Reducing checkout friction at your store in BigCommerce Store is a critical step towards enhancing your customers’ shopping experience and boosting conversion rates. Mobile users often abandon their carts due to complicated checkout processes, costing businesses potential sales. If you’re ready to simplify your mobile checkout and keep shoppers coming back, here are ten practical ways to make it happen.
1. Enable Guest Checkout Options
One significant source of checkout friction at your store in BigCommerce Store is forcing users to create an account before they can make a purchase. While accounts offer benefits like order tracking, many shoppers prefer speed and convenience. Enable guest checkout and allow customers to decide if they’d prefer to create an account later. A streamlined guest option minimizes interruptions and improves your completion rates.
2. Optimize Page Load Speed
Mobile users expect fast and seamless experiences. If your checkout process or payment pages take too long to load, visitors are likely to leave. Utilize tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify performance bottlenecks and apply recommended fixes. Compress images, minimize code, and leverage browser caching to ensure your checkout process is lightning-fast.
3. Simplify Form Fields
A lengthy checkout form creates unnecessary friction, especially on mobile devices with limited screen space. Reduce your checkout to only the essential fields—shipping details, payment information, and contact information. Consider autofill capabilities that allow returning customers to populate their details quickly, reducing time and effort during the process.
4. Implement Mobile-Friendly Design
A clunky, desktop-centric design is a major source of checkout friction. Ensure your checkout pages are optimized for mobile with responsive layouts, large buttons, and legible fonts. Test your site on various mobile devices to confirm navigability and ease of use, so customers can complete their purchases effortlessly.
5. Offer Multiple Payment Methods
Limited payment options can become a roadblock for shoppers. Offer a variety of payment methods, including mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, which streamline the checkout process. These options are particularly appealing for mobile users as they reduce the need to input lengthy card details manually.
6. Eliminate Hidden Costs
Unexpected shipping fees, taxes, or additional charges at checkout are the culprits behind many abandoned carts. Be transparent about costs early in the shopping process. Incorporating a real-time cart calculator that includes all applicable charges saves customers from unpleasant surprises and leads to smoother checkouts.
7. Use a Progress Indicator
Users appreciate knowing how many steps are involved in the checkout process. Introduce a visible progress indicator at the top of your mobile checkout pages, detailing key steps like Shipping, Payment, and Review. This transparency keeps shoppers informed, reducing frustration and abandonment rates.
8. Enable One-Click Checkout
For returning customers, one-click checkout options can dramatically reduce friction. Features like BigCommerce’s Optimized One-Page Checkout allow users to breeze through payment and confirmation in just a few taps. Integrate this functionality to cater to busy shoppers looking for speed and simplicity.
9. Provide Real-Time Error Messaging
Nothing frustrates a customer more than submitting their payment form only to encounter an error message afterward. Implement real-time validation for form fields, alerting users of issues (like incorrect card numbers or missing zip codes) before they move forward. This proactive approach ensures smooth, error-free transactions.
10. Test and Iterate Regularly
Customer expectations evolve, and so should your checkout process. Conduct A/B testing on different elements of your checkout flow—like button placements, form designs, or payment gateways—to see what works best. Regularly review data on cart abandonment rates, user feedback, and purchase trends to refine your process further.
The Drawbacks of Checkout Friction
Checkout friction is detrimental to both user experience and your bottom line. Here are some key issues that arise due to a complex mobile checkout process:
- Increased Cart Abandonment Rates: Research suggests that over 69% of online shoppers abandon their carts, with many citing overly complicated or time-consuming checkout processes as the reason.
- Lost Revenue Opportunities: Every additional step in the checkout process can lead to frustrated users who leave without completing their purchase. This translates to significant losses, especially for high-traffic stores.
- Damaged Brand Reputation: A frustrating checkout experience leaves a lasting impression, discouraging customers from returning. On the contrary, a streamlined process encourages repeat purchases and builds trust.
By identifying and addressing these issues, you can create a friction-free checkout experience that benefits both your customers and your business.
FAQs on Checkout Friction
1. What is checkout friction at your store in BigCommerce Store?
Checkout friction refers to any obstacles, delays, or inconveniences during the checkout process that make it harder for customers to complete a purchase. Common examples include lengthy forms, slow page load times, and limited payment options.
2. How can I reduce checkout friction in a BigCommerce Store?
Simplify your forms, offer multiple payment methods, enable guest checkout, and optimize your store for mobile users. Additionally, tools like BigCommerce’s Optimized One-Page Checkout can streamline and declutter your checkout interface.
3. Why is mobile optimization important for reducing checkout friction?
Mobile devices account for a growing share of eCommerce traffic. Ensuring your checkout process is responsive, fast, and easier to use on small screens prevents abandonment and improves conversion rates among mobile shoppers.
4. What tools can help me analyze checkout performance?
You can use Google Analytics to track cart abandonment rates or heatmap tools like Hotjar to identify areas of improvement in your checkout flow. BigCommerce also offers built-in analytics to help you measure the effectiveness of your checkout setup.
Final Thoughts
Simplifying the mobile checkout process in your BigCommerce store is more than just removing a nuisance—it’s about building trust, retaining customers, and driving revenue growth. Start by tackling key friction points, testing different strategies, and always putting your customers’ needs first.
Want to learn more about optimizing your BigCommerce store? Take action today! Explore additional guides and tools to unlock your eCommerce store’s full potential.
