Every marketing campaign implemented by eCommerce stores is geared towards one big goal - to attract potential buyers and then convert them into paying customers. One element of your website that plays a crucial role in achieving that goal is the checkout page. 

If your checkout page is designed to influence the customer journey positively, then you are more than likely to see an increase in your conversion rate.

But the current trend suggests that many retailers may not be getting it right with their checkout pages. More shoppers who should be completing the checkout phase are abandoning their carts instead, as evidenced by a staggering 69.8% average cart abandonment rate. Five possible reasons why that could be happening on your eCommerce website are

• A lack of multiple payment methods
• Rigidity with shipping options and delivery times
• Cumbersome checkout process leading to buyer fatigue
• Being mandated to set up an account
• Not being upfront with shipping costs and other fees

If you want to improve your sales potential by reducing cart abandonment, then it’s time to consider implementing some conversion rate optimization best practices on your checkout page. While there are many ideas out there, we’ve picked 3 innovative strategies to optimize your eCommerce checkout page. 

Conversion Rate Optimization Strategy 1 – Set Buyer Expectations

Helping customers understand where they are in their journey is an excellent way to set their expectations. You want to create a checkout interface that makes it clear to them the number of steps left to complete their purchase. You also want them to know what to expect when they click certain buttons. One of the best ways to do that is by showing a progress bar. 

Using a progress bar allows them to understand how far along they’ve come and the number of screens left to checkout. Design a simple bar and place it at a strategic point on their screen with the steps numbered. Of course, you want to make sure shoppers aren’t expected to go through too many steps. By keeping them in the know as they proceed towards the checkout page, you can compel them to see the process through, thereby contributing to your conversion rate. 

Conversion Rate Optimization Strategy 2 – Be Upfront About Costs Early Enough

One interesting thing about people who shop often online is that they’ve become conditioned to expect hidden costs. Some of these costs could be delivery fees and additional taxes, depending on their location. Rather than try to keep these details hidden until they get to your checkout page, there's a good reason to be transparent about additional costs early enough in the customer journey through your store.

It’s all about infusing such costs into their expectations so they can decide whether to proceed or not. If you have extra charges other than typical fees or if your delivery fees exceed the regular standard rates, make sure you direct their attention to such details. That way, you save them the disappointment and surprise of finding out about hidden costs late in their journey, which will likely lead them to abandon their cart and hurt your conversion rate. 

If you want to boost checkout conversions, then don’t hurt your visitors by saving the additional charges for last. Online buyers get frustrated easily by unexpected increases in shopping costs and that's one way to create a bad reputation for your brand and lose their trust. 

If you’re at a loss on how to optimize your checkout flow to display transparent shipping costs and delivery options early enough, then consider using FenixCommerce to automate everything about shipping details and additional costs seamlessly. 

Conversion Rate Optimization Strategy 3 – Enable Guest Checkout

No matter how brilliant your marketing strategy is, you can't force shoppers to take action on your e-store. So never assume that they would want to create an account just because they want to buy your products. 23% of buyers will leave your website if you ask them to create an account. Mandatory registration is a surefire way to have them abandon their carts for certain reasons like

• They don’t want to receive emails from you after buying
• They consider creating customer IDs and passwords strenuous
• They don’t intend to buy from you next time

If you are mandating your visitors to complete additional tasks on your website before they can complete the purchase, then you obviously won’t sell that much. And your conversion rate will take a hit. Of course, you don’t want that. 

Instead, you want to make the buyer journey as short and seamless as possible. Enabling guest checkout on your eCommerce store helps to achieve just that. Now, this doesn't imply that you entirely have to forgo asking visitors to create an account. But it just means that completing their purchase doesn't depend on their willingness to get on your database. 

You can get creative and compel them to set up that account by letting them know how they stand to benefit. Show them the advantages from the perspective of a customer. Lead them to sign up by telling them about perks like easier order tracking, faster checkout during their next purchase, etc. Focusing on the benefits that customers actually value could eventually lead them to create an account on their own terms. 

Boost Your eCommerce Conversion Rate By Employing Best Practices

While different shoppers have diverse reasons for landing on your checkout page, it’s most likely an indication that your products are of interest to them. That’s a healthy signal which shows that you already have their attention. 

At that point, you aren’t struggling to attract them or give them access to whatever product information they need. You also are not looking to figure out what their intent is anymore. As a matter of fact, you already know they want to buy, so you just have to get better at closing the sale.

Even if many eCommerce companies aren't adhering to conversion rate optimization best practices, it shouldn't be the same for you. Make sure to design your checkout flow and page in a way that limits distractions, allows guest checkout, sets buyer expectations, and improves clarity about shipping and delivery costs. 

By doing so, you’ll improve your chances of getting more visitors to checkout, reducing cart abandonment, and closing the sale.