According to Baymard, 17% of shoppers name too long and complicated checkout process as the primary reason for abandonments during cart and checkout. It makes Magento checkout flow optimization one of the major pain points for any eCommerce business.
Magento does its best to ensure that it is a secure and encrypted channel when a checkout process launches. A padlock symbol that appears in the address bar indicates the beginning of the process.
But what information is necessary to complete a transaction out-of-the-box? What alternatives does Magento 2 offer?
This article tackles the basics behind Magento checkout flow, touches on Magento 2 one-step checkout dilemma, and shares insights on how you can optimize the process.
Let’s get started.
Image credit: Baymard
Steps Behind Magento 2 Default Checkout Flow
Default Magento offers a multi-step checkout flow. It displays a progress bar to indicate each step of the process and allows you to collect information gradually.
If consumers already have an account, the process won’t take long as most of the data will already be in their account.
If not, checkout will include the following steps:
- Shipping. Here, your consumer can either choose a shipping address from the previously entered ones or add their first address by filling in all the fields provided. They should also select a shipping method here.
- Preview & Payments. At this step, the customer can see their order summary, apply a discount code (just one by default), and click the Place Order button to complete an order.
Please note that Adobe Commerce comes with more possibilities. Click here to get acknowledged with the official documentation.
Tips to Advance the Checkout Flow
It bears repeating that no business is made similar. So if some shtick or tactic works for another organization, it has all the chances to fail for another one.
Nonetheless, the following pieces of advice will help you optimize your Magento checkout process for more sales:
Offer as many Payment Options as Possible
The absence of adequate payment options is a primary obstacle to completing the checkout process. If your platform does not let you add multiple payment options, prioritize.
You’ll need to run research and study the payment methods popular with your target audience.
Make Checkout Mobile-Friendly
No news that we are living in the mobile-first world. People tend to choose hand-held devices to place their orders even more often.
Thus, your Magento checkout page should look as good and functional on mobile devices as on desktop ones.
Besides ensuring bug-free experiences, the layout should be crafted in full compliance with the best practices, not to mention Google’s requirements for text sizes, load time, auto-fills, and more.
So if you choose to mark your site as mobile-first, the mobile-first checkout should be your top priority.
Do not force shoppers to log in
Here’s another reason for cart abandonment — requiring your customers to create an account.
Not all shoppers have the patience to fill in the registration form to spend their money.
If you do not want to scare the one-time shoppers away, do your best to avoid such a mistake.
Naturally, registration can be required for some businesses to have their shoppers logged in before placing an order. If that is the case, consider enabling social sign-ins. They can be a quick alternative to manual registration.
Consider One Page Checkout
The dilemma between the multi-step and one-step checkout process will never disappear. Although there are undoubtedly businesses for which the multi-step process works the best, research proves that one-page checkout can increase conversion rates by 10% or even 20%.
So if you are having doubts that your checkout process is the best you can do, A/B testing is worth trying.
Let’s use Mageworx’s One Page Checkout Suite as an example of what the process could look like and what features you can have in your store.
So the module introduces the following features:
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- Two tabs (delivery and in-store pickup). It allows shoppers to quickly switch between the preferred shipping options and see the corresponding fields only.
- Advanced delivery date and in-store pickup functionality. It allows tweaking the delivery options together with the checkout flow.
- Massive payment methods are supported. When we talk checkout, this one is vital as discussed above.
- Responsive design. It ensures that checking out on any device is a smooth and positive experience.
- Advance compatibility with other modules. When it comes to third-party extensions, compatibility can be a game changer, especially in the case of checkout. Any incompatibility can break how your store operates. So this is something you should double-check on.
Say no to hidden fees
It can be a major disappointment if your potential buyers observe some surprise at the final stage after completing all the other checkout steps.
If they learn about unexpected shipping, taxes, or charges for the first time at the checkout, the shoppers are likely to ditch your site and never return.
If you do need to add extra fees, do not take consumers by surprise.
Conclusion
Magento is known to be one of the most secure platforms, perfect for large and mid-size businesses. Out-of-the-box, it offers all the basic functionality needed to ensure a thought-out checkout process.
However, no matter how ideal the platform is, businesses are likely to seek customizability and flexibility in adjusting the settings as required. In Magento, it is achieved with the help of third-party extensions. And luckily, the Magento community has something to offer.
Now it’s your turn to pick a solution that fully meets your business needs and enjoy improved customer shopping experience (and conversion rates).
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