8 Must-Have Features for Ecommerce Checkout Pages

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Smudging almost dry nail polish; breaking the yolk on sunny-side-up eggs; rain ruining your perfectly straightened hair of three hours;
Frustrating, isn't it?
This is precisely how Ecommerce owners feel after they lose a client at the final stage of checkout. And this rate is so high that almost 70 percent of all checkouts worldwide are abandoned.
After days and months of painstakingly optimizing your website, investing in state-of-the-art ecommerce marketing, and carefully designing your products, people change their minds right after filling their shopping carts. But optimizing even a minor feature on the checkout page can induce a 35 to 42 percent increase in customer conversion rate.
Multiple studies have found that high shipping/delivery costs (60%), having to create an account (37%), complicated checkout process (28%), inability to calculate total order (23%), and technical issues with websites (20%) to be the top five reasons for cart abandonment.
Simple enough reasons, are they not?
And most importantly, easy to fix. It is crucial for eCommerce owners to focus on the back end process as much as the front end to earn revenue.
Scroll down to see eight crucial do's and don'ts to convert window shoppers into paying customers.

1. Keep Distractions at a Minimum

Nobody likes clutter. It is unaesthetic, distracting, and puts out a bad vibe. This applies to website design to a large extent. Your call to action must only focus on getting the customer to make that purchase. Hence, it is essential to make your final checkout page easy to use and navigate.
Stick to accessible, convenient, and clear design formats that don't mislead, confuse or distract the user. Make sure that the information forms that customers need to fill up are short and quick. Also, as cart abandonment is even higher in mobile users (85%), make sure your checkout page design is mobile-friendly.

2. Enable Automatic Data Inputting

Nobody likes to fill out forms. Some consider it even to be a distraction. But every company needs information about its customers. But we can make it easier for them to get done with this step, correct? Data validation is one such conception.
This feature has two significant advantages. It speeds up the checkout process and helps in getting accurate customer details. Statistics show 39% give up on their carts as it was too difficult to fill in their information.
Data validation and input error notification is a valuable method to lower this rate. Web browsers like chrome, safari, and software like PCA predict to do the job for you.

3. Put out Signals That Convey Secureness

Online fraud and e-payment scams are a scary part of our daily lives now. Customers are warier than before to go with lesser-known online brands. Hence, companies need to prove their ingenuity at a glance. And, inserting trust signals is an effective way to achieve this.
There are as many as 10 to 12 such trust signals, including client testimonials, certification, case studies, reviews, ratings, and more. But the most important one happens to be security validation.
That tiny sticker of Norton Security, McAfee, or PayPal's next to payment options has even more impact on a customer than procuring a secure domain URL. These greatly boost their confidence and trust. Here is a detailed study by Baymard Institute on trust site seals.

4. Diversify Payment Options

Even at offline stores, people hardly pay by cash these days. E-wallets and mobile money transfers have replaced even credit and debit cards. This is why it is crucial for eCommerce businesses to offer different modes and ways of payments.
This includes EMI, cash after delivery, credit payments through digital wallets, prepaid cards, mobile transfer, net banking, and more. New payment options like Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are helpful additions as well.
Many businesses now opt for all-in-one financial software solutions like Klarna, Adyen, Stripe, and Worldpay. These come in handy to support international customers as they allow currency conversion and payment options based on the IP address.

5. Offer the Choice of Guest Sign-Up

Forcing customers to create an account is the second most popular reason for losing them altogether. Customers who only make one-time purchases hate this step even more.
Most companies avoid making this mistake as having a one-time customer is better than having none.
An alternative is to have a guest sign-up option that requires only their email id to be submitted. This is far less time-consuming, and the company will target the user through email campaigns later. It's a win-win.

6. Work Out Cheaper Shipping Charges

To run a successful eCommerce business, one needs to find that perfect balance between overall profits and shipping expenditure. This is because high delivery charges are the numero uno reason for losing customers (61-80%).
Formulating and enabling a viable shipping strategy almost always results in increased customer conversion rates.
There are many ways to go about this based on your market niche and profit margins. These include offering free shipping for domestic purchases, hiring a third-party logistics provider, flat rates for every package, and charging the customer just as much as it costs.
Pick the solution that works for you. Irrespective of whichever method you pick, make sure to inform the customer before-hand. Do not surprise them with vague additional costs.

7. Create Abandoned Cart Email Campaigns

This is a must-do behind the scenes technique to prod customers to finish the purchase they left halfway on your website. Studies show 50% of such customers go back and buy those items they abandoned after seeing your email.
Such emails usually have a simple format and display the cart contents, a call to action button, and discount coupons.
Based on your target audience and market area, draft a series of emails and send it to them a few hours after discontinuing their purchase. This is an effective method to open a line of communication with potential loyal customers.
Shockingly, only 19% of eCommerce companies do this. Don't be one of them. Start your campaign now.

8. Speed up Your Page Load Time

Human beings are an extremely impatient lot, online shoppers even more so.
Studies show that 57 percent of shoppers will abandon their carts if a page loads more than three seconds. And what's even more frightening is that 80 percent of them never return to that site.
Slow page load time affects the overall performance of your website and not just your checkout page. 50 % of customers expect a page to load within less than two seconds. Hence, optimizing your pages to ensure the least loading time is crucial for customer conversion and retention.
Here is a list of methods to achieve this.

10 Best Ecommerce Checkout Pages Examples

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1. Nike

Speed seems to stand out as the general theme when it comes to all things Nike. The sports gear stalwart has one of the most efficient and easy-to-use checkout pages among all big eCommerce businesses.
Their checkout page ticks all major must-have features. This includes the one-page format, presence of trust signals, bold call to action buttons, and more. This is displayed with a minimum page load time, making the overall shopping experience an enjoyable, hassle-free one.

2. ASOS

In the fashion industry, ASOS has made a mark for itself by developing a checkout page cracker.
Featuring simplicity as the overarching theme, ASOS has made the shopper's purchasing process a reasonably quick one. It makes use of a four-step modern checkout format which is mobile-friendly as well.
The order summary is displayed with a tiny picture of the product right next to the form. Its main advantage of offering guest sign-in has successfully brought 50% new customers.

3. Nordstrom

A Seattle-based luxury retail chain, Nordstrom, just like Nike, follows an accordion-themed checkout page with minimalistic features. Its delivery options are extensive and displayed, all under one heading. This makes it easy for the customer to focus on one item at a time.
Having an option to pay through Paypal is another major trust signal which puts customers at ease. The only downside is that there are two options for reviewing the order and order summary.

4. Myntra

One of India's sought-after shopping sites stands out among its international counterparts due to its accessible checkout page.
One can wrap up shopping in just two clicks. And with pages loading in under two seconds, this process is made even faster. Its checkout page is linked with all of India's popular digital wallets like Google Pay, Paytm, and more.
Another feature that is unique to Myntra is its add-to-cart from the wishlist option. Its compact one-page checkout is a winner. The only downside is mandatory account creation.

5. Birkenstock

Birkenstock, a pioneer in footwear production, has constantly made several ripples in the international fashion industry.
Though the brand has been around ever since 1774, it continues to be edgy and cool even in modern times. And the same can be said for its website and especially its checkout page.
With an overall blue and white theme, their checkout page follows the classic one-page layout. This has been divided into three parts of shipping, billing, and order summary.
The page is empty of distractions, displays all trust signals, and is extremely easy to follow. They offer free shipping and guest sign-in, and all this can be done by automatic data filling.

6. Bellroy

Australia-based accessories manufacturer Bellroy effectively boosted sales after a revamp of its checkout page, which was confusing. Now it's streamlined and follows a similar format to Birkenstock's three-step process.
Every time a new product is added to the cart, a small pop-up indicates this new addition, eliminating all confusion. It rightly boasts a clean and straightforward checkout process as it has all the must-have features of a successful checkout page.
This includes multiple deliveries and payment options, guest sign-in, and order summary.

7. Crate & Barrel

One of the USA's oldest furniture and home decor stores, Crate and Barrel, tops the best website designs.
Their online interface is seamless and customer-friendly. And this naturally includes its checkout page as well. It is ranked to have one of the best checkout pages among 63 online businesses by Baymard Institute.
In this, they have scored a high 45.7 for its UX performance and 64.7 points for its cart page. It gives the customer multiple delivery options, including store pickup.
They offer diverse digital payment methods, including MasterPass, AMEX Express Checkout, and Paypal.

8. Victoria's Secret

It's common knowledge that the international fashion industry is incomplete without this brand. And they lived up to their name in the online world as well.
They were one of the few companies which were early adopters of the eCommerce model. They are known to have a clear-cut UX design, both for desktop as well as for mobile.
Their checkout page is mobile-friendly as it doesn't overwhelm customers with too many categories and forms.
Their delivery options are varied with the prices mentioned below. They have an equally compelling email campaign for cart abandonment to re-engage customers.

9. Clarks

UK-based luxury brand Clarks has kept its website as classy as its footwear products.
Though they have opted for a multi-page format, the customers are guided without confusion using a progress indicator at the top of the checkout page. Their call-to-action buttons are eye-catchy and hard to miss.
The overall page establishes a sense of trust with the customer and encourages them to purchase the cart content. They offer a winning combo of guest sign-in with an email address and plenty of payment options.

10. Staples

Dealing with paper and office supplies since 1986, Staples has given its competitors a severe run for their money by upping their online strategy. This includes creating a no-nonsense two-page cart page design.
They list the reasons as to why they are the best in the trade right below the order summary.
They encourage customers to create an account by listing out advantages like easy reordering, faster checkout, and access to order history. But at the same time, don't force this on them by offering a guest sign-up option.
Such features unique to Staples significantly boost the confidence of its clients.

Ecommerce Checkout Page FAQs

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1. Which eCommerce Checkout Page Design Works Better - One-Page or Multiple Pages?

As both options have their respective pros and cons, there is no obvious winner. One must make a choice based on product type, target audience, and market niche. While the single page format is faster and customer-friendly, it is challenging to design.
On the other hand, it is easy to collect data via a multiple-page form, but it may seem like a long process to the customer. It must be noted that most top e-retailers go for the one-page option. Read on for more clarity.

2. What Is the Best Design for an eCommerce Checkout Page?

Simplicity and speed must be the overall theme of any design you pick out for your checkout page.
Online shoppers want their experience to be a short and rapid one without obstacles slowing them down. This means lesser clicks, minimum page loading time, more call to action buttons, and preferably, no distractions whatsoever.
Make your interface as simple as possible, as not all online shoppers are tech-savvy.

3. Is a Specific Color Combo Necessary for My eCommerce Checkout Page?

Colors in general and the pairing of colors specifically play a significant role in your eCommerce website design. Humans are visual beings. What we see affects us, even more so in an online environment. Choose a color combo based on product and market type.
Perform A/B testing to confirm your choices. You can also check out Google’s usability guidelines for this.
Experts suggest using bright colors like red, orange, or blue for discount/sales-related buttons, blue or green for payment buttons, and avoiding grey, white or beige.

4. What Is the Best Process for Checkout Flow for Ecommerce?

Ecommerce giants like Amazon, Nike, Birkenstock, and Walmart boast of having one of the ideal designs for seamless checkout pages.
All of the above examples have incorporated these must-have features, including guest sign-in, less page load time, order summary, one-page checkout, and free shipping.
Less is more; shorter is better- these should be the overarching theme of your checkout page irrespective of your market, product, and customer type.

5. Is It Essential to Optimize My eCommerce Checkout Page?

Absolutely yes! Around 70% of online shoppers who view your website never return to complete their purchase. Hence, it is your responsibility and utmost priority to make them stay and finish what they began. Start by putting yourself in their shoes.
Go through your website and pretend to be a customer. By improving any one problem area, you can expect a 35 to 42 % increase in conversion rate. Here are some ways to do this.