What is the best ecommerce checkout process? It’s an important question to ask if you’re looking to improve your website’s conversion rate. It’s no secret that the average online shopper has a short attention span.
In fact, a study by Microsoft found that the average person now has an attention span of 8 seconds – shorter than that of a goldfish! And eMarketer's case study suggests that the average cart abandonment is around 70%. This means that you have to work hard to keep shoppers engaged on your site – and the best way to do that is with a streamlined, user-friendly ecommerce checkout process.
The good news is that there are a number of best practices that you can adopt to ensure that your checkout process is as effective as possible. In this article, we’ll share 25 of the best ecommerce checkout process practices that you can use to improve your conversion rate.
Let’s get started!
25 best practices for Ecommerce checkout design
- Keep it simple: The checkout process should be as simple and straightforward as possible. Every extra step or required action will increase the likelihood of abandonment.
- Make the first step optional: Many users will abandon the checkout process if they are required to create an account before proceeding. Consider making the first step optional and allowing users to checkout as a guest.
- Use a single page: A single page checkout is much simpler and easier to use than a multi-page checkout. Users should be able to see all the steps and information on a single page.
- Use clear and concise labels: All labels and instructions should be clear and concise. There should be no confusion about what each step is or what information is required.
- Use progressive disclosure: Only display the information and options that are relevant to the current step. This will help to keep the checkout process simple and reduce clutter.
- Use inline validation: Validate input as the user is entering it rather than waiting until they try to submit the form. This will help to reduce errors and improve the overall user experience.
- Use meaningful error messages: If there are any errors in the input, provide a clear and concise error message that explains what the problem is and how to fix it.
- Use social login: Allow users to login with their existing social media accounts such as Facebook or Google. This can help to reduce friction and make the checkout process faster and easier.
- Use auto-fill: Use browser capabilities to automatically fill in some of the required information such as the user’s name, address, and email. This can help to speed up the checkout process.
- Use saved addresses: Allow users to save their shipping and billing addresses so that they can be used for future purchases. This can help to speed up the checkout process.
- Use shipping calculators: Provide a shipping calculator so that users can see the estimated shipping cost before they proceed to checkout. This can help to avoid surprises at the end of the process.
- Use payment calculators: Provide a payment calculator so that users can see the estimated total cost of their purchase including taxes, shipping, and any other fees. This can help to avoid surprises at the end of the process.
- Use coupons and discounts: Allow users to enter coupon codes and apply discounts at the checkout page. This can help to increase conversion rates and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use trust indicators: Use trust indicators such as security seals and badges to show that the checkout process is safe and secure. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use progress indicators: Use progress indicators to show the user how far along they are in the checkout process. This can help to reduce anxiety and keep users on track.
- Use order summaries: Provide a summary of the order including the items, quantities, prices, and any discounts that have been applied. This can help to reduce errors and ensure that the user is aware of what they are buying.
- Use shipping estimates: Provide an estimate of when the order will ship and when it will be delivered. This can help to manage expectations and ensure that the user is aware of the delivery timeline.
- Use payment options: Offer a variety of payment options such as credit card, debit card, PayPal, and others. This can help to increase conversion rates by accommodating different preferences.
- Use security features: Use features such as SSL encryption and fraud detection to ensure that the checkout process is safe and secure. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use customer support: Provide customer support options such as live chat, phone, and email so that users can get help if they have any problems. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use order tracking: Allow users to track their order progress so that they can see when it ships and when it will be delivered. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use shipping notifications: Send shipping notifications to the user so that they are aware of when their order has shipped and when it will be delivered. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use order confirmation: Send an order confirmation email to the user once the purchase is complete. This can help to increase confidence and encourage users to complete the purchase.
- Use post-purchase upsells: Offer relevant products or services to the user after they have completed the purchase. This can help to increase revenue and encourage repeat business.
- Use A/B testing: Use A/B testing to continuously improve the checkout process. This can help to increase conversion rates and encourage users to complete the purchase.
What is the process of designing the optimized checkout experience?
When designing the checkout experience, it is important to keep the user in mind at all times. The goal is to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible. Every extra step or required action will increase the likelihood of abandonment.
Some important factors to consider include the layout of the page, the use of labels and instructions, the use of social login, the use of coupons and discounts, and the use of customer support.
Some key things to consider when designing your checkout page include:
- The layout of the page. Is it easy to find the relevant information and buttons?
- The overall look and feel. Does it match the branding of your site?
- The payment process. Is it easy to understand and use?
- The security of the page. Is it SSL-encrypted and using a reputable payment processor?
Additionally, it is important to use A/B testing to continuously improve the checkout process. By taking the time to design an effective checkout page, you can increase your chances of converting visitors into customers and boost your bottom line.
How to deal with abandoned carts?
To effectively deal with cart abandonment, it is important to identify the reasons why users are abandoning their carts. This can be done through analysis of customer data and feedback. Once the reasons have been identified, it is important to take steps to address the issues. This may involve changes to the checkout process.
Additionally, it is important to follow up with users who have abandoned their carts to try to encourage them to complete their purchase. You can use remarking emails strategy to reach these users and offer them incentives, such as discounts or free shipping. Remarketing emails are effective because they target users who have already shown an interest in your product or service.
Online checkout process design is an important part of conversion rate optimization
The checkout process is often the last interaction that customers have with your brand before they receive their purchase. This makes it a crucial touchpoint for creating a positive brand experience and ensuring customer satisfaction. An optimized checkout process can help increase conversion rates and revenue for your business. By streamlining the process and removing any obstacles that could cause customers to abandon their carts, you can make it more likely that they will complete their purchase.
There are many factors that go into designing a successful checkout page, but one of the most important is conversion rate. The conversion rate is the percentage of visitors to a website who take action and complete a purchase. A high conversion rate is essential for any ecommerce business, and optimizing the checkout page is one of the best ways to increase it.
There are a few key things to keep in mind when designing a checkout page that will help to increase conversion rate. First, the page should be designed to be as user-friendly as possible. The layout should be simple and easy to navigate, and the forms should be easy to understand and fill out. Second, the page should be designed to instill trust in the customer. This means including things like security seals, customer testimonials, and guarantees. Finally, the page should be designed to make the customer feel like they are getting a good deal. This can be done by offering discounts or free shipping.
By keeping these things in mind, you can design a checkout page that will help to increase your conversion rate.