Checkout Optimization Checklist: 5 Areas to Check, Backed by Real Tests

A checkout optimization checklist should cover five things: the handoff from cart to checkout, the number of fields and steps, the payment options, the trust signals near the pay button, and how clearly shipping cost and speed are shown. Fix surprise costs and missing trust first. In our database, those are the checkout changes with the most wins behind them.

Each item below links to real A/B tests from our checkout test library, credited to the practitioners who ran them. Use the list to audit your own checkout, then test the items where you fall short. Don't just copy them.

Baymard Institute's research gives the reasons people leave. Its cart abandonment study puts the average documented abandonment rate at 70.22%. Among US shoppers who abandoned during checkout, 40% said extra costs were too high, 19% didn't trust the site with their card, and 18% were asked to create an account.

1. Cart to checkout handoff

The cart is where many buyers decide whether to keep going. Before you work on the checkout itself, check this step.

• Keep the cart step unless a test says otherwise. Skipping the cart sounds like less friction, but Dave Diederen saw -10.23% conversion rate when the store skipped the cart and sent shoppers straight to checkout. Shoppers may still want to review their order.
• Answer the last questions under the checkout button. Oliver Kenyon saw +23.8% revenue per visitor from a cart drawer test that added a dispatch, returns and payment block under the checkout button, along with a size dropdown.
• Show the delivery promise in the cart. Dave Diederen saw +9.04% RPV from adding a "Ships by Tomorrow" callout under the cart drawer's checkout button.
• Make the checkout button the clear primary action. Upsells and discount fields should not compete with it.
• Carry the cart total into checkout without surprises. If you promise free shipping in the cart, it has to be there at checkout too.

For the full step-by-step flow, see our guide to checkout flow optimization.

2. Fields and steps

Long forms make checkout feel slow. Baymard's checkout research found the average US checkout shows 23.48 form elements by default, including 14.88 form fields. It says an ideal flow can get by with 12-14 elements, or 7-8 fields.

• Offer guest checkout. Account creation was a reason to leave for 18% of the abandoners Baymard surveyed. Ask for a password after the order, not before.
• Count your fields. Open your checkout on a phone and count every input shown by default. Hide "Address line 2" and "Company" behind a link.
• Use address autocomplete and set the right keyboard type for phone numbers and postal codes on mobile.
• Collapse the discount code field. A wide-open coupon box can send buyers off to search for codes.
• Check your error messages. Errors should appear inline, next to the field, and say how to fix the problem.
• Know your platform limits. On Shopify, checkout UI extensions for the information, shipping, and payment steps are available only to stores on a Shopify Plus plan. Stores on other plans have less control over these steps, so put more effort into the cart.

3. Payments

Missing payment methods were a reason to leave for 9% of the abandoners in Baymard's survey, and 10% had a card declined. Shoppers also want to see early that their preferred method is accepted.

• Show payment icons near the checkout button. Dave Diederen saw +7.37% CVR from adding payment method icons directly below the checkout CTA in the cart.
• Show what sits behind the express buttons. In another test, Dave Diederen saw +7.81% RPV by showing card and other payment method icons under the express checkout buttons. Some shoppers don't realize they can still pay by card.
• Offer express wallets such as Shop Pay, PayPal and Apple Pay. Milos saw +9.26% RPV (+$11,970/month) by adding those express buttons under the buy box on the product page.
• Consider buy now, pay later for higher-priced carts. Dave Diederen reports a store's conversion rate went from below 1% to above 1% after enabling Shop Pay installments.
• Don't assume more is always better. Dave Diederen also saw +9.77% CVR from hiding payment icons below the add-to-cart button on a product page. Placement matters. Test it on your own store.