In short: Orders are lost at checkout mainly because of costs that appear late, compulsory registration, too many fields, missing payment methods and unclear error messages. The sensible approach is to fix one thing at a time, starting with the step that loses the most people on the way from basket to delivery, payment and confirmation.
Anyone who reaches the checkout has already decided to buy. The visits, the ads and the product pages have done their job. If the order still doesn't go through at that point, the only thing left standing in the way is how you ask people to pay.
The most common reasons for abandonment
They are nearly always the same, and nearly always practical:
- Costs that appear late. Shipping, fees or taxes shown only at the final step leave customers feeling tricked.
- Compulsory registration. Someone who wants to buy just once has no wish to create an account.
- Too many fields. Every extra field is a small chore. House number, postcode and phone number should only be asked for when they are genuinely needed.
- Missing payment methods. If the method a customer normally uses isn't there, they abandon the basket. And it isn't necessarily a card.
- Unclear errors. A red message at the top of the page that doesn't say which field is wrong forces people to start again.
- Low trust. The company's details or the returns policy are missing. Or the page suddenly changes its look.
What to fix first
Show the total before payment
Shipping costs and delivery times should be visible from the basket onwards. Better still if they can be estimated on the product page. If there's no shipping charge above a certain order value, show how much more is needed to qualify.
Allow guest checkout
You can offer account creation after the order: the customer has already paid and only needs to choose a password. That way nobody drops out along the way.
Cut the form down to the essentials
Name, address, email, and a phone number when the courier requires one. Everything else is optional or can be inferred. An address field that completes itself saves time and reduces delivery errors.
Offer the right methods for your customers
Cards, PayPal and digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay cover most purchases made on a phone. An older audience or high-value orders may also call for bank transfer or cash on delivery. Ask yourself which methods your customers actually use, not which ones are fashionable.
Get the mobile experience right
For many shops a growing share of purchases happens on smartphones. A numeric keypad for number fields and autofill for details saved in the browser. Large buttons, well away from the edges of the screen. If paying means zooming in or scrolling sideways, you are losing orders.
Make errors useful
Flag the wrong field right next to it and explain how to correct it. Never wipe what the customer has already typed.
An abandoned basket isn't always lost
If the customer left an email address before leaving, you can send a reminder. It works when it is understated: the product, a link to pick up where they left off and the delivery information. You need the consent required by data protection law and a message that doesn't feel like pressure. A single reminder is often enough.
Measure before you change anything
Before making changes, look at the journey step by step: basket, delivery details, shipping option, payment, confirmation. The step with the biggest drop is the one to fix first. Change one thing at a time and compare similar periods. Otherwise you won't know which change worked.
Shopify and WooCommerce
On Shopify the checkout is already very polished and the customisation options are tightly defined. The work lies mostly in payment methods and shipping rules. WooCommerce gives you more freedom but also more responsibility. Its checkout is built from a theme and plugins that have to work together, and it needs testing after every update.
Further reading: online payments · mandatory information for an online shop in Italy · e-commerce and websites
Frequently asked questions
Why do customers abandon their baskets?
The most common causes are shipping costs or fees shown only at the end, compulsory registration, long forms, no sign of the customer's preferred payment method, unclear errors and low trust in the site.
Is it worth allowing purchases without an account?
Yes. People buying just once don't want to register. You can offer account creation after the order, once the customer has already paid.
Are abandoned-basket emails allowed?
Yes, if you have the consent required by data protection law and the message is understated. A single reminder with the products and a link to resume the purchase is usually enough.