Searching for the perfect checkout is like the search for the Holy Grail, except that the latter was probably more fun with adventures in far-away countries, on horse back and with sharp objects at your disposal. Every online retailer has a different checkout flow with most of them too long, confusing and at times even unreliable. A new study study by the UK’s e-Consultancy group now indicates that checkout abandonment rates could be as high as 80% as a result of poor usability (here’s a good interview with the author Dr. Mike Baster on checkout best practices). That can’t be good for business.

Google Checkout’s arrival last year raised the profile of checkout and its significance for conversions and sales (with Yahoo! replicating the search tie-in) but it also set a new bar for checkout simplicity and ease-of-use for buyers. Recently PayPal has turned up the heat with its PayPal Express Checkout product that doesn’t outright replace the entire checkout but conveniently lands the buyer on the retailer’s “complete your checkout” page (for more interesting reading check out last week’s Internet Retailer’s report on third-party checkout adoption rates among the leading online retailers). And before you ask, yes, ChannelAdvisor supports today Google Checkout and will have good news shortly for retailers looking to add PayPal Express Checkout as an option for buyers.

So what are buyers looking for in a checkout (and what will positively impact cart abandonment rates)? Here’s my unscientific list:

  • Security & Trust – Above all I’d like to make sure that my payment information doesn’t end up in Madagascar. I heard it’s a nice country and all, but the data is for you Mr. Merchant and nobody else. That’s no big deal if you’re a brand-name merchant since I trust that the thousands of shoppers before me were okay (Google didn’t report anything on you losing credit card data), but it’s a little bit of a challenge if you’re new to me. May simply be a small token of safety similar to what Global Golf has done with its Hacker Safe feature at the very top of the screen.
  • Speed – Make it fast. Very fast. I have already spent time selecting the right product, let’s just get it over with and don’t give me any opportunity to get confused and quit. Want to build a relationship with me? Follow-up on the order to make sure I got it, give me a chance to rate the transaction and then allow me to opt-in to a newsletter (call out that you’ll be sending out promotions and not product announcements — if there’s no good reason I won’t do it). I bought a good bag recently at eBags and was excited when I was asked to rate the deal, glad you care.
  • Simplicity – Speaking of confusion, I don’t really care to subscribe to any email lists, financing offers, the same product in different colors or a wishlist during checkout. Every time I buy something at a site I end up automatically getting a newsletter and that counts against you, Mr. Loyalty Builder. Remember, the more you hit me over the head with the size and the color of the checkout button, the better. I don’t want to guess what I need to do to pay you right now (before I change my mind).
  • Personalization – And please, please, please: recognize me. I hate data entry. Point and click. Have a guest checkout for shoppers that have privacy concerns. I’d rather register (IF you have other products I am interested in) so that next time I just have to indicate “yeah, ship it to me” and get back to my show. Amazon’s One-Click works for a reason.
  • Options – And while I may like the payment options you have (doesn’t everyone accept credit cards these days?), it’s important that you offer me some progressive checkout solutions before I even get into the weeds of your marketing maze. Yes, I am talking about Google Checkout, PayPal Express Checkout and Bill Me Later. A good number of leading eTailers are already offering this (Starbucks is a good example of how this can be done) so get on the same page. In a perfect world I’d also like for you to default to my preferred checkout method.

Whew, that felt good.

And although I am a big fan of Google Checkout, I have recently found a checkout that beats hands-down anything I have ever used. Wait, it wasn’t even me. My son, a new Webkinz addict, showed me a few days ago what he can buy in this virtual world and I was stunned. Here’s a checkout that doesn’t ask how I want to pay for the product (use what I always use unless I object) or how it should be shipped.

Now where am I going to put my new virtual trampoline?

Share This