If you have a WooCommerce website, the most important page of your website is the checkout. Why? Because it is the last step of buying from your website and It is interesting to know that 57% of your customers close the checkout page if they wait for more than 3 seconds in the checkout. 80% of this people will not return.
So this page should be designed in the best possible way. Your checkout page could be a WooCommerce one page checkout or multi step checkout. In this comprehensive article, we want to find out which is best for you and minimize the bounce rate.
Answer these questions with reading this article:
- What is cart abandonment and how to calculate it?
- What is a checkout page?
- How many types of checkout pages are there?
- When should we use a WooCommerce one page checkout?
- What are the tips to make a great checkout experience?
- What are the best WordPress plugins for checkout page?
- What are some of the best checkout page design examples?
- How do we ensure a smooth checkout process?
What is cart abandonment and how to calculate it?
Cart abandonment means when your potential customers enter the shopping process but do not complete it. Any product that is added to the cart can be a chance for you. But 70% of these shopping carts do not reach the payment stage and are abandoned.
To calculate cart abandonment rate, divide the total number of completed transactions by the number of all entries to the checkout process (adds to cart). Then you should subtract the result from one and then multiply by 100. For example, if 1000 customers enter the checkout page and 356 of them complete the purchase; thus the abandonment rate is 64.4%.
What is a checkout page?
This page is related to payment details on an eCommerce store. The checkout page gives customers the opportunity to enter these details and complete their purchase. Now we want to find out how to reduce WooCommerce abandonment and steer customers from the checkout page to payment gateway.
Different types of the checkout pages
1. WooCommerce one page checkout
It is a checkout page that customers could complete all the checkout process on a single page.
The aim of one page checkout is to be the buying process as simple and quick as possible. You reduce the time that should be spent on the shopping process. So it boosts the checkout process speed to moderate this painful process for customers!!!
2. WooCommerce multi step checkout
This means the checkout process is extended to multiple pages. It aims to win online buyers’ trust. They can check their information and feel more secure.
3. WooCommerce One click checkout
It directly moves customers from a “Buy Now” button (or something like that) to the checkout page. But it requires that customers have entered their cart’s information or charged their account.
When should we use a WooCommerce one page checkout?
One page checkout page have fewer steps and make the buying process faster than multi step checkout page. But it is not the best solution for all stores because in some websites the one page checkout overwhelm customers and increase cart abandonment rate.
If you sell these products, a one page checkout is exactly what you want:
- Digital products/services
- Downloadable products
- Inexpensive products
But you need multi step checkout for:
- A product or service which costs very high
- Almost all of the customers are desktop shoppers
- Almost all of the customers are elderly who don’t know a lot about modern technology and need our help through the checkout process.
Pros and cons of one-page and multi-step (table)
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13 most important tips to make a great checkout experience
Here, we present solutions that will soon convert all your abandoned carts to huge sales.
1. Getting necessary information
You shouldn’t force your customers to give you unnecessary information. Your checkout page should be minimal. Get an email at first; then, you even could get the billing details like address, number, and etc. after the payment.
If you need some information that buyers aren’t willing to represent, you can give them a discount code encouraging them to sign up and give you the necessary information (for the first time!). But don’t use the code at the checkout page! For more information, watch this video: “How To Add Coupons to WooCommerce Store?”
2. Step-by-step design
If you use multi step checkout, you should design it step-by-step; that may help the customers not confuse. A 3-5 step process is natural.
3. Adjustability
make it possible for customers to change :
- their information in every step (on multi step check out)
- the quantity or their order on the checkout page
5. Guest checkout
Enable guest checkout. Don’t make customers register an account. They may don’t want to create an account on your website and make a one-time purchase. If you do not take this opportunity by forcing them to create an account, they may become your loyal customers.
6. Ad notification
Minimize your promotions and advertising notifications on the checkout page.
7. Simplicity
Your checkout page design must be as simple as possible. Try to design a straightforward page. Amazon’s checkout page is an idol of simplicity.
8. Progress bar or compacted design
Add a progress bar that a customer finds where they are in the multi step checkout process.
If you use a one page checkout, compact your design; thus, the customer doesn’t need to scroll a lot! Maybe three or four columns are enough to place all the necessary items.
9. UX design
Customers can easily find and fill the items. Be aware! Most of the shoppers who abandon checkout pages use smartphones (around 80%). You should optimize your website to be mobile-friendly.
If over 80% of your users come to the site with a mobile phone, it might be better to have an application. To encourage them to use the application, you can make attractive offers for its users and post them on the site.
10. Checkout page load time
The loading time of the checkout page should be the lowest possible. If it is slow, that will increase your BR and decrease your CR.
11. Payment method
each customer prefers a different type of payment from the other. Make sure that you have enabled most types of typical payments. You should enable at least three types.
12. Bugs and technical problems
although technology has many advantages, don’t forget about glitches, bugs, and technical problems. You should ensure checkout process is implemented without any problem. Do regular checks and benefit from analytic tools to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Prevent technical problems such as crashed pages and errors.
13. Transparency
Remember! The main reason for the cart abandonment is some issues like taxes, shipping, and fees, which is unexpected! Inform the customers about them before entering the checkout page. If you want to be professional in this regard, you better read the about Extra cost and how to solve this problem.
6 Best WordPress plugins for checkout page
By default, WooCommerce offers a simple and functional checkout page; however, you can customize it effectively to better customer experience. Following, we will address some of the best plugins that help you modify the checkout page on WordPress.
WooCommerce Direct Checkout
It makes the checkout steps from looking at a product to putting customers’ payment details in a two-step process. Cut out the cart page and go straight to the checkout.
Checkout Field Editor
It is one of the best plugins to add, delete or rearrange fields on our WooCommerce checkout page.
Flexible Checkout Fields
This free plugin offers a couple of field types to add to your WooCommerce store checkout page.
WooCommerce Checkout Manager
This plugin offers 15 different field types to help you customize WooCommerce checkout pages in your online store. You could add or rearrange fields in the billing, shipping, and additional field sections using the checkout manager plugin.
Calculated Fields Form
This plugin helps you create forms where values will be dynamically calculated, like calorie counters or the total cost of a service. In addition, the plugin has an automatic troubleshooting option that will help you resolve any complex you may happen with other plugins or scripts.
WP Rocket
It makes your WordPress website load faster. It is important not only for customers but also for search engine rankings. If your site is slow, you will rank lower.
Some of the best checkout page design examples
- AliExpress: minimal information needed
- Etsy, Amazon, and BigBasket: simplicity
- ASOS: mobile-friendly
- Zappos: straightforward
- Walmart: doesn’t need to register an account
How do we ensure a smooth checkout process?
It is not simple to decide which checkout is the best. To be able to make better decision:
A/B testing
Once you read all the advice we explained above, try an A/B test if you are unsure which type is most suitable for you.
Benefit from heat mapping your website. Ifyou want to find out that a one page checkout is suitable for you or the multi page one, perform A/B testing like this:”A/B Test Case Study: Single Page vs. Multi-Step Checkout”
Analytics Tools
Take a closer look at the analytics and notice where the customers leave out the process.
Best abandonment rate
If you want to optimize your checkout process, set your abandonment rate goal about 20%.
How’re competitors?
Compare your checkout flow to your competitor’s flow.
Gain Customer Trust
If you want to reduce the website abandonment rate, customers should trust you. Whether they found your website unfamiliar, they may not complete the purchase. Encourage your customers or even your viewers to leave a comment about your product or service.
