Optimizing checkout: how to reduce abandoned carts

Abandoned shopping carts are a headache for any online store. Users visit the site, select products, but at the last step lose interest and abandon their purchase. To make their journey simple and motivate them to complete their order, the checkout process needs to be optimized. In this article, we explain how to do this when developing websites.

Why users abandon their carts

The main reasons for abandoning a purchase are:

• unexpected additional costs — if the total amount of the order suddenly increases due to delivery or additional fees, users often refuse to buy the product;
• problems with the checkout UX — overly long forms, a multi-page process, or unclear navigation cause irritation and abandonment of the purchase;
• payment issues — the customer may not buy the product due to the lack of familiar payment methods or payment system failures;
• compulsory registration — the need to create an account before payment can scare users away;
• lack of trust — if a customer doubts the security of the site, the return policy, or the quality of the product, there is a high probability that they will leave without making a purchase;
• technical errors and slow loading — this situation not only annoys users, but also leads to a loss of trust in the store;
• adding items to the cart so as not to “forget” — some users collect items in this way and plan to return to them later. You can encourage them to buy with reminders and special offers.

To understand the cause of the problem, you should analyze the user's path after clicking the “Checkout” button at the stage of creating an online store. After release, a detailed analysis of the customer's path will show where exactly they stumble and why they leave without completing the order.

How to make the checkout process convenient

A comfortable checkout is not just about ease of use, but a well-thought-out strategy that removes obstacles and gently nudges the customer toward a purchase. To do this, you need to make it as quick as possible for the customer to fill out the order form and give them a choice of payment and delivery methods.

Minimum steps and fields

Every extra step is a risk of abandoning the purchase. This means that the main principle should be to reduce the form and simplify all stages, from clicking the “Place order” button to “Pay.” What to do:

• leave only the really necessary fields — name, contact details, delivery address. Everything else can be made optional;
• use autofill for addresses, masks for entering phone numbers and bank card details — this saves time and reduces errors;
• add a progress indicator “Step 2 of 3” so that the buyer understands how many steps are left to complete.

Be sure to support guest checkout, as the ability to make a purchase without creating an account significantly reduces the risk of abandonment. Offer registration as an option after payment, offering various bonuses such as discounts and loyalty cards.

Variety of payment and delivery methods

The inability to choose a payment and delivery method is a reason for abandoned carts, especially if the usual method is unavailable or causes errors.

What payment methods should be implemented to avoid abandonment:

• card payment is a must. The store should accept the most popular bank cards and payment systems used by the majority of customers. In Ukraine, these are Visa and Mastercard. It is also worth implementing the option to pay for purchases via Apple Pay and Google Pay;
• cash on delivery is relevant for regions with low trust in online payments, as it provides an alternative for those who prefer to pay upon receipt. In this case, do not forget to warn the customer about the additional commission charged by the postal operator.

Give users the option to choose the operator and method of receiving their order: courier delivery, pickup, or delivery to a branch. Indicate the prices for services and delivery times right away. The ability to track orders and receive notifications (SMS/Push) increases trust and reduces the number of questions after checkout.

Checkout testing and analytics

Constantly test your checkout and analyze the results. This is the only way to understand what is preventing customers from paying for their orders. Without this data, any changes you make to your website are just guesswork. With concrete information at your fingertips, you will be able to see exactly where you are losing customers and what changes are effective.

Conversion tracking

Conversion tracking will help you understand at what stage of the checkout process users are leaving. Here's what you need to do:

• use Google Analytics to set up events and goals at key steps in the checkout process;
• analyze the sales funnel to see where users most often abandon their purchases;
• segment data by device, traffic source, new and returning customers;
• take into account not only the number of clicks, but also completed purchases, as this is the main indicator of effectiveness.

Conversion should be tracked regularly. This is the only way to understand which changes really help the customer go from the shopping cart to checkout, and where to focus more serious efforts on optimizing checkout.

A/B interface testing

Even small changes to the interface can greatly improve conversion. A/B testing allows you to compare different options and choose the ones that actually increase the number of completed orders.

Be sure to test:

• changes to buttons — text, color, size, location, and call-to-action wording;
• different shopping cart designs — simplified layout, visible order totals, delivery and payment prompts, promo code design.

Compare versions gradually and track not only clicks but also actual purchases to see the effect. A/B tests provide specific data on which interface elements work best, making checkout simple and convenient for users.

Want to order a modern and functional online store? Our web studio in Kyiv, Megasite, has been developing e-commerce projects for over 10 years and knows from experience how to create truly effective online stores, including optimizing the checkout process so that customers can complete their purchases easily and without unnecessary difficulties.