Checkout

What the checkout means

The checkout is the final part of an order. The customer has decided, adds the goods to the basket and then works through the steps: delivery address, shipping method, payment method, review and order. Every step is a chance to lose the purchase, and this is where drop off rates peak.

The good news is that almost everything here can be improved without touching the assortment. The bad news is that the effect can only be measured properly when the steps are tracked individually.

Where it breaks off

• Cost appears too late: the customer learns about shipping cost only after entering all data. That is the most common reason for dropping out.
• Account forced: requiring a customer account loses the people who wanted to buy once. Guest ordering costs nothing and brings accounts later through repeat purchases.
• Too many fields: a phone number without a factual reason, a title, a date of birth and company fields in a private purchase. Every field is a hurdle and a source of error.
• Unclear payment: when it is not visible whether invoice, card or direct debit is available, people start searching instead of ordering.
• Losing input: a form error that clears all entries ends the purchase in most cases.

What to change first

The order follows the benefit. First make shipping cost and delivery time visible early, ideally already on the product page. Then cut the field count in half by checking which fields are truly mandatory. Then allow guest ordering. Then sort the payment methods by popularity rather than alphabetically. Only at the end is work on wording and colours worth the effort.

How the effect can be measured

Three figures per step are telling: how many visitors started the step, how many finished it and how many dropped out afterwards. If one step stands out, the cause is usually a single field or an unclear statement. Without that split only the overall rate remains, and no lever can be derived from it.

Frequent questions

• How many steps make sense? A one page or two step checkout is common. More steps are not bad in themselves, but each should have a clear job.
• Does a progress indicator help? Yes, because it shows how many steps remain.
• Is a trust seal necessary? Only if it is genuine. Information on returns, payment and delivery works more strongly.