Last editedMay 20232 min read
Ecommerce is becoming a more and more central part of all businesses. Increasing numbers of customers are choosing internet shopping instead of in-person stores, and so the online retail experience is absolutely crucial. While there are many elements to a good e-commerce store, one of the most important parts is to consider the best ecommerce checkout process. Read on to find out more about the different options available to you, and discover how you can streamline your online experience.
What is checkout in ecommerce, and why is it important?
Put simply, checkout refers to the final stages in the customer journey where they actually make a purchase. After selecting products and adding them to their cart, they must then confirm purchase and provide payment details at the checkout stage. However, a huge amount of customers do not actually make payment after initiating checkout, a process that is known as checkout abandonment.
Avoiding checkout abandonment helps you turn potential customers into paying ones, and so using the best ecommerce checkout process is important for your company’s financial health. To understand the best way to design your checkout in ecommerce, it helps to first learn the top reasons why customers abandon checkout:
Forced account creation. Many users do not want the hassle of creating an account, and this extra obstacle can cause customers to reconsider their purchases.
Lack of payment methods. When customers are unable to choose their preferred payment method, they may choose to take their business elsewhere.
Performance issues can be frustrating, slowing down customers.
Unexpected charges, such as tax or shipping fees, can add to the overall payment and make customers doubt the value of their original purchase.
Complex processes also slow down the consumer and give them second thoughts.
In short, the best ecommerce checkout processes centre around intuitive design, speed of use and transparency around additional costs.
What is the best ecommerce checkout design?
When it comes to designing your checkout, simplicity is key. Try to minimise the number of distractions that may prevent the customer from completing the payment, such as menu buttons or headers and footers. However, you should still aim to communicate the essential information to ensure the customer has everything they need to make their payment. For example, it’s a good idea to remind them of the items that they are purchasing and the total cost of their order.
What should I include in my checkout in ecommerce?
Certain elements in the checkout process will help you to make conversions. By creating a system that suits the consumer’s needs, is convenient to use and feels secure, you can attract more paying customers. Some examples of important features include:
A variety of different payment options, including services such as direct debit for recurring payments or instant payments through GoCardless, debit and credit cards, and even buy now pay later options through companies such as Klarna or Afterpay.
Optimise for mobile and make sure that mobile payment systems are also well established. Many customers now use mobile platforms for shopping, so this experience should be a priority.
The best ecommerce checkout designs include security badges displayed prominently, as this gives your customer a sense of confidence in their purchase.
A progress bar that shows the customer how close they are to completion. This can motivate customers and reassures them that the checkout process will not be too lengthy.
Consider using a single-page checkout. This is much more convenient for customers, and makes the process feel shorter as there are fewer clicks.
Enable smart form filling so that customers can add their information easily. You should aim to reduce any work on the customer’s part so that it is as easy as possible to make a purchase.
Follow these best practices for your ecommerce checkout, and you’re sure to maximise conversions.
We can help
GoCardless helps you automate payment collection, cutting down on the amount of admin your team needs to deal with when chasing invoices. Find out how GoCardless can help you with ad hoc payments or recurring payments.