How to design a checkout page that reduces drop-off

Checkout abandonment sits at 70.22% globally, averaged across 50 studies. In the US and EU alone, studies estimate $260 billion in orders are lost each year. Not because buyers changed their minds, but because checkout experiences pushed them away. The good news is that most checkout problems are fixable with design changes, not technology investments.

This article covers the specific reasons checkout abandonment happens and how to remove each cause. For the page that comes before checkout, see how to design a shopping cart that converts.

Why checkout abandonment happens

Research identifies the main reasons buyers drop off during checkout. Understanding each one is the starting point for fixing them.

Unexpected extra costs (usually shipping, taxes, or fees revealed late in the process) cause between 39% and 55% of abandonment. Overly complex checkout flows cause 18% to 22%. Forced account creation before purchase causes 19% to 26%. Other contributors include security concerns near the payment form, limited payment method options, and slow page load.

Almost all of these are design decisions. They can be reversed.

Reduce form fields

The average US checkout asks for 23.48 fields. Studies show that most checkouts can cut this to 12 to 14 without losing any necessary data, a reduction of 20% to 60% depending on the store.

The fields that most stores include but do not need: a second address line when the first is sufficient for most orders, a "company name" field for stores that do not serve B2B buyers, a phone number when email is used for all communication, and a separate billing address when it is the same as the shipping address for the majority of orders. Offer these fields as optional or use collapsible sections so they do not add visual friction for buyers who do not need them.

Auto-fill support is equally important. Every field that a browser can fill automatically is a field the buyer does not need to type. Name, address, email, and card details are all auto-fillable when the form is coded correctly. Test this on real devices before launch.

Remove forced account creation

Requiring a buyer to create an account before completing a first purchase is one of the most well-documented causes of checkout abandonment. Many buyers, particularly first-time ones, do not want to manage another account. They want the product. Give them guest checkout as a prominent option, displayed at the same level as account sign-in.

Post-purchase account creation is more effective for everyone. On the confirmation page, after the order is placed, offer account creation as a benefit: "Save your details for faster checkout next time." The buyer has already committed. They are in a positive state. The conversion rate on this offer is higher and it does not cost you any sales.

Progress indicators

A progress indicator tells buyers how much of the checkout process remains. Without one, buyers face an unknown amount of work. Unknown work feels longer and more taxing than defined work. A simple three-step indicator ("Delivery / Payment / Confirmation") reduces abandonment by setting a clear end point. Buyers are more likely to complete a process when they can see how close they are to the finish.

Keep the steps meaningful and accurate. Do not show three steps and then add a fourth. If your checkout has two steps, show two. The goal is to match expectation to experience.

Transparent pricing at checkout

Ideally, the full order total including shipping is already visible on the cart page before checkout begins. At checkout, display it again. Never introduce a new cost at any point during checkout, whether a handling fee, a currency conversion charge, or a mandatory gift wrap option. Every new cost that appears after the buyer has started the process is a potential exit point.

Delivery date information is underused and highly effective. Research shows that displaying a specific arrival date (for example, "Arrives by Thursday, April 7") next to a shipping option is as powerful as free shipping for time-sensitive buyers. Most stores show only price and estimated days. Show the actual date instead.

Trust signals near the payment form

The payment form is where hesitation peaks. A buyer who is uncertain about security will pause here. Place trust signals directly adjacent to the payment fields. Not in the footer. Not at the top of the page. A security badge, a padlock icon, and a one-line "Your payment is encrypted" message address uncertainty at the exact moment it arises.

A short returns policy summary near the payment button also helps. Buyers who are unsure about fit, quality, or whether the product is right for them sometimes need one last reminder that they can return it. That reassurance can be the difference between completing the order and leaving.

Payment method options

Offer the payment methods your buyers actually use. For most stores this means credit and debit cards, at least one digital wallet option, and a buy-now-pay-later method for higher-priced items. Each additional payment method you add is a small reduction in the number of buyers who cannot complete an order because their preferred method is missing.

Display payment method icons clearly on the cart page and at the top of the checkout form so buyers know their method is supported before they start. Do not make buyers discover mid-checkout that their preferred method is unavailable. For details on setting up payment processing for your store, see how to accept payments on your online store.

Mobile checkout

A significant share of checkout attempts happen on mobile. The constraints are real: smaller screens, touchscreen input, and a higher likelihood that the buyer is in an environment with distractions. Every friction point that exists on desktop is amplified on mobile.

Use large input fields with appropriate keyboard types: numeric for card numbers, email keyboard for email, and address autocomplete for shipping. Avoid multi-column form layouts on mobile; single-column flows are faster to complete. Test the entire checkout flow on an actual phone, not a browser simulator. Things that work on desktop often break on small screens, and the only way to find the problems is to test on real devices.

Page speed during checkout

A two-second delay during checkout causes 87% abandonment, according to studies. Buyers are in an active task mindset at checkout. A slow page creates doubt. They wonder if the payment went through, if the site is trustworthy, or if something went wrong. Many abandon rather than wait or refresh.

Checkout pages should load fast on every device and every connection type. Minimize third-party scripts on the checkout page. Every tracking pixel, analytics tag, and chat widget adds load time. Audit what is running on your checkout page and strip anything that is not essential to completing the order.

Checkout microcopy

The wording on buttons and form labels affects conversion in ways that most store owners never test. "Place Order," "Complete Purchase," and "Pay Now" are not interchangeable. Each carries a different implication.

"Place Order" is neutral and widely understood, but it implies a commitment without emphasizing the value exchange. "Pay Now" is direct but can feel transactional and blunt. "Complete Purchase" frames the action as finishing something the buyer already started, which matches the psychological state of someone who has progressed through a checkout flow. Research from the Conversion Rate Experts and various A/B testing studies consistently shows that microcopy like this is a measurable variable. Test one button label against another before settling on a default.

The same principle applies to error messages. "Invalid address" tells the buyer nothing useful. "We could not find this address. Check the postcode" gives them something to act on. Helpful error messages reduce abandonment from form friction. Unhelpful ones add to it.

The post-purchase confirmation page

Almost every article on checkout optimization ends at the payment step. The confirmation page is almost never discussed. That is a missed opportunity, because the confirmation page is one of the highest-leverage moments in the entire store experience.

The buyer has just completed a purchase. They are in a positive state. Their guard is low. This is the right moment to offer post-purchase account creation (as covered above), ask for a referral or a review, and present a well-timed cross-sell for a complementary product they did not add. A "You might also want" recommendation on the confirmation page does not interrupt checkout. It follows it. Buyers who just committed are more open to a follow-up offer than buyers who are still deciding.

The confirmation page should also include a clear order summary, the expected delivery date, a link to track the order, and your support contact. Some buyers feel anxious immediately after purchasing. A complete, reassuring confirmation page reduces post-purchase doubt and the support requests that come with it. It is not just a receipt. It is the first page of the relationship.

How WEMASY supports checkout conversion

WEMASY's e-commerce system includes a streamlined checkout built on the principles in this article: minimal form fields, guest checkout, delivery date display, trust signal placement, and a confirmation page you can configure to include account creation prompts and cross-sells.

See WEMASY pricing to find the plan that fits your store.

Frequently asked questions