You've taken great lengths to build customer trust and cultivate interest in your offer. Optimizing the Shopify checkout process is an opportunity to make a positive impression on the customer, secure their commitment to the purchase, and ultimately increase sales for your business.
A poor checkout experience can compromise all the hard work you put into bringing customers to this stage in their online shopping journey, leading to low satisfaction levels, high checkout abandonment rates, and decreasing sales.
However, there’s no need to worry. You can prevent these unwanted outcomes by optimizing your Shopify checkout process.
In this article, we'll explore what checkout optimization is, why it's important, and some of the most common mistakes online stores make regarding their checkout pages. We'll also show you ten effective strategies for optimizing your Shopify checkout process.
What is Checkout Optimization?
Checkout optimization is a strategy that helps you increase conversion rates for your online store by improving the customer experience during the checkout process.
Your goal is to identify the mistakes that cause checkout abandonment, eliminate all those elements that generate friction, and build a seamless checkout flow that encourages customers to purchase and become loyal to your brand.
Your checkout optimization strategy can cover a wide range of techniques, such as:
- Designing a user-friendly checkout interface;
- Reducing the number of steps in the checkout process;
- Offering multiple payment options;
- Providing clear and transparent pricing and shipping information;
- Improving your checkout security;
- Increasing revenue through post-purchase upselling and cross-selling.
While using the default Shopify checkout configuration is a good starting point, optimizing the checkout process will help you achieve better results, from improved customer experience to increased conversion rates.
Why Shopify Checkout Optimization Matters
When customers reach the checkout page, they are ready to spend money on the products added to the shopping cart. Once people get to this stage in the online shopping journey, they expect a simple, safe, seamless checkout process.
Shoppers are about to share sensitive information, and you must prove that you're reliable and ready to handle everything securely. Without an optimized checkout process, online stores leave room for friction and new objections, leading to increased checkout abandonment rates.
Based on Baymard Institute's calculations, the average cart abandonment in online shopping is 69.99%. Their study of reasons for abandonment reveals that when excluding the "just browsing" segment, we can see some major objections associated with the checkout process:
- 48% of customers believe the extra costs like shipping or taxes are too high
- 18% of the shoppers don't trust the site with their credit card information
- 17% of customers feel that the checkout process is too long or complicated
The data highlights that in online shopping, the checkout process is often the make-or-break moment for a customer's purchase decision.
Optimizing your Shopify checkout process has several benefits:
- Increased conversion rate
- Improved customer experience
- Decreased checkout abandonment
- Increased retention rates
- Gaining valuable customer insights
Research shows that 86% of customers with a positive purchase experience will likely return and buy from the same company again. A positive checkout experience can significantly impact a customer's overall perception of the company, leading to repeat business and increased customer loyalty.
For an eCommerce business, an optimized checkout process can make the difference between a successful sale and a lost opportunity. Let's look at the most common mistakes that cause poor user experience during checkout and can affect your store's overall results.
Common Shopify Checkout Mistakes
Shopify stores that fail to optimize the checkout process struggle with high checkout abandonment rates, lost sales, and negative brand perception.
Friction in the checkout process creates difficulty and confusion for customers. Anything from a complicated checkout flow to lengthy forms or issues with payment options contributes to a negative checkout experience and discourages clients from completing their purchases.
Here are some of the most common Shopify checkout mistakes online stores are making:
Payment Issues
Not offering enough payment alternatives can be a problem for customers who prefer specific payment methods or don't have access to the payment methods you're offering. Limited payment methods lead customers to abandon the checkout process and discourage them from returning to your store.
When reaching the checkout page, people who want to pay with a credit card will look for the credit card logos of popular card issuers like Visa, Mastercard, or American Express. Others may want to pay their order via digital wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Wallet, or PayPal.
Clients that added only one item to their cart and clicked on the Shopify Buy Button might expect accelerated checkout enabled by solutions like Shop Pay.
These are just a few examples of how different customer behavior and preferences are. To reduce cart abandonment and prevent losing sales, you should know buyers' expectations and find the best payment methods for your target audience.
Security Measures
After browsing your site and adding products to their online shopping carts, customers reach the checkout page, the most sensitive part of their online shopping experience. Security issues during the checkout process affect the customers' trust in an online store, making them question the legitimacy and security of the site.
Poor design on the checkout page, lack of trust badges, unfamiliar payment processors, or errors while filling out the credit card form fields are some examples of issues that raise security concerns and make customers leave without completing a purchase.
To protect sensitive customer information and maintain trust, you must implement proper security measures such as using a secure connection, implementing fraud detection systems, and monitoring your systems for security breaches.
Complicated Checkout Process
Too many form fields and steps make the process longer and more complicated. Requests for unnecessary information cause customers to question the security and privacy of their information.
Baymard Institute's checkout usability study shows that the average checkout flow is 5.2 steps long and has 11.8 form fields. However, their tests highlight that most sites can reduce the form fields by 20-60% for an optimized checkout process.
Requiring customers to create an account before placing an order makes the checkout process longer and can be perceived as a barrier to completing the purchase. In addition, unclear steps, slow loading times, and technical issues cause frustration and decrease people's trust.
Unsatisfactory Shipping or Returns
Unsatisfactory terms and conditions may increase checkout abandonment and push shoppers to buy from a competitor. Research shows that 80% of consumers expect free shipping for orders that exceed a certain value, while 66% of consumers expect this benefit to be offered for all their online orders, regardless of the order value.
Customers expect reasonable shipping times, flexible delivery options, and transparent shipping costs for the chosen method. If your return process is too complex or you don't offer free returns, customers may be less likely to complete their purchases or may choose a competitor with a more generous return policy.
Extra or Hidden Costs
Extra shipment costs, hidden fees, and undisclosed taxes can significantly impact customer satisfaction during checkout and increase checkout abandonment.
Hidden fees, such as handling or processing fees, and undisclosed taxes, such as customs duties or VAT, can add unexpected costs to the final price of the purchase and leave customers feeling like they are not getting good value for their money.
Lack of transparency regarding the total cost of the purchase erodes customer trust. With a negative perception created by unexpected costs, customers may be less likely to complete their purchase and may choose to buy from a competitor.
To find the best way to customize your Shopify checkout page and optimize the process, you should identify what causes friction and generates objections.
10 Checkout Optimization Strategies
As a Shopify or Shopify Plus merchant, you have a wide range of customization options to help you optimize your checkout page. You can personalize your Shopify checkout page by utilizing the customization features available in the Shopify admin or the options available in a dedicated third-party app.
Here are ten strategies to help you make the most of the Shopify checkout customization available for your store.
1. Use checkout branding customization options
Consistent brand identity across the website, including the checkout page, creates a sense of trust and familiarity. Adding your logo, fonts, and colors to the checkout page helps you reinforce brand trust and build confidence in the process’s security.
- You can add a logo to your checkout page from the Shopify admin.
- Go to Settings > Checkout > Style > Customize checkout.
- In the Logo section, you can upload the image, then adjust its position and size.
You can also change the fonts on your checkout page by:
- Navigating to Shopify admin > Settings > Checkout > Style > Customize checkout.
- Click Open checkout settings and scroll down to Typography in the Checkout section.
- Here you can select your fonts for Headings and Body.
To customize the buttons, errors, and accent colors, follow these steps:
- Shopify admin > Settings > Checkout > Style > Customize checkout.
- In the Colors section, you can add the brand colors by clicking the box beside Accents, Buttons, or Errors.
If you want to customize your Shopify checkout page style to match your brand identity,
you can also change the colors of form fields, the main content area, and the order summary.
2. Reduce the number of form fields
A long, complicated checkout process is one of the main reasons people abandon the checkout page without completing the transaction. An easy way to simplify the process is to reduce the number of form fields by keeping only the crucial ones for successful order placement and delivery.
You can also enable fields autocompletion to speed up the process. Smart suggestions make it easier for customers to fill in shipping and billing information. Besides minimizing the form fields number, another best practice is to let people know how close they are to finishing an order by showing their progress.
3. Offer multiple payment options, and accelerated checkout
Provide customers with various payment options so they can choose their preferred method. Add popular payment alternatives such as debit cards, credit cards, mobile payments, cash on delivery, bank transfers, digital wallets, and buy now, pay later plans.
If you want to enable accelerated checkout for your clients, some of the most popular solutions are Shop Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal, and Amazon Pay. Express payments help you reduce friction and increase your checkout page's conversion rate.
Online shoppers might perceive asking for payment details too early as a red flag. You should request payment information at the end of the checkout process, after they fill out their name, phone number, email address, and shipping address. This way, you ensure customers feel confident and safe.
Adding trust badges is another best practice you can apply to prove your store uses trusted payment providers and meets security and privacy standards.
4. Enable guest checkout
Enabling guest checkout is one of the best tips you can apply to encourage purchases among first-time buyers. Requiring potential customers to create an account before completing their purchase can be perceived as too much effort.
At this point in your relationship, making customer accounts should be optional. It's more important to make a good first impression by providing an excellent online shopping experience.
When new customers are satisfied, you are more likely to increase the number of customer accounts created voluntarily and transform first-time buyers into repeat, loyal customers.
5. Add a link to the store’s policies
Adding a link to your store's policies on your checkout page is a proactive approach that helps you reinforce trust and maintain transparency. By making the shipping, refund, and privacy policy readily available, customers are more likely to feel comfortable making a purchase.
You can add links to your store's policies in the checkout footer and make sure links open in a new tab to ensure a smooth customer experience. This way, the customers keep their progress in the checkout process.
6. Be transparent about all the costs implied
Customers are more likely to abandon their purchase if they see unexpected costs at checkout. By being transparent about costs and avoiding surprise charges, you are showing your customers that you value their trust and are committed to providing a fair and enjoyable shopping experience.
Displaying a delivery estimate on the checkout page contributes to a positive experience. Estimated delivery time helps customers better plan for their purchase by giving them a clear idea of when they can expect to receive their order.
Offering free shipping is a great way to improve conversion rates, while surprising customers with gifts or incentives increases the perceived value of the purchase. The extra value received in addition to the product customers buy can lead to repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth.
7. Optimize the checkout page for all devices
Customers expect a seamless and consistent shopping experience, regardless of their device.
With the increasing use of mobile devices for online shopping, you should evaluate your checkout process through your customer's eyes and ensure your page has a mobile responsive design.
Large images, plugins, third-party apps, or payment gateways might slow down the loading speed, which can be frustrating for customers. Monitor your site's performance regularly to ensure your checkout page loads fast on desktop and mobile devices.
8. Display contact information or add a live chat
Another best practice is to display your store's contact information or add a live chat on the checkout page. You can eliminate various objections and concerns during checkout by providing an easy way for your customers to contact you.
With real-time customer support, you can immediately help your customers, create a positive customer experience, and consolidate customer trust. The live chat feature enables you to prevent checkout abandonment and increase the chances of a successful purchase.
9. Set up checkout abandonment emails
Checkout abandonment email and SMS notifications help you re-engage with the customers that added items to their carts, passed through the cart page, and started the checkout process but didn't complete their purchase.
Always ensure that you have the customer's explicit consent to send them checkout abandonment notifications and comply with applicable laws and regulations.
An effective email and SMS should contain attention-grabbing copy and call-to-action, a reminder of the items left in their cart, and a powerful incentive that motivates the customers to return to checkout and make the purchase.
You should also include your store's contact information if the customer has any questions or concerns that you should address so they can make an informed decision.
10. Enable post-purchase cross-sell and upsell tactics
Applying post-purchase cross-sell and upsell tactics to the thank-you page can effectively increase your sales and revenue while customers are still focused on their recent purchases. Follow the best practices to find the right balance between promoting additional products and providing a positive, valuable experience.
Based on the customer's recent purchase, offer a small selection of items that resonate with their needs and preferences. Clearly communicate the benefits and value of the recommended items, and make it easy for the customer to add their favorites to their order.
Discover three upsell ideas that you can use for your store.
Apply the Checkout Optimization Strategies to Your Store
Optimizing your Shopify checkout process should be an ongoing effort to maintain positive shopping experiences that meet your customer's expectations, reduces checkout abandonment and drives more sales.
By avoiding common checkout mistakes and implementing the ten strategies for Shopify checkout optimization outlined in this article, you can create a seamless, user-friendly, and positive checkout experience and set your store up for success.
If you're looking for an easy way to implement post-purchase upsell and cross-sell tactics, you should give Honeycomb a try. Developed by Conversion Bear and trusted by over 70,000 businesses in 90 countries, Honeycomb is the go-to app for merchants who want to increase the average order value, improve post-purchase upsell funnels, and boost sales.
The app is built exclusively for Shopify and integrates seamlessly with your store. The built-in design templates and settings make it easy to customize the app to match your store's branding and aesthetics. The eye-catching visuals and personalized recommendations help you re-convert customers and increase your average order value.