Is your cart abandonment rate high? Or are you simply not making as many sales as you’d like? The design, process, and features of your eCommerce checkout page could be to blame.

The average cart abandonment rate is a whopping 69.23%, which means that nearly 7 out of 10 people who add items to their online shopping carts never follow through with a purchase.

While many factors can contribute to cart abandonment, the design and functionality of your checkout page are among the most important. This is the last page customers will see before they make a purchase, so everything must be smooth, easy to understand, and error-free.

Luckily, you can take a few simple steps to optimize your eCommerce checkout flow and increase sales. In this article, we’ll go over 12 of the best strategies for optimizing your checkout page. We’ll also share essential tips for designing an effective checkout page and avoiding common mistakes. Let’s get started.

Why Does Checkout Process Optimization Matter?

Before moving on to the strategies for optimizing your eCommerce checkout process, let’s spend a minute on why this is important in the first place.

A typical website conversion rate is between 2-5%. That means that out of every 100 visitors to your site, only 2-5 of them are completing a purchase.

And out of those that do add items to their cart, the average cart abandonment rate is a whopping 69.57%. In other words, there’s a lot of room for improvement regarding getting people to complete their purchases on your site.

Also, the design offered by eCommerce platforms and providers is often generic and not always optimized for conversion.

That’s why it’s important to take matters into your own hands and optimize your checkout process to increase average order value. You’ll need to tailor the process to your specific products and customers.

Best Practices For Checkout Optimization

Now that we’ve established why checkout optimization is important, let’s move on to the steps and best practices you can use to improve your eCommerce checkout process.

1. Offer A Guest Checkout Option

The first thing you can do to streamline and optimize your checkout process is to offer a guest checkout option. This means that customers don’t have to create an account on your site to purchase a product.

While account creation can benefit returning customers, first-time shoppers may be turned off by the extra steps involved. Allowing them to checkout as a guest streamlines the process and makes it more user-friendly.

34% of shoppers abandon their carts when forced to create an account, which can be a major problem for eCommerce retailers. While no doubt, accounts have their benefits, they shouldn’t be mandatory.

Eliminating details like birthdate or password and focusing on the essentials can also help to streamline the checkout process. The goal is to make it as quick and easy as possible for customers to purchase your products.

2. Use A Single-Page Checkout Process

If you want to simplify further and optimize your checkout process, consider using a one-page checkout process for an eCommerce store. It’s a great way to streamline the entire process and make it as user-friendly as possible.

The best thing about a one-page checkout process is that all the steps are on one page, so customers don’t have to click through to different pages to complete their purchases. This can help reduce confusion and make the process simpler and quicker.

But make sure the page is well-designed and easy to navigate. Also, include all the necessary fields on the page, but don’t make them too long or complex. Use progress bars or indicators to show customers how far they are in the process. And offer customer support information in case they have any questions or problems

3. Offer Free Shipping

One of the most effective ways to increase your conversion rate is to offer free shipping. According to a study, nearly 70% of shoppers said free shipping would make them more likely to shop online again. It’s also been shown to increase average order value.

If you’re not currently offering free shipping, there are a few ways to make it work with your business model. Look at your margins and see if you can afford to eat the shipping cost. If not, you can offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount. Or, you could use it as an incentive for customers to sign up for your newsletter or loyalty program.

Also, ensure that your shipping policy is prominently displayed on your website. Customers should be able to see it before they add anything to their cart.

4. Use Urgency and Scarcity

Customers who feel they might miss out on a purchase are more likely to follow through. You can create a sense of urgency and scarcity by offering a limited-time discount or by featuring products that are low in stock. You can also use language that implies urgency, such as „last chance” or „act now.”

For example, try using an on-screen countdown timer or a progress bar that fills up as items in your inventory run low. This will encourage customers to complete their purchases before it’s too late.

You can also try social proof techniques, like showing how many others have purchased or are interested in the same item. This will create a fear of missing out (FOMO) and prompt customers to buy before they miss their chance. For instance, you can display how many items are left in stock or how many people have viewed a product.

5. Provide Multiple Payment And Shipping Options

Multiple payment options are important to eCommerce customers—so much so that 7% will abandon the checkout process if the retailer doesn’t offer their preferred payment method. You can optimize your eCommerce checkout process by offering a range of payment methods on your site. This can include debit or credit cards, shopping apps, digital wallets, and even buy now, pay later options.

For shipping, consider offering a few different options. In addition to standard shipping, offer expedited shipping or local pickup for customers who need their items sooner. You can also offer free shipping thresholds to incentivize customers to spend more. Or, offer a subscription service for customers who want to receive regular shipments of your products.

6. Use Google Auto-Address

Filling out delivery information is one of the least favorite steps of online shopping, mostly because it takes so long. Users must manually type in the billing address, which can often lead to errors. This step can be greatly streamlined by using Google’s auto-shipping address.

Google auto-address uses the shopper’s IP address to fill in the city, state automatically, and zip code fields. This can save shoppers a lot of time, leading to more sales. Also, include a “country” field so international shoppers can easily checkout.

7. Use A Progress Bar And Reduce Form Fields

Another way to make the checkout process more user-friendly is to use a progress bar on the eCommerce website. This will let shoppers know how many steps there are in the process and where they are. By doing this, you can better understand how long the process will take and reassure shoppers that they are making progress.

Also, as per research, only eight fields in a form are considered ideal. Any more than that, you run the risk of shoppers getting frustrated and abandoning their purchase. So, try to reduce the number of form fields as much as possible. For example, you can eliminate unnecessary fields such as middle and company names. Or, you can make some fields optional.

8. Take Advantage Of 1-Click Checkout

Fewer steps in the checkout process mean fewer opportunities for customers to abandon their carts. The fewer steps, the better. Any unnecessary steps should be removed from the process altogether.

One way to streamline the checkout process is to offer a 1-click checkout option. This lets customers complete their purchases with a single click without entering additional information. This is especially useful for returning customers who have already saved their information on your site. It’s also a good idea to offer this option to guest users.

9. Offer Live Chat Support

For many customers, the decision to abandon their cart comes down to one simple question: do I feel confident enough in this purchase?

Live chat support can be a game-changer if a customer has a question about a product or is having trouble completing their purchase. Having someone available to answer questions and help with any issues can make all the difference. Also, offer live chat support in various languages to reach as many customers as possible.

10. Use Exit-Intent Popups

An exit-intent popup is a form of popup that appears when a customer is about to leave your site. It’s typically used to offer discounts or incentives to persuade customers to stay and complete their purchase.

While exit-intent popups can be effective, they should be used sparingly. If you use them too often, they can become annoying and may even cause customers to leave your site altogether. Use them and other strategies on this list to create the most effective eCommerce checkout process possible.

11. Always Use Secure Checkout

Customers want to know their personal and financial information is safe when purchasing online. Be sure to use a secure checkout process that uses SSL encryption. This will ensure that all customer information is kept safe and secure.

Also, display security badges from well-known brands ( such as Verisign or McAfee) to show customers that their information is in good hands. This will help build trust and confidence in your brand. Highlight your security measures prominently on your checkout page to give customers peace of mind. Also, make sure your customer service team is available to answer any questions or concerns they may have. It’ll be worth investing in a good customer service team as they can help increase sales and build loyalty among your customer base.

12. Upsell And Cross-Sell

Lastly, don’t forget to upsell and cross-sell during the checkout process. Upselling is when you offer a more expensive version of the product a customer is already buying. For example, if someone is buying a pair of shoes, you might offer them a pair of socks as an upsell.

Cross-selling is when you offer a related product to the one a customer is already buying. For example, if someone buys a dress, you might offer them a pair of earrings as a cross-sell.

Both upselling and cross-selling can be effective ways to increase your average order value. Just be sure not to go overboard. Offering too many products can be overwhelming and may cause customers to abandon their carts.

Get Help From Blue Owl Shopify Agency For Checkout Page Optimization

Whether you’re facing abandoned shopping carts or poor conversion rates, it’s time to examine your eCommerce checkout process closely. Our experts can help you identify problem areas and implement solutions to improve your customer experience and increase sales.

From streamlining the checkout process to adding customer support features, we can help you make the necessary changes to improve your conversion rate. Also, we can guide how to upsell and cross-sell to your customers effectively.

If you’re ready to take your eCommerce business to the next level, contact Blue Owl and let us help you optimize your checkout pages!