Ecommerce
Checkout step
Also called checkout stage.
Checkout step is a named stage in checkout such as shipping or payment. Each one is a place where people can leave.
How it is measured
Give each step a stable name and fire an event when it is reached. Count people at each, in order.
In Tarsier use events like checkout_shipping and checkout_payment so you can read the funnel by name.
Worked example
A bookstore has a four-step checkout: cart, address, shipping, payment. 2,000 reach the cart, 1,480 reach address, 1,300 shipping, 870 payment. The shipping-to-payment drop is 33 percent.
They find a surprise shipping fee on the payment page. After showing it earlier, payment reached rises to 1,010.
How it differs
A checkout step is one stage. A funnel is the full sequence. Enhanced ecommerce tracks each step with item data. Cart abandonment is the overall loss.
Common errors
Naming steps inconsistently. Skipping the step event on mobile. Merging two steps on one page. Ignoring guest versus account paths. Not testing after redesigns.
In practice
List the steps in order, fire one event each, and watch the biggest drop.