9 Expert-backed strategies for improving checkout conversion rate

Raise your hand if you’ve recently added a product to a cart only to abandon it seconds later…

There’s no shame in admitting this, as 70% of all ecommerce visitors don’t finalize their online shopping. But, if you’re on the seller’s side of this story, this probably isn’t a number you’re enthusiastic about.

A study of over two thousand ecommerce stores found that, if you’re able to get your checkout conversion rate above 62%, you’ll be in the top 20% of the analyzed stores. Get it even higher, to 69%, and you’ll be in the best 10%.

But how do you get there? That’s what I, along with a few online store owners, will tell you in this article.

Why do people abandon their shopping carts?

Before coming up with a strategy to improve your checkout conversion rate, it’s key to understand why people abandon their carts in the first place. And there are plenty of reasons. According to Baymard, 48% of shoppers do so because of extra costs such as shipping and taxes, 26% as they weren’t allowed to check out as a guest, and 25% didn’t want to share their credit card details. These are just the three most common reasons, the remaining ones are listed below.

Bear in mind that some people are only doing window shopping or saving products for later and aren’t planning to finalize their purchase, as they are simply not ready to buy.

How to increase checkout conversions? 9 tips to follow

I’ve asked a few online store owners about their tactics for increasing their checkout conversion rate. Here is what I got.

1. Provide multiple payment options to enhance the checkout experience

When we go back to the Baymard research, we can see that one of the reasons why shoppers abandon their carts is not seeing a payment method they like. Customers have different payment preferences, some like to pay with a credit or debit card, while others favor digital wallets. Offering multiple payment options will help better cater to their needs, which will result in a higher checkout conversion rate.

Easycart lets you offer various payment options to potential customers without the need to build complex integrations or lengthy customer checkout flows. All you have to do is create a one-step checkout page and add product information and payment options. And the best part? You can attach any payment gateway and save on commission.

2. Allow guest checkouts

There are at least a couple of reasons why creating an account in your store should be optional. For starters, people might feel better about giving you essential information only, like their names and email/physical address for delivery. Secondly, it cuts down the number of steps in the process!

David Ciccarelli, CEO at Lake, admits that this is the company’s single-most effective checkout conversion rate hack.

"We don’t want to force users to sign up before they check out, because, often, that process becomes too big of a hurdle to jump”, he says. “Instead, we offer a guest checkout option for convenience and find other ways to encourage users to sign up through discount codes, lower thresholds for free shipping, or faster returns. Also, the checkout process should be housed on a single page with autofill forms where possible”.

Ciccarelli nicely sums this up by saying:

"We can’t expect to maximize conversions without removing unnecessary barriers.”

3. Add a progress indicator to the checkout process

When a customer clicks on their cart icon, they should be able to tell how much time it will take them to check out. Kate Ross, who runs an online beauty store, Irresistible Me, has seen first-hand how much of a difference a progress bar can make.

“Initially, our checkout page didn’t show users how close they were to finishing their purchase, and many started the process but didn't complete it”, she says. “By putting a progress bar at the top of each checkout step, we clearly showed users how many steps they had left. This small change made a big difference by reducing uncertainty and reassuring customers as they moved through the process”.

The results? Quite impressive! “This tweak led to an 18% increase in our checkout conversion rate within just the first month. It not only simplified the checkout but also enhanced the overall customer experience”, Ross says.

4. Remind customers about abandoned carts via email

Sometimes, “things” just get in the way of an unfinished purchase. Yes, it could come down to some of the genuine blockers I’ve mentioned above, like technical issues or lack of multiple payment options (which, by now, I’m sure you’ll work on). Other times though, it could be about a baby crying in the other room or a postman knocking on the door just before they click “buy”.

Always give it another try – the best way to do so is to send an automatic reminder to the person’s email. Bonus points if you use a tool which, like Easytools, lets you embed the cart right into the message and buy with a single click.

5. Offer discounts to encourage cart completion

78% of shoppers want businesses to offer digital coupons. This number is hardly surprising, as who doesn’t like a good deal? To boost your checkout conversion rate you could either offer a simple code, and email it to the person, or embrace a more sophisticated strategy like Matt Little, Director & Owner of Festoon House.

He says that, “one strategy that has proven particularly effective for me is the implementation of a progressive discount system. This might sound a bit unconventional, but let me explain how it works and the impact it has had on our checkout conversion rate.
The progressive discount system is designed to incentivize customers to spend more by offering increasing discounts based on the value of their cart. For example, a customer might receive a 5% discount if their cart value is over $50, a 10% discount if it’s over $100, and so on. This strategy encourages customers to add more items to their cart to reach the next discount tier, thereby increasing the average order value”.

Little says that after implementing this strategy their checkout conversion rate has gone up – from 2% to 3.5% within 6 months. That’s a 75% increase – pretty impressive.

“The reason why this works so well is because it capitalizes on the psychology of incentives. Customers are naturally drawn to discounts and savings, and the prospect of receiving a larger discount for a slightly larger purchase can be a powerful motivator. It creates a sense of achievement for the customer, making them feel they’ve made a smart shopping decision”, adds Little.

6. Make sure your store offers a good user experience

If a customer becomes irritated with the number or screens or doesn’t know how to fill out a field, they will abandon their purchase. And these are just two potential usability issues.

Once again, Baymard shares some eye-opening insights on online store usability. They analyzed nearly 250 top-grossing European and US stores and found that the ‘average’ one had 39 unique improvements to implement in the checkout process.

Valentin Radu, Founder of Omniconvert, has tackled usability-related problems first-hand.

“We analyzed customer behavior and identified that a complex, multi-step checkout was a major deterrent. My team and I streamlined the process to a minimal number of steps and provided clear, concise instructions at each stage”, he says. “This transparency and simplification significantly lowered cart abandonment rates. It made our customers feel more confident and less overwhelmed, boosting our conversions.”

Matt Aird, CTO at Custom Neon, applied similar changes.

“We drastically reduced friction by implementing a single-page checkout where customers can quickly review their cart items as image thumbnails, enter payment (including BNPL options), and see customer reviews. The trust factors provided by these elements reassured customers, making the purchasing decision feel safer and more informed. After integrating the one-step checkout, we observed a conversion rate increase of around 13%”.

7. Promote credibility right from the start

Credibility plays a major role in a customer's desire to complete their purchase. People prefer to buy from brands they trust. That’s why it’s important to promote trustworthiness and credibility right from the start – and this includes your marketing messaging.

“When I’ve displayed return policies and free shipping thresholds front and center, for example, I've seen a big uptick in conversions. Your marketing team should set the expectations for your customers well ahead of time so they aren’t met with any surprises as they reach the check-out stage”, says Rex Huxford, Director of Demand Generation at MD Clarity.

Since people tend to trust other shoppers more than brands, the most powerful tool that companies can turn to are customer reviews. “So many people who fill and abandon their carts simply haven’t been convinced they need to buy yet. But marketers should sit back here and let other customers speak for them. Displaying reviews and other UGC on product pages allows customers to tell other users exactly why they should click ‘buy’ ”, adds Huxford.

Jon Morgan, CEO & Editor-in-Chief at Venture Smarter also bets on social proof, but with a twist.

Morgan says, “customer testimonials and reviews are great, but they can feel a bit generic. Because of this, we created a more dynamic and engaging way to showcase happy customers. So, we started a "Customer Spotlight" program. Here's how it works: We identify customers who've not only purchased from us but who are actively using and loving our products. We then reach out and ask them to share their experience in a short video. It could be a quick clip of them using our productivity planner or a testimonial about how our ergonomic chair transformed their workspace”.

It’s crucial to keep it authentic and unscripted. The brand shares a few talking points, but allows the customer’s personality to shine through. All customer spotlights are then shared across social media, website product pages and even in targeted email campaigns.

“The results have been fantastic. People connect more with real faces and stories than generic text reviews”, says Morgan.

8. Use personalized messaging to encourage checkout

Customers expect their shopping experience to be personalized across all digital touchpoints. And as many as 62% of shoppers surveyed by Zendesk admit that brands could do a better job at it. One way to tailor to this demand is by implementing dynamic content.

Sebastian Petrosi, CEO of How to Watch, says, “we have noticed a significant increase in completed orders since we implemented dynamic content that takes into account each customer's preferences and previous interactions. Checkout conversions have increased by 20%, for example, since AI-driven product recommendations based on browsing history were integrated”.

Why is it so effective?

“Customizing the checkout process to each customer's needs encourages a sense of community and expedites the decision-making process, which eventually boosts sales and improves customer satisfaction. This customized strategy fosters long-term engagement and loyalty in addition to producing quick results.”, explains Petrosi.

9. Consider improving your storytelling

Finally, remember that some checkout conversion rate issues begin well before the order completion stage.

Guillaume Drew, Founder at Or & Zon, says that he was able to boost checkouts by 30% by focusing on 'unique storytelling'.

“As an online store specializing in luxury handcrafted goods, each of our products holds a unique tale of its artisan's craftsmanship. We started incorporating these narratives into our product descriptions, emphasizing the cultural significance, craftsmanship, and sustainability features of each item”, he says. “This was not an obvious approach, but our customers connected more deeply with the products and recognized the value of each unique, handmade piece”.

As you can see, including more authenticity and narrative during the digital shopping experience can give customers another reason to finalize their orders.

Improving your checkout conversion rate calls for a lot of experimentation

Improving the checkout conversion rate is probably one of the main struggles for online sellers. That’s perfectly understandable, as there are so many factors involved in this.

One thing is for certain – you have to experiment. Hopefully, the tactics I put together here will help you lower your cart abandonment rates.

You can start your journey to improvement by giving Easytools a try – our cart functionalities can help you boost conversion rates by up to 64.9%.