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11 Best Practices for Shopping Cart Checkout: Increase Sales by Making the Checkout Process Better

How many sales you make through your eCommerce site will depend on how well your checkout works. Research shows that almost 70% of people put something in their online shopping cart but don't finish the checkout process.  As part of conversion rate optimization (CRO), you want to make the eCommerce checkout process as smooth and easy as possible, while still getting the information you need to process an order.  Use these tips to get back lost sales and increase the number of people who buy from your store.

1. Show signs of trust

When they shop online, people buy from brands they trust. But building trust doesn't stop when they put an item in their online shopping cart. Use trust signals to show potential customers that they can trust your e-commerce site with their sensitive payment information.  Trust signals do exactly what they say on the tin: they show customers that they can trust your business with sensitive information (most importantly, their credit card details). Some ways to show that you can be trusted during an online checkout are: 
  • HTTPS certificates 
  • Customer testimonials 
  • Influencer endorsements 
  • Payment processor logos 
  • Shipping and returns policies 

2. Make the checkout easy to use on mobile

In 2021, nearly one-third of US internet users bought something every week using their mobile devices. With a mobile-friendly checkout, these shoppers are more likely to finish the transaction.  Take this example from The Citizenry as an example. Its online store is mobile-friendly because it uses Shopify Checkout. The checkout page automatically adjusts to fit a small screen, and shoppers see big buttons and fonts that are easy to use with their fingers. This makes it easier for them to finish a purchase on their phone.   checkout   On its mobile-optimized checkout page, The Citizenry shows a customer a summary of their order, the shipping methods they can use, and options for quick checkout.

3. Get rid of extra costs

Did you know that extra costs cause 55% of online shoppers to abandon their carts? Shoppers want to know that the price they see on a product page is the exact amount that will be taken out of their bank account.  There are times when you can't avoid extra costs, like shipping, customs, or tax. But if this information is on the product page or if shipping is free for orders over a certain amount, the extra costs don't come as a surprise and make them less likely to buy. 

4. Show a progress bar on the checkout page

The best thing to do at checkout is to get rid of any form fields that aren't needed. Studies have shown that a customer is more likely to fill out an eCommerce checkout form if it has fewer fields. If the checkout process is quick, 27% of people would have left their online cart otherwise buy something.  Alex Birkett of Omniscient Digital suggests, "If you have a free shipping threshold, make a dynamic banner that shows how close they are to getting free shipping." I've tested this, and it usually has no effect on conversions or a positive effect, but it tends to increase average order value (AOV) and revenue."  Still, you need a lot of information to process orders, especially if you sell products that can be customized or personalized. In that case, show a progress bar like this one from Taylor Stitch so people know how long they have until their order is done.     Taylor Stitch's checkout page has a progress bar that tells online shoppers how many steps are left to finish their order. 

5. Allow multiple ways to pay

When people buy things online, they can choose from a number of ways to pay. About 7% of them will give up on the checkout process if they can't use their preferred payment method.  Allow customers to pay in the way they prefer to improve your checkout conversion rate. Those things are: 
  • Shopping apps like Shop Pay 
  • Credit or debit cards 
  • Buy now, pay later options like Shop Pay Installments 
  • Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay
  [caption id="attachment_9601" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Shoppers can pay for their purchases at St. Frank with Shop Pay or Amazon Pay.[/caption]  

6. Fill in their billing and shipping address automatically

The longer someone waits in line to pay, the more time they have to change their mind.  Google Autocomplete makes things go faster. It fills in the customer's billing and shipping address as soon as they start typing it, which has been shown to save 20% of their time and cut down on mobile mistakes.     

7. Hide the box for the discount code

Nine out of ten people who shop online use discount codes. But if they are starting a purchase and a discount field is shown, they might leave the checkout flow to look for one.  Consider putting a dropdown menu in front of the discount code field (like Shopify does on mobile). So, it's still there for people who have a coupon code to use, but it doesn't scare away people who want to buy without a coupon. 

8. Use upsells or cross-sells

With upsells and cross-sells, you can help people get more out of their orders.  An upsell is when you suggest a similar product that costs more than the one they already have in their shopping cart. Cross-selling is when you suggest products that go well with what they're already buying. For example, if someone has a $19.99 three-piece bowl set in their cart, suggest a $24.99 five-piece set or a $3.99 mug that goes with the bowl set.  The added benefit is that both upsells and cross-sells increase the average order value, which means you can make more money from each customer.   [caption id="attachment_9603" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Kettle and Fire's checkout page suggest related products to people who are about to buy something.[/caption]

9. Allow a guest to checkout

People leave their shopping carts a quarter of the time because the site wants them to sign up for an account. Don't force online shoppers to sign up for an account. Instead, give them one (or both) of the following options: 
  • Guest checkout. Shoppers should be able to finish their purchases with just an email address. A few weeks after they've placed an order, send them an email encouraging them to sign up for an account. 
  • Social media account login. Let customers login with their social media accounts, like Facebook or Instagram, to finish their purchases. You don't have to do anything extra to set up their account, but you still get access to customer data.
[caption id="attachment_9604" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Ketnipz uses Shopify Checkout, and customers don't have to sign up for an account before they can buy something.[/caption]

10. Make chat support available

Not everyone who puts something in their online shopping cart is ready to click "Purchase." Use the live chat in the checkout process to help online shoppers with any last-minute questions.  With Shopify Inbox, you can talk to customers during the checkout process and answer any questions they have. Give automated answers in real-time to questions about things like return policies, shipping delays, and products to reassure customers that they are making the right choice.   [caption id="attachment_9605" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Live chat is a feature of Shopify Inbox that lets customers get answers to their questions right away.[/caption]

11. Provide one-click checkout

One-click checkout is the best way to speed up the eCommerce checkout process for your customers. Customers can finish their order with just one click when they use Shop Pay, which is a secure digital wallet that stores their billing information and payment information.  One company that uses 1-click checkout is Betty Jade Gifting Company. Shoppers who want to buy the item quickly can press "Buy with Shop Pay." Before their order is confirmed, they only have to click one button on the checkout page. This is an eCommerce checkout hack that has been shown to increase conversions by 35.62 percent.   [caption id="attachment_9606" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Shop Pay lets people who buy things online skip the usual checkout process and finish their purchase with just one click.[/caption]

With a better checkout flow, you can get more sales 

The checkout process is the hardest part to tweak to make the most money. But if you focus on getting rid of the worst things that stop people from buying, you'll see a bigger increase in sales than if you just change things like the color of buttons or the headlines of products. 

Ecommerce checkout FAQ 

What makes a good checkout experience? 

A good online shopping checkout process is quick and easy. This could mean using a guest login or a login from a social media site, limiting the number of form fields so that only the information needed to process an order is typed in, or a one-click checkout. 

How do you upsell at checkout?

With apps for Shopify like Zipify, Zoorix, and In Cart Upsell, you can sell more expensive items at checkout. 

What's a good rate of people leaving the checkout page?

Studies show that 69.57% of people who shop online leave items in their carts. Anything below that number is a good shopping cart abandonment rate. 

How do you reduce checkout abandonment?

  • Enable mobile checkout 
  • Don't make forms too long 
  • Use single-page checkout 
  • Get rid of the extra shipping fees 
  • Give people other ways to pay 
  • Hide the field for coupon codes
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