Why Squarespace Store Owners Lose Sales Before Checkout (And How to Fix It)

If your Squarespace store is getting traffic but not enough sales, the instinct is usually to look at the checkout page. Is the process too long? Are there too many steps? Is shipping too expensive?

Those are valid questions. But for most Squarespace stores, the bigger leak is not at checkout. It is happening much earlier, on the product and collection pages, before a customer ever decides to add something to their cart.

The Pre-Checkout Sales Gap

Think about how your customers actually shop. They open your store, browse a few products, and compare options. Some of them like what they see but are not ready to buy right now. Maybe they want to think about it. Maybe it is a pay week away. Maybe they want to show it to someone first.

Without a way to save the products they liked, those customers leave and usually never return. Not because they changed their minds, but because they forgot what they saw, or they cannot find your store again, or the moment of purchase intent simply passed.

This is not a checkout problem. It is a pre-checkout problem. And Squarespace has no native solution for it.

Three Reasons Sales Are Lost Before Checkout

1. No way to save products for later

Squarespace does not have a native save-for-later or wishlist feature. When a customer is not ready to buy immediately, their only option is to leave. There is no mechanism to keep the purchase intent alive until they are ready.

2. No reminder mechanism for interested customers

Even if a customer bookmarks your store or remembers it, there is nothing prompting them to return. No reminder, no notification, no nudge. The customer has to remember on their own, which most do not.

3. No visibility into pre-purchase intent

Squarespace's analytics show you what sold. They do not show you what customers wanted but did not buy. That demand signal is invisible, so you cannot act on it.

How to Fix the Pre-Checkout Sales Gap

The fix is straightforward: give customers a way to save products and give yourself a way to bring them back.

A wishlist system does both. Customers can save products with one click at any point in the shopping journey. That saved list stays attached to their email, accessible from any device, retrievable whenever they are ready.

As the store owner, you get a live dashboard showing every customer's saved items and their email address, the ability to send direct reminders, and visibility into which products are being saved most.

Adding This to Your Squarespace Store

Squarespace does not include wishlist or save-for-later functionality natively. WishlistFlow is a plugin built specifically for Squarespace 7.1 that adds this complete system without requiring code changes or store redesigns.

It works alongside your existing Squarespace checkout, not instead of it. Starter plans begin at $9 per month with a 14-day free trial included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this the same as abandoned cart recovery?

No. Abandoned cart recovery catches customers who reached checkout and left. This fixes the earlier problem of customers who liked products but never added them to a cart at all.

Does this require a redesign of my store?

No. WishlistFlow integrates with your existing Squarespace store without requiring any redesign or code changes.