eCommerce Checkout Process Optimization Guide For 2025

For obvious reasons, most eCommerce brands focus on cart abandonment - the idea is to get those carts intact and flying towards checkout. But the sad part is, there’s no guarantee that a successful cart submission will end in customers paying up. 

In fact, the checkout abandonment rate hovers between 60% and 80% and is said to be more than cart abandonment rate quite often. 

And this is why we’ve compiled a step-by-step eCommerce checkout optimization guide to improve checkout conversion rates.

The sections in this piece will also cover:

How Do You Optimize the Checkout Process for Mobile?

What Checkout Page Mistakes Should You Avoid?

What Makes a Great Checkout Experience?

How Can You Improve the Checkout Experience?

Check it out (pun, absolutely intended!)

1. Avoid hidden costs

When it comes to eCommerce checkout flow best practices, the price breakdown needs to include:

• subtotal,
• applicable taxes,
• surcharges,
• delivery costs, and
• the final cart value

Nike is a great example of this eCommerce checkout process optimization.

UX Pro Tip: Use a dynamic price summary—so that when shoppers select a different shipping option, apply a discount code, or change the quantity, the price updates automatically. 

2. Reduce the number of form steps

Research shows that websites with fewer form fields have a better chance of increasing their website checkout rate.

Look into data validation & auto-complete options.

If you need a customer's name during the payment process, use the auto-fill option on Chrome and Safari that fills the details by itself.

Instead of asking them to fill the shipping & billing address twice, have a checkbox below indicating the details.

UX Pro Tip: Hide optional fields under links like “Add delivery instructions” or “Use a different billing address”. Reveal them only if the user needs them.

Further Reading: Why Is Your Conversion Rate Low: Possible Causes + Solutions

3. Always autofill (or autocomplete) for shoppers

Set up a form that can auto-fill information.

Whether it’s their name, email ID, contact number, or shipping address—everything can be saved when they make a purchase the first time.

It becomes more convenient with tools that can look up the address of the customers based on their postal code and auto-fill it.

UX Pro Tip: Pre-label fields with example values that align with local formatting expectations.

"John Doe" or “+91 98765 43210” inline in name and phone fields based on geolocation, helps shoppers know how to key in information. 

4. Help customers edit their order

‘One problem we recently fixed was how we allow users to edit their delivery information in the checkout while trying to keep them in the checkout flow.’ Kathrina, Marketing team, Droppe

Shoppers often want to double check on their order at checkout—last minute, they may notice they’ve added more to cart or simply want to see the price breakdown within the mini cart. 

Either way, you need to give them a way to edit the cart. 

Blume Superfoods features a prominent icon at the top and when shoppers click on this, they land up on the cart page:

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UX Pro Tip: Let users temporarily hide items instead of deleting them outright. Include a subtle “Save for later” or “Maybe later” option within the order summary.

Further Reading: 28 Powerful Ways To Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment (w/ Examples)

5. Make discount code application easy

For this eCommerce checkout process optimization to work really well, here are a few things to remember:

Use UTM-based discount codes when it comes to email opens and retargeting ad clicks. 

Show an unobtrusive discount field like UrbanStems shows for website visitors:

UX Pro Tip: Use inline smart suggestions based on behavior. If a shopper pauses or clicks into the promo code field but doesn’t fill it, subtly show a non-disruptive message like: “Don’t have a code? Here’s one for first-time customers: WELCOME10”.

6. Offer guest checkout

A study found that asking people to make an account first is the second most common reason for cart abandonment.

Here’s a quick eCommerce checkout optimization example:

Walmart’s checkout optimization strategy allows visitors to checkout without creating an account, thus, attracting more visitors.

UX Pro Tip: Instead of forcing users to choose upfront, collect their email for order confirmation during guest checkout, then immediately after successful payment, show a single "Set your password to save this order to your account" field. This captures the psychological moment when customers are most satisfied and willing to engage further.

Further Reading: Guest checkout: Still a good choice? (+16 way BETTER alternatives)

7. Incentivize account creation

And if at all you highlight account creation, make sure to offer something in return for it. 

Here are a few ways to get this checkout optimization tactic right:

Change the tone from “to do” to “to benefit” - so if you were saying “Create an account,” switch to “Unlock 3X perks instantly.”

Pre-fill the sign-up form with the shopper’s existing data — reduces the to-do feeling even more!

Check out how Nike gets customers to sign up.

UX Pro Tip: Show the account creation nudge on the thank you page for faster adoption — at this stage, shoppers are relieved they’ve paid and are done (for the moment!)

8. Offer ‘subscribe & save’ options

Clients who’re heavily into customer segmentation report that this is an eCommerce checkout optimization strategy that lets them attract shoppers across segments. 

Having said that, this is particularly key for high-value customers and even repeat customers who’ve been adding standalone products to the cart. 

Amazon is popular for showing Subscribe & Save prompts at checkout:

UX Pro Tip: Use exit-intent logic with personalized value framing. If a user shows exit behavior from the checkout page (like moving to close the tab), show a mini pop-up that says: "Looks like you're not ready yet. Want to save this for later or subscribe to make reordering a breeze?" Offer a “Save to Wishlist” or “Subscribe & Save 10%” CTA — making the fallback option appealing.

Further Reading: eCommerce Subscriptions: 15 Amazing Examples (+ Ways to Increase Subscription Sales)

9. Offer a clear delivery window

Many shoppers buy last-minute for an event or to replenish their own supplies. 

And that means that at checkout they’re looking for transparency around the delivery timeline.

This checkout process optimization tends to take care of this customer objection really well. 

Here’s how Under Armour does it:

UX Pro Tip: If you’re helping them with more specific dates like “Get it delivered by June 17th” by choosing a specific shipping option, make sure to show a micro-animation or guarantee badge to reinforce the promise.

10. Highlight the free product clearly

Some clients we've audited at some point revealed they were offering small free gifts at checkout and conversions were still not seeing improvement. 

Upon studying data, we realized it was because the free gift was buried far below in the order summary.

But see how Beekeeper’s Naturals makes it a highlight:

UX Pro Tip: Instead of just writing “FREE” alongside the line item, a micro-animation along with a more prominent “🎁 Free Gift Added!” chip near the cart icon can be an effective checkout process optimization tactic.

11. Show a review snippet 

Considering 93% say that reviews influence their purchase decision, this is an eCommerce checkout process best practice that needs more adopters. 

Simply because buyer’s remorse is a real thing and you don’t want shoppers to suddenly doubt the validity of their purchase. 

Everist puts this into action really well:

UX Pro Tip: Show a review that’s super contextual to the product and looks real. So, ensure you feature a micro review that features the product’s name in it.

12. Clearly show what a bundle contains

At times, when shoppers add a bundle to the cart, they’re going more with the sense of what it’ll help them do. 

But once on the checkout page, they can potentially go “Woah! That’s too much! Why are they even charging so much?”

To avoid this, do what The Field Company does: they elaborate on all the contents within the bundle.

UX Pro Tip: Show anchored pricing alongside each item in the bundle if there’s a deal going on — this can further establish the value of the purchase through this eCommerce checkout process optimization. 

Further Reading: 15 Product Bundling Examples That Convert (& 9 Proven Ideas)

13. Make it easy to gauge progress

Whether you show a progress bar at checkout or not, shoppers should quickly have a sense of how many sections they need to fill in order to complete the order. 

Check how Threadless does this without introducing a progress bar and through design elements:

UX Pro Tip:  Use stage markers with verbs and optional jump-back links. Instead of just dots or “Step 2 of 4,” show: 🟢 “Shipping →” 🔵 “Payment →” ⚪ “Review”. Clickable labels make the process predictable and skippable if needed.

14. Show a geolocation changer prompt

For brands that do international commerce, this is a non-negotiable eCommerce checkout hack. 

It ensures shoppers choose where they want the delivery to happen instead of assuming the brand will deliver it correctly. 

This transparency builds trust subtly, something that ASOS falls back on:

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UX Pro Tip: Make space for geolocation mismatch prompts when both shipping and billing addresses are filled in — something like “You’re browsing from Colorado, but shipping is set to Chicago. Want to switch?” can potentially resolve last-minute errors. 

15. Offer info that creates urgency

Many shoppers think checkout abandonment is no big deal, because well, where will that product that’s produced in masses go?

Hindsight bias is what we call it because shoppers tend to believe in their predictive abilities whereas this isn’t necessarily the whole truth. 

And that’s why in your eCommerce checkout process optimization checklist, you need to highlight when a product is low stock or can’t be returned after a final sale.

UX Pro Tip: Personalize the sense of urgency as much as you can — something that hits close home like “Only 2 units in your size” can have an immediate impact on a shopper. 

Further Reading: Limited-Time Offer: 18 Compelling Examples + How To Copy Them

16. Show total savings as a last-minute benefit

A deal is a deal is a deal, especially at checkout. 

Even if the round-up figure looks great, shoppers will likely feel even better if they know how much $ they’re really saving. 

UX Pro Tip: Instead of blending the savings inline, show a microanimation that loads after the orde summary has loaded to make it more distinct.

17. Flaunt some large scale social proof

This can especially be a worthwhile checkout process optimization strategy for smaller brands that create great products but run the risk of being doubted. 

The more large scale the social proof, the better.

Here’s how Quip does it:

UX Pro Tip: Contextualize the social proof to the product that’s sitting at checkout — so messaging like “3,200 people bought this skincare kit this month” or “This drone is our #1 bestseller for travel photographers” works way better.

Further Reading: 15 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Social Proof (eCommerce)

18. Offer to save their information for next time

Shoppers want to anticipate an easy time with your brand, especially if they’ve been browsing repeatedly. 

So when you show the promise of a faster checkout next time, they’re not only going to want to finish buying but also look forward to coming back later:

UX Pro Tip: Add subtle reassurance text like “We never store payment info without your consent” to take doubt out of the info saving nudge. 

19. Show live chat for questions

All kinds of worries pop up for shoppers on the checkout page, including “why isn’t my discount code working?” and “How do I change my cart contents without starting over?”

For these potential points of friction, the live chat needs to be part of your eCommerce checkout process optimization, just like it is for Sierra Designs:

UX Pro Tip: Proactively tailor the chat widget’s intro based on page behavior. For example, if there’s higher intent (time spent on page over a minute), trigger something like “Need help choosing the right shipping method?” or “Have questions about your payment or warranty?”

20. Feature flexi-pay for high-value items

Niches like luxury eCommerce, jewelry, home decor and furniture can especially benefit from this eCommerce checkout process strategy. 

UX Pro Tip: Feature microcopy that breaks down the payment (reserve this info for a linked modal) and suggests ease through messaging like “Buy today for only $150”.

How Do You Optimize the eCommerce Checkout Process for Mobile?

The market value of mobile payments is anticipated to reach $12.6 trillion by 2027.

The key focus lies in offering a frictionless mobile checkout experience to help close the sale.

Some of the common reasons for low mobile checkout conversion rates are:

• lack of a secure checkout process
• product details not clearly visible
• difficult navigation
• no option to compare products/prices etc.
• difficulty in updating customer information

Here are some eCommerce checkout process optimizations for mobile experiences for your retail business:

1. Authenticate payment details

Route payments through payment arbiters.

With the presence of arbiters like ApplePay and PayPal, customers can easily purchase products without having to re-enter their card details every single time.

Help shoppers access their payment information securely and rapidly.

‘We streamlined our checkout process and a frictionless payment alternative that employs biometric authentication was implemented. By mitigating the issue of customers abandoning the checkout process as a result of security apprehensions and protracted payment procedures, this approach substantially increased the checkout rate,’ says Steven Athwal, Managing Director and Tech Enthusiast, The Big Phone Store

2. Simplify mobile navigation

‘To reduce risk, we added Amazon Pay as a payment method and put the logo front and center. By leveraging Amazon as a trust factor, my conversion rate increased significantly for higher-priced items,’ said Jason Vaught, Director of Content, SmashBrand

Utilize customized keypads when entering sensitive information.

A customized keypad allows shoppers to enter authorization codes, passcodes, or patterns, making the eCommerce checkout process more secure.

This way, it deters fraudulent programs from accessing your touch coordinates.

‍Avoid manual data entry with a card scan method.

Since most customers use mobile to complete their payments, you can offer an option to scan their card and automatically update the details through character recognition.

Auto-detect their geographical location and address.

You can do this by asking for their PIN code and then pulling up the city and state through API.

3. Nudge shoppers

Add a progress bar to improve your mobile form UX immensely.

It helps shoppers visualize and estimate how much time it’ll take for them to complete.

They’ll also feel less frustrated about sharing the details as they have an end goal in sight.

Field labels, inline hints, and error messages go a long way in making filling out forms a breeze for customers, increasing the chances of completing the form as well.

These are called ‘microcopy’ or small blocks of text that help users complete an action or offer context to help them perform a task.

A clear and concise microcopy on your mobile payment forms can help users get an overview of what data they need to fill in and how to complete filling them.

This makes the form far less overwhelming to them.

Further Reading: 32 Amazing (& High Converting) Mobile Checkout Examples

What Checkout Page Mistakes Should You Avoid?

1. Offering too many cross-sell options

Hick's law says the time it takes to decide depends on the number of available choices.

Too many cross-sell options could become a cognitive burden.

It triggers choice paralysis and makes the sales journey unnecessarily longer.

Offer only a small number of cross-selling products, limiting it to between two and five items.

The rule of three suggests that a trio of events or words grouped into threes are more appealing or effective than other numbers.

Three is the magic number, but four is not bad either.

Bliss cross-sells multiple products but displays them in a set of fours, making their options less overwhelming.

In addition, shoppers can use the navigation arrow to reveal more options.

2. Not flaunting your sales activity (if it’s happening)

Humans love to follow the crowd.

It’s a natural, evolutionary trait.

People conform to group behavior for various reasons, including:

• Need to win approval
• The belief that everyone cannot be wrong on the same thing at the same time
• Fear of missing out (FOMO)

Show live notifications of sales as they happen to create a bandwagon effect.

Shoppers see it as social validation and are more open to buying.

Live sales notifications play on shoppers' fear of missing out and reinforce social validation to persuade them to complete their purchases.

However, fake sales alerts are a colossal mistake.

Shoppers can see through the charade, and you won't want them to see you as untrustworthy.

3. Offering cross-sell offers outside the 10% to 50% range

Suggesting products within their budget will stand a chance to convert, and we recommend products between 10% to 50% of the main product’s price.

Macy's understands how ineffective the practice is, so it often recommends products that have comparable prices with the items buyers added to the cart.

For instance, the brand suggested clothes with prices ranging between $33.99 to $64.75 when I added a $53.70 Charter Club Petite Gingham-Print Midi Dress to my cart.

Below is the product I added to my cart.

Here’s another example from The Iconic

They cross-sell items I might like right on the checkout notification popup; you’ll notice that their prices remain within the product’s 10% to 50% range.

This website has products that sell for significantly higher but won’t show them on this page, knowing the conversions won’t be high.

4. Ignoring assisted shopping

Enable assisted shopping throughout the buying journey to streamline customer experiences, making shopping more convenient and fun, especially as an eCommerce checkout process optimization. 

LuckyVitamin uses assisted shopping to make sure buyers complete their purchases.

The health and wellness brand provides helplines right on its uncluttered checkout page.

Shoppers can get instant help through these channels:

• Phone call
• Chatbot
• FAQ for self-assisted customer support

5. Violating tax laws when selling to international buyers

Some countries will require you to pay taxes on the products you ship into the country, including customs fees.

So even if you offer free shipping worldwide, ensure you take care of any taxes or let buyers know they’ll pay the charges the product might incur from arriving at the country's port.

Belroy ensured shoppers from Brazil knew of the customs charge that comes with using express shipping to Brazil.

Set clear expectations by detailing  additional fees and the final price payable by the customer.

Consider using third-party fulfillment services to reduce shipping costs and delivery time and improve operating efficiency.

If you want to take this point seriously, hire an experienced eCommerce lawyer to help you take care of any international commerce complexities.

6. Forcing the same language on all site visitors 

Make your site design responsive to buyers so they can change languages if the default site language is different from the one they understand.

A multilingual website means more customers and more customers equal higher conversion.

Since most eCommerce businesses are buying into this, you must step up your game and build your site to reach broader markets by making it available in several languages.

iHerb caters to its international buyers—the eCommerce brand supports up to 17 languages, allowing customers to shop in their local languages.

7. Not using the scarcity principle to drive urgency

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is one of the primary drivers of impulse buys.

But what’s interesting is that consumers like impulse buying.

In one study, 72% of respondents said impulse buying improved their mood.

So, you’re doing a good thing when you use a message that triggers buyers to act on the spot.

Phrases like "3 items left" and "5 people are looking at this item” help them get decisive.

Copies like that also remind the buyer that the product might be off the shelf soon, so they must make a decision now.

But don't take it too far. If your product doesn't have this sales activity, don't display it.

Employ other legitimate tactics.

Why?

You can lose buyer trust and brand equity and get yourself in trouble with the law.

For example, the online ticket seller, Viagogo, attracted the attention of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) when it falsified its marketing message by abusing this tactic.

What Makes a Great Checkout Experience?

Great checkout experiences will establish your brand’s presence in a customer’s mind.

Here are some best practices to improve eCommerce checkout experience:

• Simple & minimal steps
• Clear and transparent pricing
• Multiple payment options
• Mobile optimization
• Guest checkout
• Social logins
• Progress indicators
• Auto-fill
• Trust signals & security
• Flexible shipping choices
• Instant order confirmation
• User-friendly error handling
• Thoughtful cross-selling prompts
• Fast loading times

How Can You Improve the Checkout Experience?

When it comes to eCommerce checkout process optimization, the idea is to not just get elements on the checkout page right. It is to remember that the customer is either seriously thinking about checkout before that page itself — and here are the steps you can take to get it right:

1. Get micro-commitments at the cart stage

If you remember that most shoppers carry a fair amount of subconscious anxiety around checking out, this optimization will be easier. 

Consider what kind of micro-commitments will actually soothe them towards a smoother checkout — we’ve seen the following work rather well:

👉 “Add a refill at X% off” nudges (enunciate it with a radio button they can select)

👉 Show a delivery window guarantee both at cart & checkout

👉 Show an express payment option as secondary CTA both on product & cart page

2. Auto-apply any possible coupons

Unfortunately, both discount code errors and shoppers veering away from the checkout page (and not finding any suitable codes) are common causes of order abandonment. 

And this is what an auto-applied discount can dispel — as long as it’s done correctly:

👉 Bring in a limited time angle to it, so that shoppers actually use it to their advantage

"$20 off applied — checkout in the next 8 mins to keep this deal."

👉 Don’t trigger it on every order — instead use cart-based rules like:

If cart value goes above $500 or, when the shoppers add 2 or more items to the cart.

👉Show different messaging to loyalty program members

"Because you're logged in, your loyalty discount has been applied."

3. Show a “Have Questions?” prompt prominently

Last-minute questions about sizing, pricing, variants and even delivery are very normal at checkout. 

And that means prominent customer support can be that one key element that can stop shoppers from abandoning the order because of doubt. 

Featuring this as microcopy right beneath the “Proceed to Shipping” or “Make the Payment” CTAs can be especially helpful. 

UX: The Ultimate eCommerce Checkout Optimization

While free hypotheses to test on the checkout page include:

• Is the information in an accurate order?
• Are the form fields deterring experience?
• Are customers feeling safe to pay?
• Are there visual cues for different actions?
• Are there any distractions?

…98% still drop off without buying anything. 

Why: user experience issues that cause friction for visitors. 

And this is the problem Convertcart solves. 

We've helped 500+ eCommerce stores (in the US) improve user experience—and 2X their conversions. 

How we can help you: 

Our conversion experts can audit your site—identify UX issues, and suggest changes to improve conversions.