Ecommerce Checkout Best Practices: What We Learned After Analyzing 20,000+ Online Stores

If your ecommerce store’s checkout process is confusing, slow, or cluttered, you’re going to lose sales. It doesn’t matter how great your product is or how much you’ve invested in traffic—checkout is where the sale happens or it dies.

At ecomm.design, we’ve reviewed over 20,000 ecommerce websites and handpicked 4,000+ of the best-designed stores for our gallery. That means we’ve seen nearly every type of checkout flow imaginable. From clunky, outdated checkout forms to seamless one-click experiences that feel effortless, the difference between a good store and a great one is almost always in the details of the checkout UX.

In this guide, we’re breaking down the checkout best practices used by the highest-converting ecommerce brands. We’re not talking theory—we’re talking patterns we’ve observed after studying thousands of real-world examples.

Let’s dig into what the best ecommerce stores do differently.

1. Fast Load Times = Higher Conversions at Checkout

We’ve found that one of the most consistent features across high-performing checkouts is speed. Pages that load fast, forms that don’t lag, and payments that process quickly — all create a better buying experience and dramatically increase conversions.

According to Google, 53% of mobile users abandon a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Our research confirms this. Among the top 500 stores featured in the ecomm.design gallery, the average load time during checkout was under 2.2 seconds.

Common Factors Slowing Down Checkout Pages

• Overloaded JavaScript from plugins and 3rd-party tools
• Large product images rendered during checkout
• Unoptimized payment gateways that take too long to process
• Bloated CSS leftover from theme customization

What You Can Do to Optimize

• Compress all media assets used in checkout (thumbnails, logos, icons)
• Use a dedicated checkout page instead of loading it inside a cart modal
• Host checkout scripts on a CDN like Cloudflare or Fastly
• Remove non-critical plugins (upsells, reviews, chat widgets)

Fast-loading checkouts not only keep users moving—they feel more trustworthy, which is just as important as performance.

2. Guest Checkout is a Non-Negotiable

Of the top 1,000 ecommerce stores we analyzed, over 92% offered guest checkout without requiring an account to complete a purchase. That’s not a coincidence.

Shoppers want speed and privacy. Forcing them to sign up for an account, especially on their first visit, adds unnecessary friction and is one of the top reasons for cart abandonment.

Why You Should Always Offer Guest Checkout

• Baymard Institute found that 24% of shoppers abandon checkout when forced to create an account.
• Many mobile-first users prefer express checkout and don’t want to remember another password.
• First-time buyers are more focused on getting their product quickly, not committing to a long-term relationship with your brand.

Best UX Approaches to Guest Checkout

• Place the “Checkout as Guest” option above the login field to make it prominent.
• Let users create an account after the order has been placed with a simple one-click.
• Offer social login (Google, Facebook) as a middle ground between speed and user data capture.

If you’re not offering guest checkout, you’re leaving money on the table. Users expect the flexibility and will bounce if you don’t give it to them.

3. Visual Progress Indicators Boost Completion Rates

The best ecommerce checkouts give users a sense of control and clarity. When customers see a clear path from cart to confirmation, they feel more confident moving forward. That’s why almost every store we feature includes visual step indicators in the checkout process.

Progress bars work because they set expectations. Shoppers know how many steps are ahead, what they’ve completed, and where they’re going next.

What We’ve Observed

• The top 20 stores in our gallery all use either horizontal progress bars or numbered step indicators.
• A 3-step checkout (Shipping → Payment → Review) is the most common and highest converting layout.
• Checkout flows with no visual steps had higher bounce rates, especially on mobile.

How to Design Effective Progress Indicators

• Use checkmarks or color changes to show completed steps.
• Keep the number of steps between 2 to 4 to avoid cognitive overload.
• Avoid using vague wording like “Continue” — instead, label steps clearly like “Review & Pay”.

Progress tracking in checkout isn’t about fancy visuals—it’s about eliminating uncertainty.

4. Reduce the Number of Fields in Checkout

The most effective ecommerce stores understand that simplicity leads to conversion. The more fields you ask users to fill out, the more likely they are to get distracted, frustrated, or make errors.

According to Baymard, the average checkout contains nearly 15 fields, but most users only need to input around 6–8 key data points. That’s a massive opportunity for optimization.

Fields You Should Probably Remove

• Company name (not needed for B2C customers)
• Phone number (unless required by shipping provider)
• Address Line 2 (can be optional or hidden)
• Newsletter opt-in (don’t mix with checkout intent)

Smart Form Features to Include

• Address auto-complete using Google Places API
• Browser auto-fill enabled on all standard input fields
• Smart defaults for country or shipping method based on IP

Streamlining your form doesn’t just make checkout easier—it reduces friction at the most critical step of the funnel.

5. Enable Inline Validation to Prevent Frustration

One of the most frustrating things for users during checkout is getting an error at the end of the process and having to backtrack. Inline validation solves this by letting users know in real-time if they’ve made a mistake—without having to submit the form first.

Among top ecommerce stores featured in ecomm.design, over 85% used inline validation for key form fields.

What Inline Validation Should Do

• Flag errors as soon as they occur (e.g., invalid email format)
• Confirm correct input with green checkmarks or helpful messages
• Show error messages next to the field—not at the top of the page

Most Common Mistakes in Checkout UX

• Not validating email format until submission
• Showing vague error messages like “Something went wrong”
• Requiring a phone number without explanation

Validation is about preventing errors, not punishing users. The smoother your form feels, the more likely people are to complete it.

6. Keep the Cart Summary Visible at All Times

One of the most common issues we see in checkout UX is when stores hide or minimize the cart summary. This leads to user anxiety because shoppers aren’t 100% sure what they’re paying for, how much it costs, or what the total includes. The best ecommerce sites keep the cart summary clearly visible, especially during shipping and payment steps.

We noticed that nearly 90% of top-performing ecommerce sites in our gallery include either a persistent summary sidebar (on desktop) or an expandable summary drawer (on mobile).

What Your Cart Summary Should Include

• Product name, image, and quantity
• Item subtotal and total price
• Shipping cost (or a clear message if it’s free)
• Taxes and discounts (clearly labeled)

Why This Improves Checkout UX

• Prevents users from second-guessing their purchase
• Makes final cost transparent, which builds trust
• Reduces the need to go “back” to the cart page

One of the worst things you can do is hide the final total until the very end. That often leads to checkout abandonment, especially when users are hit with unexpected taxes or fees. Transparency here isn’t just good UX — it’s good business.

7. Build Trust With Security and Payment Badges

Trust plays a huge role in whether someone decides to enter their payment info. At checkout, even the smallest design detail can affect perceived legitimacy. Based on our research, nearly all of the most trusted ecommerce stores in our gallery include visual trust elements during the payment step — but they do it with subtlety and clarity, not by overloading the page.

Key Trust Elements That Convert

• SSL encryption with a visible lock icon in the browser
• Payment method logos (Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, etc.)
• Security provider badges (e.g., Norton, McAfee)
• Simple trust messages like “Secure 256-bit encrypted checkout”

Where to Place Trust Elements

• Near the credit card form or payment buttons
• Directly under the final “Place Order” or “Complete Purchase” CTA
• Above the fold for mobile layouts

Do not clutter the page with too many trust seals. The best brands trust their design language and simplicity to communicate credibility — then they back it up with visible security cues at just the right moment.

8. Integrate Express Checkout Options Like Apple Pay and Shop Pay

Checkout speed is a major driver of conversion, especially on mobile. That’s why more and more brands are integrating one-click and express checkout options. In our gallery, 70% of stores that use platforms like Shopify or BigCommerce include Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal Express — and for good reason.

According to Shopify’s internal data, using Shop Pay can increase mobile conversion rates by up to 1.72x. That kind of improvement, simply by enabling a built-in feature, is a no-brainer.

Benefits of Express Checkout Options

• Speeds up the buying process by eliminating form fills
• Uses stored payment credentials from the customer’s browser or device
• Often auto-fills shipping and billing addresses

Platforms That Support One-Click Checkout

• Shopify: Built-in support for Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay
• BigCommerce: Supports Bolt, PayPal Express, Amazon Pay
• Custom Stores: Can implement Stripe Link or Fast Checkout

Just remember: order matters. Many stores boost conversion rates simply by showing Apple Pay or Shop Pay first, followed by standard credit card forms.

9. Be Upfront About Shipping Costs and Delivery Dates

One of the top reasons for cart abandonment is unexpected costs — especially shipping. Users want to know how much it will cost, when it will arrive, and whether free shipping is available. Hiding this info until the last step is a conversion killer.

Baymard Institute found that 48% of shoppers abandon checkout due to surprise shipping fees. Our own design analysis backs this up. Sites that show delivery estimates and transparent shipping charges early in the checkout perform significantly better.

Best Practices for Shipping UX

• Show estimated delivery date next to each shipping method
• Offer free shipping thresholds (“Free Shipping on Orders Over $50”)
• Display shipping methods in a simple radio button layout

Pro tip: Even if you charge for shipping, be transparent about it early. Shoppers will forgive a $5 fee if they know about it up front — they’ll bail if it’s a surprise.

10. A/B Test Everything — Especially on Mobile

The best checkout experiences are not static. They’re constantly evolving based on user behavior. Almost every high-performing store in our gallery has a team (or at least a tool) dedicated to ongoing A/B testing, especially in the checkout.

What You Should Be Testing

• Button copy: “Complete Purchase” vs “Place Order”
• Payment method order: Shop Pay first vs PayPal first
• Field layout: One-column vs two-column
• Default shipping option: Free vs Express
• Mobile-specific layouts and spacing

Tools That Make A/B Testing Easier

• Google Optimize (free but deprecated soon — alternatives: VWO, Convert)
• Hotjar or FullStory (for user recordings and click tracking)
• Shopify A/B apps or custom scripts via GTM

Use session replays and heatmaps to discover exactly where users drop off — then optimize accordingly. The only way to continuously improve is to measure and iterate.

Final Thoughts: The Best Checkouts Make Buying Feel Effortless

After analyzing more than 20,000 ecommerce websites, we’ve learned one thing for certain: your checkout process is either closing the sale — or killing it.

All of the best ecommerce stores we’ve added to the ecomm.design gallery share a common thread when it comes to checkout:

• They reduce friction at every step
• They communicate clearly, early, and often
• They don’t distract the user from the goal
• And they always respect the customer’s time and intent

If you’re serious about increasing your conversion rate, there’s no better place to start than your checkout. Focus on load speed, simplify your forms, show progress, and keep everything transparent. Do that consistently, and you’ll not only improve your sales — you’ll earn long-term customer trust.