Stripe and Knack: Turn Cart Abandonment into Customer Loyalty 

You’ve built an online store. Orders are coming in. Then you notice something frustrating: customers are abandoning their carts at checkout. Not because they don’t want your products, but because they don’t want to re-enter their credit card information every time they make a purchase.

If you’ve ever watched potential sales disappear because customers got tired of typing in card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes over and over again, you’re experiencing one of the most common friction points in ecommerce. The good news? There’s a simple, secure way to fix this problem and transform your checkout experience.

This is why Knack’s Stripe integration includes payment method views that let customers save their card details securely. In this article, we’ll show you how to set up Stripe in Knack and enable one-click payments that keep customers coming back.

Why Repeat Checkout Forms Drive Customers Away (and How to Fix It)

Imagine you have a loyal customer who wants to reorder from your store. They love your products and they’re ready to buy again. Then they hit your checkout page and realize they need to pull out their credit card and manually type in every detail again.

The card number. The expiration date. The security code. The billing address. They’re thinking, “Wait. Didn’t I already do this?”

For many customers, this is the moment they decide “maybe later” and leave your site. You’ve just lost a sale, and your customer has had a frustrating experience with your business.

Creating a Frictionless Checkout Experience

For operations teams managing online stores, this creates a painful dilemma. You want secure payment processing, but you also need a frictionless checkout experience. The technical challenge of implementing saved payment methods can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re worried about security, compliance, and getting it right the first time.

That’s exactly why Knack built our Stripe integration with both security and convenience in mind. It’s a straightforward way to enable one-click payments while keeping customer data safe and encrypted through Stripe’s industry-leading security infrastructure.

Real-World Scenario: Building a Checkout Experience That Converts

Let’s say you run a specialty coffee subscription service. Customers order their favorite roast each month, but you’re noticing a drop-off rate at checkout. Your customers want your coffee, but the checkout process is creating unnecessary friction.

Your mission is clear: set up Stripe with saved payment methods, test it safely, and launch a checkout experience that turns occasional buyers into loyal subscribers. Here’s how to make this happen using Knack’s no-code platform.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your One-Click Payment System

1. Getting Your Foundation Ready

Before diving into the setup, make sure you have two things in place: your Knack app with your online store already configured, and an active Stripe account. If you don’t have these ready yet, take a moment to set them up first. Everything else builds on this foundation.

2. Enabling Ecommerce in Your Knack App

Start by accessing your app settings in the left-hand navigation menu. Click “Settings” to open up all your app configurations. This is mission control for your entire application.

In the settings menu, click “Ecommerce” to open the configuration page. This is where Knack handles all your payment processing setup. In the center of the screen, click “Enable ecommerce” to begin the setup process.

Knack will present you with a confirmation dialog. Click the “Enable” button to activate ecommerce features for your app. You’ve just unlocked the payment processing capabilities that will transform your checkout experience.

3. Retrieving Your Stripe API Keys

Here’s where you’ll connect Knack to your Stripe account. Switch over to your Stripe dashboard and click inside the search bar at the top of the page to find your API keys.

You’re looking for two specific credentials: the publishable key and the secret key. Copy the publishable key token to your clipboard first. Then, click the secret key token to copy it as well. You might want to paste both into a notepad temporarily so you have them ready.

These keys are what allow Knack and Stripe to communicate securely. The publishable key handles front-end interactions, while the secret key manages secure server-side transactions.

4. Connecting Stripe to Your Knack App

Return to your Knack app settings and click the “Add processor” button. This opens up the payment gateway configuration.

In the ecommerce payment processor dialog, select the “Stripe” radio button as your processor type. In the processor name field, type “Payments” to give it a clear identifier.

Now you’ll add those credentials you copied. Click inside the publishable key field and paste in your publishable key. Then click inside the test secret key field and paste in your secret key.

Here’s an important note about test versus live keys: for live transactions, you’ll need both the live publishable key and the live secret key. These live keys become available only after Stripe verifies your business information. Don’t worry if you can’t access them immediately. You can update these later when you’re ready to process real transactions.

5. Configuring Your Currency Settings

Click the default currency dropdown menu to view your options. Select USD (US dollars) or whatever currency makes sense for your business. This ensures all transactions are processed in the correct currency and that they display properly to your customers.

At the bottom of the dialog, click “Update payment processor” to save your configuration. You’ve just connected Stripe to your Knack app.

6. Setting Up Your Payment Page

In the left-hand navigation menu, click “Pages” to view all your application pages. Select your payment page—this is where actual payments will be processed.

You may already have an “Add payment” page created. At the top of the central pane, click “Add view” to add the payment form to this page.

In the add view menu on the left, scroll down to find the “Ecommerce” section. Under ecommerce, select “Payment.” This enables your customers to start purchasing from your online store with secure, one-time payments.

You can customize the fields on this form or add rules to make it more interactive, but the basic functionality is ready to go right out of the box.

7. The Game-Changer: Adding Payment Method Views

Here’s where the magic happens. Payment method views allow customers to save their credit card details securely so they never have to re-enter them for future purchases.

One critical thing to know: payment method views only work with Stripe processors and must be on login-protected pages. This is because saved payment methods are tied to specific user accounts, which provides both security and convenience.

Go back to your payment page and click “Add view” again. In the add view menu, scroll down to the ecommerce section and select “Payment method.”

In the payment method view menu, click the checkbox for “Use the test mode of your payment processors.” This is your safety net—it lets you test everything without processing real transactions or moving actual money.

Click “Next” to proceed. Now you’ll specify who can save payment methods. Select the “Logged in user” radio button to indicate that payment methods will be saved for the current user account.

Click “Next” to continue, then click “Add payment method view” to add the configured view to your page.

Just like with the payment form, you can customize the payment method view settings and add rules to make it more interactive based on your specific needs.

The Customer Experience that Changes Everything

When your customers visit the payment page, they’ll see two helpful options. First, they can enter their bank card details to complete a purchase. Second, and this is the game-changer: they can securely save those details for future purchases.

Once a customer saves their payment method, their entire shopping experience transforms. Instead of typing card numbers, expiration dates, and security codes every single time, they complete their purchase with one click.

This convenience doesn’t just make checkout faster. It fundamentally changes customer behavior. One-time buyers become repeat customers. Occasional purchasers become loyal subscribers. The friction that was driving people away from your checkout page disappears completely.

Knack + Stripe: What Makes this Approach Different

What’s truly impressive about Knack’s Stripe integration is how it balances security with convenience. Customer payment information never touches your servers. It’s encrypted and stored securely by Stripe, which maintains PCI compliance so you don’t have to.

Meanwhile, your customers get the convenience of one-click purchasing without any security compromises. It’s the best of both worlds: enterprise-level security with a consumer-friendly experience.

You’ve essentially created a professional checkout system that rivals what major e-commerce platforms offer, and you’ve done it without writing a single line of code.

Beyond Checkout: Building for Customer Retention

This Stripe integration goes beyond processing payments efficiently. It creates a foundation for customer loyalty and repeat business.

Think about your own online shopping behavior. Which stores do you return to most often? Probably the ones where checkout is effortless, where your payment information is already saved, where buying again is as simple as clicking a button.

That’s exactly what you’re building for your customers. You’re removing the friction that causes cart abandonment. You’re creating an experience that makes repeat purchases feel easy and natural.

Unlike standalone payment processors that treat each transaction as isolated, Knack’s integrated approach means your payment data connects directly to your customer records, purchase history, and business analytics. When a customer makes a purchase, that transaction becomes part of their complete profile in your system.

Get ideas for setting up Triggers and Actions when you connect Stripe with Knack.

From Friction to Flow: Transforming Your Checkout Process

Many online businesses start with basic checkout forms that require customers to re-enter payment information for every purchase. This approach works initially, but it creates unnecessary friction and limits growth potential.

Knack’s Stripe integration with saved payment methods eliminates that friction entirely. Customers can complete their first transaction and then enjoy one-click purchasing for every future order. The experience feels professional, secure, and respectful of their time, which builds trust in your business.

For subscription-based businesses, this functionality is particularly powerful. Customers can save their payment method once and enjoy automatic renewals without any additional steps. For retail businesses with repeat customers, it transforms occasional buyers into regulars who find it effortless to reorder.

Ready to Set Up Stripe and Boost Your Conversion Rates?

If you’re tired of watching potential sales disappear at checkout because customers don’t want to re-enter their payment information, it’s time to consider a platform that’s built for conversion optimization. Knack’s no-code approach means you can have a professional, one-click payment system running in hours, not weeks.

Ready to see the difference? Sign up for a free trial and test out Knack’s Stripe integration.