6 CRO Tips for High-Converting eCommerce Checkout Pages

Your checkout page is the final step to turning website visitors into customers on your website. From expensive shipping to bad website navigation, there are many reasons why a customer could abandon their purchase journey. Cart abandonments are all too common on any eCommerce website and working out why they were abandoned in the first place is a key step to improving your checkout page to ensure that future customers stay and buy! 

In this article we’ll cover 6 actionable conversion rate optimisation (CRO) tips you can make today, that will give your checkout pages more of a chance at converting.

1. Use Autofill Forms to Ease Your Customer’s Purchase Journey

Forms are a necessity on all checkout pages. They’re a surefire way to get the important information you need from the customer. But long, tedious, field-heavy forms tend to put even the most enthusiastic buyer off.

You should always attempt to make this process as easy as possible for the user, and that’s where smart forms with autofill capabilities come in. As the name suggests, these forms will auto-populate the form fields with the user’s information. Tools such as Google Autofill can take information (safely) the user has in their Google account. 

Names, addresses, phone numbers, and even card numbers can be automatically entered in a blink of an eye doing the job for the customer and making their purchase journey a breeze.

2. Give the Customer Control

Making the customer feel like they are in control of their purchase journey is critical to having them stay throughout. There are a number of ways you can create this ‘illusion’ below are two.

Progress Indicators

Showing the customer a progress indicator is a great way to keep them in the know to what they have to do to complete a purchase. These are usually shown at the top of a checkout page and indicate the stages a user will need to take as well as how long each stage could take. 

Giving the user this information from the beginning can help your customer subconsciously plan their next move, making the whole process easier for them.

Let People Review Their Shopping Cart

Before sending your customer to that all-important checkout page, it’s important to ensure that the customer is happy with everything they used your eCommerce store for. Always show a clear way for them to view and review their shopping cart. 

This builds trust with the customer and is more likely to proceed further knowing they are always in control and getting what they came for.

3. Always Use Clear & Precise CTAs

As with any page on any website, it’s best practice to use clear and precise ways to help the customer navigate through your web pages. Checkout pages are no different and are in some ways the most important place to use clear and precise call-to-action (CTAs) buttons.

These need to be found when the customer is looking for them. Always use contrasting brand colours for the most important CTAs, coupled with expected button copy (secure checkout, continue to payment), these CTAs will have a better chance of increasing conversion rates.

Additionally, CTAs are another element on the page that can help build trust with your customer. Test the use of icons on buttons. These have proven to help increase CTRs and conversions. For example, in a recent test we performed for an online eCommerce store, a button with a padlock icon indicating ‘security’ proved to improve the checkout process and converted better than and button without the icon!

4. Keep Your Prices Clear and Transparent

One of the main reasons user’s abandoned carts is because of unexpected costs such as expensive shipping or hidden VAT costs added at the last minute.

While you may not be able to offer free shipping it’s best to show the customer exactly what it is they will be spending to give them a clear picture throughout their purchase journey.

Look at explaining potential benefits for additional prices. If your shipping fees appear ‘high’, be clear as to why and help benefit the customer by explaining that their order will be with them in a smaller allotted time, making the added cost worth it. There are multiple ways to help benefit the customer in the checkout process but it’s best practice to always be transparent when displaying your prices.

5. Show Badges on Your Checkout Pages to Build Trust

Security badges, trust seals, and payment logos are now a staple on all checkout pages. Without them, is the page even credible? Using these badges helps to reinforce the security of your eCommerce store. They are relatable and help to make the customer feel safe and secure when making a payment in your store, which is of paramount importance.

Using badges with padlocks, verified check marks, and regularly used card providers will show your customers that they are able to trust your business and are more likely to continue with their purchase.

6. Always Build Your Checkout Pages for Mobile Devices

Mobile devices are now the go-to when searching the internet. It’s now more likely that your eCommerce store will be viewed on a mobile device rather than on a desktop. While you should design and optimise your checkout pages for both mobile and desktop, mobile should always be your top priority. 

When creating a checkout page for mobile first, ask yourself, Are the product listings, images, and product descriptions clear on smaller screens? Are the CTAs easy to find and large enough to tap on? Always keep in mind how a user would use your store on a device.

What’s more, Google now favours websites that are optimised for mobile so make sure your checkout pages look the best they can. Your main aim is to give your customer an amazing user experience. Doing so will make it more likely for them to stay, buy and come back to your store for more!