Best E-commerce Checkout Page Practices to Boost Conversions
2.1 Shorter checkout process – One of the easiest ways for a smooth checkout is to make the entire process limited to just one page at the most. This is because long checkout processes tend to frustrate the customer, who might drop off without completing their purchase. Here are other ways to reduce the time taken to check out:
- Instead of waiting for the customer to hit the button that takes them to the next step, show visual error indicators in real-time, thereby helping users correct their mistakes while filling their forms.
- Talking about forms, obtain only essential information from the user. Keep a frictionless checkout process in mind and act toward it. Fewer the form fields a user has to fill in, the smoother the checkout process will be.
2.2 Offer add/edit options – As much as you want your customer to proceed with their checkout, compelling them with checkout but nothing else might not be the best ploy. This is where you can make provisions for users to update their details such as cart, contact details, shipping options, etc at any time close to checkout.
2.3 Encourage guest checkout – 22% of users abandon their cart for the sole reason that e-commerce sites prod them to create an account. This can be avoided by enabling guest checkout. Exclusive discounts can be offered to users who register and create an account.
2.4 Pre-fill forms – Enable pre-filling of form details such as the city and the state once the user has entered their zip code. Pre-filling can be enabled even for guest users when they visit the site to shop for a second time.
2.5 Highlight product availability – Give your user a heads up on the availability of a product in the store. “Sorry, we’re out of stock” messages after the user checks out will frustrate them. In the case of a fast-selling product, you can display the number of items left in stock or the number of business days in which you can replenish the stock. For example, you can provide the customers with the option of checking the availability of a specific product, by asking them to just enter the zip code.
