How to Enhance Your Ecommerce Checkout: 15 Valuable Tips You Must Know

Reduce customer cart abandonment rates

Customers abandoning their shopping carts is a regret and signals that the ecommerce business really needs improvement. Are you curious about the reason? It would be nice if the answer is yes, because you are still looking for ways to solve open problems that come from customer psychology, but are directly related to your ecommerce revenue. Customers often abandon shopping carts due to unexpected costs, the payment process is too complicated, or shipping channels are not reputable enough for them to make monetary transactions.

Optimizing ecommerce checkout means you need to thoroughly solve all of the above problems, thereby retaining customers and promoting faster sales.

Conversion rate optimization

From clicking to view a product, to clicking the add to cart button, to paying and officially purchasing the item, all are long-term customer processes that you and your business need to research and measure carefully.

It would be sad if that item has successfully attracted the attention of consumers, they believe that they really need it, but when it comes to payment and officially closing the order, they are wary because the payment process is not optimized, too time-consuming, too confusing and complicated to implement. And then, they decide to leave you to find a new business, with a payment process that is 2 or 3 times simpler and faster. The result as you guess: your business fails in convincing customers, and most likely, it will fail on the long journey of ecommerce.

Seamless user experience

A smooth, intuitive experience improves user satisfaction, which is a no-brainer, especially when there are so many options available to them in the ecommerce market. Customers appreciate the hassle-free payment process, which facilitates their purchases quickly and easily. Businesses can also leave a positive impression with shoppers by promoting the consumer experience in even the smallest details, thereby leading to many repeat shopping activities in the future and encouraging positive word of mouth from customers.

Build trust, credibility and loyalty

A secure and reliable payment process, connected and integrated with many major currencies and banks both domestically and internationally, plays an important role in retaining customers. When it comes to currency, almost everyone creates their own armor to protect their assets and efforts, especially in times when there are too many risks when transacting online and they do not know the recipient of the money. 

Building and successfully asserting your ecommerce checkout process through the application of strong security measures and transparent payment policies is the key for businesses to build solid trust in customers, and is also a testament to your goal of always putting customer needs at the center of your operations.

Simplify payment flow

As soon as you enter the enhancing ecommerce checkout process, you need to carefully monitor the payment process, and ask the following questions: Are customers having to fill in too many information fields? Are the steps too complicated? What you should do is shorten the payment process into fewer steps, remove overly lengthy and unnecessary information that can affect purchasing decisions and customer retention time, and minimize errors that can annoy consumers before officially pressing payment.

Payment method options

Customers should be able to choose between many payment methods, with many different payment gateways as an ecommerce checkout best practice. Depending on economic conditions and desires, they will have standards and choices that are most suitable and convenient.

For example, there are people who want to pay immediately through a linked bank account because they will receive promotions from the bank, or there are people who want to pay through an indirect gateway because they are international visitors, and currency exchange is difficult and too complicated for them.

That’s why you should diversify your payment methods, providing more than 3 ways to pay so that customers are not hindered when transferring money. From there, you can get more sales from satisfying customers, while reducing shopping cart abandonment rates among new ones.

Optional shipping method

In addition to payment methods, giving customers many options in shipping methods is also a turning point for consumers to feel comfortable and assured. There are many ways you and your business can diversify for ecommerce checkout: expedited shipping, customer-scheduled shipping, offline pickup, etc, to meet different consumer needs and preferences. Empowering guests, even in the smallest of ways, reduces friction in the checkout process and leads to higher conversion rates.

Clear shipping information and prices

You should immediately provide shipping cost information and expected delivery time, as well as the shipping unit that will be responsible for delivering the customer’s products. This transparency helps customers feel secure about the time of receiving the goods, and at the same time stimulates their psychology to confirm once again that they really need this item at this time, and at the same time do not encounter any unexpected expenses after payment.

Optimize identity design

Many customers tend to shop and pay via phone (80% of shoppers use the phone to search for product information instead of going to the store directly). Therefore, not only focusing on the computer interface, you should also really pay attention to the design on mobile devices, ensuring sharp images, clear text, easy to see and skillful navigation between steps so that the customer’s purchasing process can go as smoothly as possible.

Show trustworthy certifications

Certification and badges affirming the safety, reliability and reputation in securing the payment system and protecting customers’ confidential information at the checkout step will build stronger trust in consumers before payment. At the same time, this smart behavior to enhance ecommerce checkout will also encourage and directly impact hesitant buyers, motivating them to immediately buy products from a reputable and influential business.

Live chat support and consultation

Customers can have questions at any time, at any point in the before – during – after purchase cycle. In particular, ecommerce checkout is also considered the most important step for customers to actually decide to deposit money. If there is a direct support unit available, accompanying them even if only on a digital platform, this ecommerce checkout best practice will help them feel more secure, reduce doubts and uncertainties, and speed up the purchasing process, because everything they asked about was resolved directly by the business representative right at that time.

Personalize recommendations and solutions for customers

Ecommerce checkout is not the final step. In fact, customers can be completely fascinated and convinced by other products if you skillfully suggest them. Based on the behavior and data collected throughout the process from when customers visit your business – view each product – which products they put in the cart, you can make some personalized suggestions according to customer needs when they are in the final step.

At this time, customers often feel surprised because an item they are a bit hesitant about is encouraged to buy by the business, which will quickly lead to conversion and purchase. You will also be able to increase order value and leave a positive impression of a company that is willing to enhance the overall shopping experience of consumers.

Exit-Intent Popups

These popups often demonstrate positive value in showcasing discounted items or providing unexpected deals to customers who are about to leave the page without completing their checkout process. For example, you can announce a buy 2 get 1 free promotion, or a special gift that can only be obtained if customers pay for the product today. This method of ecommerce website customization can effectively restore sales and speed up the process of convincing customers to complete their orders.

Interact regularly after making a purchase

Even after a successful payment, you should still take the opportunity to proactively communicate with customers. Activities you can conduct for your ecommerce business include sending email confirmations of successful orders, specific notifications of delivery and receipt of goods to customers, sending thank you notes, and surveying the buying experience (for new customers) to update information, keep interacting with customers for future purchases and impress customers with an ecommerce business that always values the consumer shopping.

Progress indicators application

You should use visual progress indicators to guide customers through the ecommerce checkout process. This brings peace of mind and clarity to consumers, helping them minimize the possibility of skipping steps due to confusion or remaining confused or uncertain about the specific steps towards this step.

Be clear in the return policy

Your business should be specific and transparent about the return policy at the ecommerce checkout step, expressed briefly but clearly, to reduce customer concerns when needing to return or exchange goods. This ecommerce checkout best practice helps customers feel more secure in the event of force majeure (their rights are not affected), as well as motivates more purchases from consumers.

Show good and positive reviews

If you are still hesitant about your purchasing decision, you will certainly be cleverly pushed with positive reviews from old customers. Compliments, reviews, testimonials and ratings reinforce the value and credibility of the product or service that consumers are paying attention to, thereby motivating and promoting it to speed up their purchasing process.

A/B Optimization and Testing

Continuously test and optimize your A/B structure to identify areas of improvement and continue to improve the user experience with the ecommerce checkout process. By testing a variety of advertising and marketing content, diversifying design forms, and layouts that are coherent and clear according to trend standards, businesses will achieve better visual effects, which means that customers will quickly click to buy.

Encourage customers to click follow

You can gently offer customers to follow your ecommerce store, with incentives like loyalty cards, exclusive discounts, or faster checkout steps in the future (with new customers). This way, you can easily collect valuable customer data, while streamlining the checkout process for loyal customers and improving customer retention.

Asos

However, Asos still lacks accessibility because the customer checkout feature is hidden in the interface, requiring multiple clicks to get through the process.

Nike

Nike proves to be extremely superior in optimizing ecommerce checkout with all the most effective tips, allowing customers to shop seamlessly, eliminating annoying payment information, ensuring the transaction process and shipping goes smoothly with order summaries and error messages if any to customers. However, Nike can add trusted security certificates to increase the credibility of ecommerce checkout.

Bonobos

Bonobos seamlessly integrates cross-selling features before entering a specific payment process, along with inline form validation to notify errors if any occur during the customer’s ecommerce checkout process. However, Bonobos lacks accessibility due to mandatory registration requirements, lack of shipping and tax deductions in order confirmations, and payment options for customers.