Steps to create a seamless checkout process in Magento

Steps to Create a Seamless Checkout Process in Magento

Does Magento host your e-commerce store? Do you find the checkout optimization a bit tricky? Well, I get you! While Magento has advantages, a few key areas need extra effort (and a hard push) to get the engine running!

Did you know that over 70% of customers abandon their carts because of a negative experience? A survey showed that more than 48% did so because of the extra costs and 22% solely because of the lengthy checkout process! This proves that a seamless checkout is detrimental to maintaining a positive customer experience.

Here’s what we’ll be dealing with in this blog:

• What exactly is a seamless checkout?
• How do you create a one-step checkout in Magento 2?
• Are there any pros and cons to the default Magento checkout process?
• What are the steps to create a seamless checkout for Magento2?

And all that you need to know to get out of this confusion!
Off we go!

Let’s start with the most important question…

What is a Seamless Checkout?

A seamless checkout is when a customer completes an online purchase without hassle. There is no confusion- it is less time-consuming and straight to the point! A seamless checkout is possible by any means. For instance, you can enable autofill forms, reduce the length of the final form, provide multiple payment options, or even enable payment via guest mode.
I have abandoned purchases multiple times because I was asked to fill out a 15-field form or because a preferred payment option was unavailable. Your customers will, too!

One out of five online customers in the US abandoned a cart because the checkout process was too long or complicated. A study found that an optimized checkout can recover $260 billion worth of lost orders in the US and Europe combined!

Consumers today value convenience and time over product. Anything that eliminates even the minimum effort they must put in creates a seamless checkout.

Since that’s clear, why don’t we discuss the elephant in the room?

Understanding Magento’s Default Checkout Process

The best part about Magento 2 is the one-page Checkout, which displays all the steps on a single page. The earlier version had a tedious six-step checkout that was too complex for the customers.

One Page Checkout

One-page checkout is a feature that lets you complete a purchase from a single page without shifting between multiple pages. This includes billing address, shipping, payment method, and other details.
Magento One Page Checkout contains combined checkout fields, real-time updates, a customizable layout, and even the option for Guest checkout.

Let’s take a look at the steps in detail: Shipping and Review & Payments

1. Shipping: Here, the customers must share the shipping details, including their address and shipping method. Magento auto-saves these addresses, which can be later edited. This step also gives you a shipping estimate and options of which the customers can choose the one that best suits their needs.
2. Review and Payment: In this step, the customer must review the details, select a suitable payment method, and enter promo codes and coupons.

After the payment comes the order confirmation. For registered customers, Magento displays the order confirmation page with their order number, links to their account, and a receipt generator.
Now, it is time to look at the components that make the checkout process

Key Features of Magento’s Default Checkout

• Progress Bars: Magento features progress bars to lead customers through every step.
• Saved Information for Registered Users: Registered users can enjoy pre-filled shipping and billing details. This removes any possible confusion.
• Secure Checkout: The platform provides a secure checkout environment using HTTPS, signalled by a lock icon in the browser’s address bar.

Let’s move on to the…

Pros and Cons of Magento’s Default Checkout Experience

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the default checkout for a quick sneak peek:

Pros

• Simplified Process: The two-step checkout is pretty straightforward and avoids any confusion on the customer’s end.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: The default checkout is responsive and adaptable to multiple mobile devices.
  Did you know?
  Smartphones made up over 75% of retail site visits in the U.S. and nearly two-thirds of online orders in the third quarter of 2024.
• Guest Checkout: Magento allows its customers to checkout without creating an account. This is an excellent advantage for first-time buyers who are reluctant to commit before understanding the platform’s features.
• Integrated Payment and Shipping options: Customers can use credit/debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, or other integrated payment gateways. The platform also offers flat rate and table rate shipping and a bunch of integrated shipping options, including UPS, USPS, FedEx, and the like.

Cons

• Slow Loading Speed: The loading speed increases due to the multiple scripts involved or complex shipping and payment integrations.
• Limited Design and Layout options: It’s not easy for businesses to add branding elements like banners, logos, or promotional text to the checkout page. Also, you need complicated coding and extensions to add or remove fields.
• Complicated One-Page Layout: While one-page checkout is an added advantage, it can be a bit cluttered. You have to navigate from the shipping page to the review and payment section, while the URL remains the same for both.
• Lack of Logic: There is overall confusion about the fields and their arrangement. This disorganized layout can lead to mistakes during the checkout.

You have reasons why you would (and might not) want to use the default checkout system. But there are a few best practices and tricks you can follow to make it effortless!

Steps to Create a Seamless Magento Checkout Process:

Magento checkout process is the final checkpoint between a browser and the buyer. Imagine losing customers right at the last moment! Here is a set of steps you can follow to prevent that!

Simplify the Checkout Flow

The six-step checkout in Magento 1 was a frustrating experience for customers. Magento 2 streamlined this to a two-step process (Shipping and Review & Payments), but as we mentioned before, it does not come without its shortcomings.
The default checkout includes excessive loading between steps, with users waiting 8 seconds when choosing a country, typing in ZIP codes, or selecting shipping options.

• It would be a good option to use accordion-style navigation where the already completed fields become hidden when consumers proceed.
• Removing the conditional reloads will also help a lot.

These simplifications minimize checkout by as much as 40% and reduce cart abandonment.

Optimize the Checkout Performance

According to user reviews, every step reloads in Magento 2 may take 8 seconds or longer. The JavaScript-intensive approach causes slow page rendering, particularly when customers pick countries, modify shipping addresses, or select payment options. Customers have also reported that they sometimes see blank pages during checkout.
Here are a few optimizations you can implement to reduce loading times to under 2 seconds per interaction!

• Enabling all caching mechanisms, especially for checkout pages, will help.
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to spread static content worldwide.
• Also, try to employ browser storage to store customer data and avoid duplicate server requests.

Eliminate all the Unnecessary Elements

The default checkout process has many unwanted fields and third-party modules that can easily distract the customer. This is a big issue regarding mobile UX, as it slows overall performance. Every one-second delay in loading time results in approximately a 7% conversion loss.

• Removing all the irrelevant payment methods and keeping only those that are frequently used can help.
• Do we need the decorative elements in the layout? It’s better to keep it as simple as possible with minimum distractions.

Enable Guest Checkout

Forcing your customers to create an account is not how you enhance customer experience. Over 26% abandoned their cart because they were asked to create an account before purchasing! We don’t need that, do we?
Though Magento has a default guest checkout feature, most stores have disabled it for various reasons.

• First thing- enable it! And make it the default choice.
• Also, even when you ask for the details, request only the most essential things.

Offer Multiple Payment Options

The default payment option comes with a lot of complexities. Users have reported issues with PayPal, token processing, and an overall inconsistency with the payment gateways.

• Add visual payment icons to make it easy and less confusing for the customers.
• Use extensions like Magento Better Checkout. Also, make sure your store integrates with local payment options.

That’s it! Remember that checkout optimization is not a one-time thing. Keep A/B testing and find out what works best for you from the customer’s shoes!

Magento Checkout Extensions to Improve UX

Here’s a list of extensions you can use to make your checkout process even more seamless!

• Smart One-Step Checkout by Aheadworks: You get auto address completion functionality, which supports customizable checkout fields. The best part is its ability to track conversions and performance metrics for each checkout field.
• Mageplaza One-Step Checkout: This gives you a one-page checkout with real-time updates without needing page reloads.
• Display Currency by BSS Commerce: This is perfect for international merchants as it removes currency-related uncertainties.
• Braintree for Magento 2: This extension is trusted by many and is considered one of the most secure for an efficient checkout process.

Conclusion

Creating a seamless Magento checkout process requires a set of strategies. Now that you know what to do start implementing them one by one. Also, checkout optimization is not and never will be a one-time task. You have to keep an eye on it and make continuous efforts to simplify the process for your customers.
Happy Exploring 🙂

manan

VP Technology 

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With over 18 years of experience in digital commerce, I have worked extensively across a wide range of technologies including Magento, Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, React.js, MySQL, and PHP. As the Vice President of Technology, I lead the company’s technological vision—overseeing strategic initiatives that drive business growth and enhance client solutions. My core focus lies in building scalable and secure systems, while also exploring emerging technologies that deliver competitive advantage. I am responsible for designing and implementing impactful changes across platforms, with a strong belief in leveraging technology to increase project volume, boost revenue, and create meaningful value in our customers’ experiences.