CONSUMER CHECKOUT BEST PRACTICESDECEMBER 1, 2014

68-74% of consumers

abandon their shopping

carts before making a

purchase. (Baymard Institute, 2014 Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics)

(Barilliance, 2013 Survey)

Why Do Consumers Abandon Shopping Carts

Our focus will be on what can be

improved by changing the user

experience.

Let’s hide the user behavior we

can’t affect and any changes a

business department would have

to approve, i.e. lowering prices.

Consumer Checkout Best Practices

Best Case Examples

Let’s look at the top rated

checkout experiences and

adopt the best in class

traits.(Based on Baymard Institute, 2012 Survey)

Baymard Institute 2012 Ecommerce Checkout Survey

Crate & Barrel

Ranked #1 in User Experience checkout by Baymard Institute 2012 survey.

Emphasize checkout button

Path back to browsing is clearly marked but differentiated from Checkout to eliminate user error

Put Checkout button on top & bottom of page for ease of use

Crate & Barrel

Make Total Cost clear and separate from other items Give the consumer an estimate of the shipping and total cost based on lowest price and current browser geographic location

Allow user to easily edit cart items

Crate & Barrel

Give customers the option of checking out as a guest

Offer options to make the checkout even faster. In this case skip some steps by using defaults.

Allow Returning customers sign-in without leaving checkout workflow

Crate & Barrel

Clearly show how few steps are left in the process

Keep the total of the order visible during the process whenever possible

Take formatting out of the issue (eliminate user error)

Crate & Barrel

Display security badges and make the extra information easily accessible without cluttering process

Show confirmation of addresses after entery

Clearly display what the function of the page is

Allow user to easily correct any mistakes

Crate & Barrel

Show how shipping address affects delivery dates and shipping prices

Give shipping options but hide so user is not overwhelmed by choices or distracted from purchase.

Offer security assurances next to payment method.

Offer multiple payment methods. Consider PayPal

Show hints for finding security code

Crate & Barrel

Default shortcuts to save the customer time. Allow Opt Out.

Prefilter the expiry date from todays date

Allow for easy editing

Display all order data collected clearly.

Allow for last minute editing of quantity on the review page

Crate & Barrel

Show the Continue and Submit buttons at the top & bottom of the page for easy access

Show the product being purchased asthumbnail

Allow users to ‘save cart for later’ reduces frustration for the unconvinced

Symantec

Ranked #2 in User Experience checkout by Baymard Institute 2012 survey.

Simplified suggested products

Symantec Help is always near at hand

Options have been simplified and have clear pricing upfront

Savings are shown at the top level and simplify how to save

Clear action for button text

Product page layout has removed almost all distractions

Symantec

Prominent picture, title and description reaffirm product added

Options have been simplified and have clear pricing upfront

Money-back guarantee reduces purchase risk.

Remove obstacles for purchasing. Extra information route is there if needed

Symantec

Security Guarantees

Easy editing of cart contents

Discount code hidden so user doesn’t get coupon remorse

Clear button functionality relates to text

Credit Cards are shown before user enters checkout workflow. No surprises.

SymantecOne page checkout layout simplifies process and gives appearance of few steps

Checkout process appears as three short steps

Allow for guest checkout. Emphasize login for simple existing account.

Security badges improve trust

SymantecShows cost confirmation

Defaults country based on IP address

Shows confirmation of info entered and allows for easy in-cart editing

Symantec

Shows automatic CC selection visual confirmation based on CC# validation

Shows confirmation of info entered and allows for easy in-cart editing

Autozone

Ranked #3 in User Experience checkout by Baymard Institute 2012 survey.

AutoZonePath to checkout is clear

Give the user plenty of shipping or pick up options. Default to most common choice to aid customer.

Allow for editing of quantity at any time

Suggest other products based on customer data

AutoZone

Make data entry as quick as possible. Here one click address duplication should cover most users. 80/20 rule

Show simple and short checkout process steps

AutoZone

Allow customer to become an insider. This allows them to slowly add information but also allows them multiple ways to save money.

Default to one shipping option. Defaulting to the least expensive will help develop trust with customer.

Clearly mark total.

Have button text clearly state what the function is.

More Examples at Baymard Site

There are 100 sites and 53

usability guidelines in the

survey.

What have we learned?

Simple Improvements• Show all costs / cost estimates / cost ranges as

soon as possible. Estimate if possible.• Make simple clear streamlined navigation. No

surprises in the shopping or checkout flow.• Solid Website experience. Optimized for all

browsers and load speeds. Lowest to highest.• Streamline process. Cut out distractions. Don’t

risk current sale by chance of further sales. Show user how many steps are left.

• Eliminate / condense/ hide any extra steps and find ways default to fewer steps.

• Display security badges and info through links.• Offer multiple shipping options but default to

one to streamline experience.• Don’t have website time out affect checkout and

shopping process. Save cart options based on IP address and cookies.

• Allow user to pay in all currencies. • Allow as many payment methods as possible.

Display early to inform user. No surprises.• Allow for most popular payment methods of

intended audience.

Other Traits to Adopt

Allow customers to checkout as

Guests

One site saw a $300 million

increase in one year by

allowing Guest checkout.(Source: UIE.com, 2009)

Design a mobile optimized checkout

experience.

48% use or would like to

use a smartphone to shop

while in-store or on the go. (Source: Cisco, 2013)

37% of consumers are

more likely to purchase on

a mobile-optimized site. (ExactTarget, 2014 Mobile Behavior Report)

Offer Multiple Payment Methods

Some vendors have seen a

15% jump in cart

conversion just by added

one payment method.(Shopify

2011)

Match Target Markets Payment Popularity

Different countries will have

different payment method

popularity. Make sure cart

payment method is not alienating

part of your audience- In this case we see PayPal as the second

most popular method in the US. - PayPal, and other online payment

methods of the advantage of ease. The

user only has to enter PayPal login and

password. - PayPal will also store shipping and billing

info and export to business shopping cart

Crutchfield saw a 33.7%

conversion rate increase

by adding PayPal Mobile

Express Checkout. (Internet Retailer

2011)

Before the CartMake purchasing path as clear as possible

Integrate Easy Purchasing into

Entire Site

Use Call-out to directly speak to

consumer and route to separate

‘Buy Now’ site or Product Specific Site

BUY NOW

Suggestions for routing consumer purchasing

Use current site navigation,

integrate ‘Buy Now’ options in

Product Catalog & How to Buy

Less work

Preferred

• Include only Vital Fields

• Allow Checkout as Guest

• Make data entry as fast as possible

• Make path to checkout obvious

• Remove Distractions, Not Content

• Simplified flow. As Few Steps as possible. See #1

• Show Progress.

• Build Lightweight. Load Quickly.

• Provide Security Reassurances

• Give multiple payment methods

• Create mobile friendly version

• Offer multiple ways to save money

Short Checkout Guidelines

THANKS FOR WATCHING