Customer Checkout Flow
This page explains how the checkout process works when a customer places an order through your storefront.
The checkout process
From the customer's perspective, checkout follows these steps:
1. Select rental dates
The customer chooses their desired start and end dates for the rental. Pyra checks availability in real time and only shows items that are available for those dates.
2. Add items to cart
The customer browses your catalog and adds items to their cart. Each cart item includes:
- The item and quantity
- The rental dates
- The calculated price (based on your rates and any applicable rules)
The cart shows a running total as items are added.
3. Enter delivery details
At checkout, the customer provides:
- Contact information — name, email, phone
- Delivery method — delivery to their site, or pickup from your location
- Delivery address — if delivery is selected
- Special instructions — any notes for the order
4. Review order summary
Before paying, the customer sees a full breakdown:
- All items with quantities and prices
- Rental period
- Delivery fee (if applicable)
- Any discounts or rule-based adjustments
- Taxes
- Total amount
5. Payment
The customer pays securely through Stripe. Depending on your settings, this may be:
- Full payment upfront — the total is charged at checkout
- Deposit only — a percentage is charged now, the balance later
- Pay on delivery — no charge at checkout, payment collected at delivery
6. Confirmation
After successful checkout submission (and payment authorization/capture when required by your payment timing settings):
- The customer sees an order confirmation page
- A confirmation email is sent to the customer
- You receive a notification of the new order
- The order appears in your Orders list as Pending
What happens on your side
When a customer completes checkout:
- The order appears in Orders with status Pending
- Review the order details — items, dates, delivery info, payment
- Confirm the order to reserve the inventory
- Schedule a delivery job if needed (see Route Planning)
- The customer receives an update that their order is confirmed
Checkout rules
Your business rules are applied automatically during checkout:
- Pricing rules — weekly/monthly rates, volume discounts
- Seasonal rules — adjusted pricing for specific date ranges
- Customer rules — special rates for specific customers
- Minimum rental period — enforces a minimum number of days
Customers see the final price after all rules are applied, so there are no surprises.
Payment settings
Configure payment options in Settings > Payments:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Stripe connection | Link your Stripe account to receive payments |
| Deposit percentage | Require a deposit at checkout (e.g., 25%) |
| Payment timing | When the full amount is charged |
| Accepted cards | Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc. (managed by Stripe) |
Failed payments
If an immediate payment attempt fails at checkout:
- The customer sees an error message and can retry with a different card
- For payment-required modes, no order is created until payment succeeds
- No inventory is reserved
Express checkout
Returning customers who have previously placed orders can check out faster. Their contact and delivery information is pre-filled from their last order.