> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://services.docs.growcrm.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Customer Checkout Flow: From Service Selection to Payment

> Follow the full customer journey from opening a checkout form link to a paid order, and learn what the module creates automatically after payment.

When a customer clicks a checkout form link, they enter a guided purchase flow that handles service selection, pricing, account creation, and payment — all without any manual involvement from your team. This page walks through every step of that journey from the customer's perspective, then explains what happens automatically on your end the moment payment is confirmed. Understanding this flow helps you configure your services correctly and set accurate expectations for clients.

## The Checkout Journey

<Steps>
  <Step title="Browse and select a service">
    The customer opens the form's public URL and sees every enabled service
    listed on it. Each service shows its name and a brief description. The
    customer clicks on the one they want to purchase, which expands the service
    and reveals pricing and option details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose price, quantity, and add-ons">
    Depending on how the service's pricing is configured, the customer takes one
    of the following actions:

    <Tabs>
      <Tab title="Single Fixed Price">
        The price is shown automatically — no selection is required. The
        customer reviews the amount and moves on.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Multiple Fixed Prices">
        The customer picks one price tier from the list you've defined — for
        example, Basic, Standard, or Premium.
      </Tab>

      <Tab title="Unit Price">
        The customer enters a quantity within the minimum and maximum range you
        set. The displayed total updates live as they type.
      </Tab>
    </Tabs>

    If the service has any add-ons configured, they appear below the price
    selection. The customer can toggle add-ons on or off, and the order total
    updates in real time to reflect every selection. See [Services](/services/overview)
    and [Add-ons & Options](/services/options) for details on configuring these.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Fill in the custom order form (if enabled)">
    If you've attached a [Custom Order Form](/checkout/custom-forms) to the
    service, the customer sees it next. They work through your fields — text
    inputs, dropdowns, file uploads, and so on — before they can continue. Any
    field you've marked as required must be completed before the customer can
    proceed to the next step. This is the ideal moment to collect project briefs,
    specifications, or any assets needed to start delivery.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign in or create an account">
    The module needs a client record to attach the order to. At this step:

    * **Returning clients** who are already logged in skip this step entirely.
    * **Existing clients who aren't logged in** sign in with their email and
      password.
    * **New customers** click **Sign Up**, enter their details, and a new client
      and client-user account is created for them automatically. The system
      emails them a temporary password so they can log in and manage their
      orders later.

    <Info>
      New client accounts are created on the spot during checkout — you don't
      need to create a client record in advance for a customer to make a
      purchase.
    </Info>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pay">
    The customer sees a full payment summary — service name, selected price,
    add-ons, and the total amount due. They then choose their payment method:

    <CardGroup cols={2}>
      <Card title="Pay with Credit Card" icon="credit-card">
        Powered by **Stripe**. The customer enters their card details on
        Stripe's secure payment page and confirms the charge.
      </Card>

      <Card title="Pay with PayPal" icon="paypal">
        The customer is redirected to **PayPal** to approve the payment,
        then returned to your site automatically.
      </Card>
    </CardGroup>

    Both methods are configured in [Payment Gateways](/settings/payment-gateways).
    You can enable one or both, and customers see only the options you've
    activated.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Thank-you page">
    After a successful payment, the customer is redirected to a thank-you page
    confirming that their order is placed. From here they can log into the client
    portal to view their order and any invoice or project that was created.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Happens Automatically After Payment

You don't need to take any manual action after a customer pays. The module listens for payment confirmation from the gateway — immediately for Stripe, or via PayPal's webhook for PayPal payments — and then runs the following automatically:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Order record is created">
    A permanent **Order** is created and linked to the client's account. It
    captures the service purchased, the price paid, any add-ons, and the
    answers submitted on the custom order form. You can view and manage all
    orders under **Products & Services → Orders**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invoice and payment are recorded">
    An **Invoice** is generated and marked as paid, with a **Payment** record
    attached reflecting the exact amount charged. This keeps your billing
    history complete without any manual bookkeeping.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Project is created (if configured)">
    If you've set up checkout automation on the service to create a project
    after an initial payment, the module creates a **Project**, assigns the
    configured team members, and appends any custom order form answers to the
    project description. See [Checkout Automation](/services/automation) for
    setup details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Notification emails are sent">
    The module sends emails to notify your admin team that a new order has
    arrived, and — if configured — sends a confirmation email to the client.
    Customize the content of these messages in
    [Email Templates](/settings/email-templates).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Recurring Subscriptions

For services sold on a recurring billing cycle, the checkout flow above applies to the first payment only. For every subsequent renewal, the module handles the following automatically:

<Accordion title="Renewal payment succeeds">
  * The order remains active and its **last-renewed date** is updated to
    reflect the new billing period.
  * If the service's [automation rules](/services/automation) include a
    "recurring payment completed" trigger, a new project is created for the
    renewal — useful for retainer-style services where each billing cycle
    represents a new block of work.
  * Admin and client notification emails are sent as configured.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Renewal payment fails">
  * The module triggers failure notification emails to the admin team and the
    client so the payment issue can be resolved promptly.
  * The order is not immediately cancelled — your team and the client have an
    opportunity to update payment details.
</Accordion>

<Accordion title="Cancelling a subscription">
  Subscriptions are cancelled from the [Orders](/orders/overview) screen. When
  you cancel a subscription, cancellation is **scheduled** rather than instant
  — the order remains active until it is processed, after which it is marked
  as cancelled and no further renewals occur.
</Accordion>

<Warning>
  Subscription cancellations are not immediate. Do not assume a subscription is
  inactive the moment you request cancellation — wait for the order status to
  update before communicating cancellation to your client.
</Warning>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Orders Overview" icon="inbox" href="/orders/overview">
    View completed purchases, access order details, and review submitted form
    answers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Subscription Management" icon="arrows-rotate" href="/orders/subscriptions">
    Manage active recurring subscriptions and handle cancellations.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Checkout Automation" icon="bolt" href="/services/automation">
    Configure project creation and team assignments triggered by new orders.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Payment Gateways" icon="building-columns" href="/settings/payment-gateways">
    Set up Stripe and PayPal so customers can pay at checkout.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>