24.00 USD' total, similar to how Shopify-based carts typically stack these; currently only static payment icons appear in the footer which don't function as clickable express checkout options.

The problem

The checkout has more than 8 form fields. Industry-best checkouts collect 6-8 fields; industry-average is 11.3.

Why it matters

Every extra field drops conversion by roughly 2%. Fields cost you money in a direct, measurable way. A checkout with 13 fields loses ~10% of buyers compared to one with 8.

The problem

The checkout has no address autocomplete (Google Places, Loqate, SmartyStreets, or similar). Shoppers type every line of their address manually.

Why it matters

Address autocomplete cuts address-entry time roughly in half on mobile and drops delivery-failure rates from typos. It also feels premium, buyers notice.

The problem

The checkout page does not show when the order will arrive. Buyers commit to buying without knowing the delivery date.

Why it matters

Delivery timing is often the deciding factor between two stores. If your competitor tells the buyer "arrives Tuesday" and you say nothing, you lose. Especially for gifts.

The problem

The structured product data that AI shopping agents read (ChatGPT, Google, Copilot) is incomplete on this page. Some or all of these are missing: product ID (GTIN), brand, review data, availability, shipping details.

Why it matters

AI-referred traffic converts 42% higher than regular traffic (Adobe, 2026). But agents only recommend stores whose product data they can read. Incomplete data means invisible to AI shoppers.

The problem

The checkout has no signals declaring it can be driven by AI agents. No ACP or UCP meta tags, no /.well-known/agentic-commerce endpoint, no Stripe ACP integration.

Why it matters

OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) and Google's Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) are the emerging standards for agent-driven checkout. Stores that declare readiness get preferential routing from ChatGPT and Google AI. This is 2026's biggest new distribution channel.

The problem

An aggressive popup (newsletter, discount, chat prompt) covers this product page shortly after it loads. Cookie banners don't count; this is the newsletter-style overlay.

Why it matters

Popups on first visit interrupt intent. First-time shoppers are still evaluating; a modal that blocks the price or ATC is a fast way to lose them.

What to do

The yellow 'USE CODE: APPMVP20' banner in the bottom-left corner and the vertical 'Get 15% Off' tab on the right edge are non-blocking but visually compete with the product info; consider making the discount code banner dismissible with an X and reducing its size so it doesn't overlap the cookie banner.

The problem

Cart items can't be edited in place: quantity changes or removals are missing or require leaving the cart.

Why it matters

Shoppers adjust quantities at the last moment. If editing is hard, they either abandon or check out with the wrong items and return them later.

The problem

When a shopper selects a variant (size, color, style, or edition), the selected state isn't clearly indicated with both a visual highlight AND a text label.

Why it matters

Ambiguity here causes wrong-variant orders. The shopper thought they picked Large, actually picked Medium, and it costs you a return plus a lost repeat customer.

What to do

Add color/size swatches below the product title 'STRIPED BARREL LEG JOGGERS' similar to the swatch UI seen in the Related Products section (small square color swatches), with the selected option outlined and labeled as text (e.g., 'Size: M' or 'Color: Black/White').

The problem

The product page does not have a Q&A section or a real specifications table. Shoppers cannot answer their own questions before buying.

Why it matters

Considered purchases (electronics, appliances, tools, tech gear) live and die on the details page. When shoppers cannot find dimensions, materials, compatibility, or answers to obvious questions, they leave to research on Amazon or a competitor and often buy there instead.

The problem

Some interactive elements on the mobile page are smaller than 44x44 pixels. Fingers struggle to hit them accurately.

Why it matters

44x44 pixels is the minimum touch target Apple and the WCAG 2.2 guidelines recommend. Below that, mis-taps happen: buyers hit the wrong swatch, wrong quantity, wrong link, and abandon in frustration.

The problem

The cart does not show a delivery estimate for each item. Buyers cannot see when their order will arrive.

Why it matters

Delivery timing is the second-biggest factor after price, especially for gifts and urgent purchases. Uncertain arrival dates push buyers to competitors who are clear.

The problem

The promo / coupon code field on the cart is one of the biggest, most visible elements. It practically invites shoppers to leave and search for a code.

Why it matters

Baymard research: 42% of shoppers who see a prominent promo field leave to hunt for a code, and many don't come back. Understating the field keeps them in flow.

What to do

Remove or minimize the persistent yellow 'F21 USE CODE: APPMVP20' pill in the bottom-left corner and instead place a small 'Add promo code' collapsible link near the order total, so the discount doesn't visually compete with the Checkout button.

The problem

The checkout doesn't show which step the buyer is on or how many steps remain. It feels like an infinite form.

Why it matters

Not knowing how long a task will take is one of the strongest predictors of abandonment. A visible "Step 2 of 3" gives buyers the confidence to push through the next 30 seconds of typing.

What to do

Add a persistent step tracker above 'Contact' (e.g. 'Information > Shipping > Payment' breadcrumb with the current step bolded/underlined) so users know this is step 1 of 3, matching the yellow accent color already used for the progress bar on the right panel.

The problem

The store logo in the checkout header links straight back to the homepage.

Why it matters

A stray click on the logo dumps the buyer out of checkout, and on some stores it also loses the form data. Small leak, easy fix.

The problem

The checkout uses separate First Name and Last Name fields instead of a single Full Name field.

Why it matters

Two fields cost two taps and two keyboard focuses on mobile. Baymard research shows a single Full Name field measurably lifts checkout completion, especially on phones.

The problem

Some input fields use `type="text"` when they should use `type="email"`, `type="tel"`, or `inputmode="numeric"`. Mobile keyboards do not adapt.

Why it matters

The wrong keyboard is a small papercut on every entry. Type an email on a phone with a QWERTY (no @ key) or a phone number without the number pad, and completion drops.

The problem

Personal-info fields are missing correct `autocomplete` attributes, or one is set to `autocomplete="off"`. Password managers and browser autofill do not work smoothly.

Why it matters

WCAG 2.2 requires autocomplete on personal-info fields for accessibility. Beyond compliance, correct autocomplete makes checkout a 2-tap experience for returning buyers, huge for mobile conversion.

The problem

The checkout does not offer a "Same as shipping" checkbox for the billing address, with the box checked by default. Buyers have to type their address twice. (This rule only applies to physical-product stores.)

Why it matters

For most orders, billing and shipping addresses are the same. Making the buyer re-enter their address is duplicate work and a common source of typos.

The problem

The phone number field is required with no explanation why. Buyers who value their privacy hesitate or abandon.

Why it matters

"Why does a t-shirt store need my phone number?" is a real objection. Without a rationale, some shoppers will not give it and will leave.

The problem

The checkout form uses placeholder-only labels: the field's purpose is shown as grey text inside the input, and disappears the moment the buyer starts typing.

Why it matters

Placeholder-only labels violate WCAG accessibility, but they also just cost sales. A buyer who types a wrong value, then forgets what the field was for, has to erase everything to see the label again. Frustration compounds.

What to do

Add small persistent labels (e.g. 'First name', 'Last name', 'Address', 'City', 'ZIP code') above each field in the Delivery section, similar to the bold 'Contact' and 'Delivery' section headers, so the label stays visible after the buyer types instead of relying on placeholder text like 'First name' or 'Address' that disappears on input.

The problem

The card-payment form is missing the `autocomplete` attributes mobile browsers need to autofill saved cards.

Why it matters

iOS and Android can autofill a saved card in one tap when the fields are labeled correctly. Without it, the buyer types 16 digits, expiry, and CVV manually, and many abandon.

The problem

The checkout does not declare support for delegated-payment (ACP tokenization). Agents cannot pass a tokenized payment method on the buyer's behalf.

Why it matters

Delegated-payment is the piece that actually lets agents complete a purchase without asking the buyer to type their card. Stripe and PayPal both support this via their ACP modes. Without it, agents can prep the order but hand it back to the buyer to finalize.

The problem

The product title is missing the brand name, the product type, or key descriptors that help shoppers understand what they are looking at.

Why it matters

Titles like "Model 3092" or "Plugin v3.2" mean nothing to a first-time visitor. In search results and shared links, a good title decides whether people click.

The problem

Cart line items do not include machine-readable product identifiers (SKU, GTIN, product_id). Agents see only display names.

Why it matters

Without a stable identifier per line, agents cannot cross-check items against a catalog, apply price rules, or reconcile the order. Display names change with translation and localization, they are not safe identifiers.

The problem

When an error message appears, the form visibly jumps, moving fields under the buyer's cursor or thumb.

Why it matters

Layout jumps cause mis-clicks and lose the buyer's place in the form. On mobile they routinely cause wrong-field input.