What is a checkout page and how to boost checkout conversion?

The checkout page is the most important page of your website when you sell something online: It’s the page where you’re going to make it or break it. Your checkout page works together with landing pages or other parts of your sales funnel. But ultimately, the checkout page is where the magic happens. This is where your customer makes the definitive decision: do I make this purchase?

When you want to sell products or services online, such as opening an online store, selling courses or offering ebooks and whitepapers online, you do this quickly and efficiently with a checkout page. A checkout page can be integrated in your website, but some checkout pages can also be shared directly in emails or on social media. Your checkout page has one important goal: making your customers purchase your product or service.

How does a Checkout Page work?

A checkout page is part of the online ordering process. On this page, your customer orders and purchases the product or offering they selected.

Here, your customer fills in their details. Which details are necessary will depend on what you sell, to who and where. Do you sell digital downloads that you fulfill via email? For a B2C sale, a name and email address will be enough. Selling to businesses? You might also need to collect a company name and Tax ID. Selling a physical product? Then you’ll need to collect a shipping address on your checkout page.

The checkout page often also displays which product(s) the customer is about to order, which costs belong to the order such as shipping costs and VAT, and an image of the product. A product image on the checkout page reduces friction and encourages customers to purchase (you’ll find more on that in the tips below!).

Nothing should be left to chance on the payment page. A good checkout page should:

• Make it easy to complete the checkout process
• Offer a transparent overview of the purchase
• Give insight in (hidden) costs such as tax and shipping
• Work on every device (!)
• Be available for every customer

Checkout pages as a marketing tool

A clear and efficient payment page is not just easier to use for your customer, but can also be used as a marketing tool for you as a seller. There are some tactics that help your checkout page convert and increase revenue. You can, for example, shortlist the benefits of your product. Product benefits on the checkout help convince your customer to purchase. Upsells on your checkout can help increase the Order Value. Considering offering a related, or often purchased together product as an upsell, potentially at a discounted price.

The checkout page is essential for an efficient purchase- and payment experience for your customers. And therefore it’s an indispensable element of your order process. A checkout page shows the order of your customer and collects customer and payment details with a form. It’s connected to one or more payment methods, giving your customer the ability to pay with their preferred method. An effective checkout page should always consist of:

• Information about the selected product
• The selected product’s price
• A form to collect customer details
• One of more payment methods
• One of more shipping methods (in case of a physical delivery)

To optimize your Checkout Page, consider the following:

• Add testimonials from your best customers
• Offer warranty or refunds
• List the benefits of your product or service

To top it off, you might want to:

• Add an order bump
• Upsell another product
• Turn your product into a limited time offer

9 tips for a good checkout page

Use these tips to create a checkout page that converts.

1. Show the customer what they’re about to buy. Use images to display the item.
2. List a few strengths or benefits of your product. Is your visitor still in doubt? This might just convince them to make the purchase.
3. Eliminate distractions. Make sure your visitors can focus on buying your product or service and won’t be distracted by unrelated or irrelevant information.
4. Be trustworthy and display it. For example, show certification marks and a trusted payment provider.
5. Show your contact details, so that your customers can reach you when they have questions or are unable to complete the purchase.
6. Add social proof. Positive experiences of previous customers give your visitors the last push.
7. Add upsells by adding an attractive offer during the checkout.
8. Collect and use checkout data. How long do customers spend on the checkout? How many people convert? How many payments fail? Use this information to test different messaging, images and pricing points.
9. Make your checkout page work well on every device. Analyze your traffic to determine which kind of device or screen size most of your customers are on, and put extra effort into optimizing for that type of traffic.

What you shouldn’t do on a payment page

There are also things you’ll want to avoid on a checkout page. For example:

1. Surprises (except confetti, never avoid confetti). Don’t add unexpected fees to the checkout. It’s best to incorporate them in the price, or communicate them beforehand.
2. Force your customer to create an account. Some customers don’t want to create an account on their (first) purchase, while others prefer not having to fill in their details every time they order. Let your customers decide.
3. An unclear order process. Make sure your customer can order your product or service quickly and with ease. When you overcomplicate it or make it difficult, your customer will leave.
4. A slow checkout process. Make sure your payment page loads fast and handles potential errors well to increase successful sales and reduce support questions.

A solution: Checkout Page

In short, the payment page is the web page on which your customers decide for or against your product, and hopefully ends up making the purchase. That means it’s important that this page is quick, easy to use and looks clear. Optimize for conversion or revenue by adding a testimonials or upsells. With Checkout Page you quickly and easily create a payment page or pop-up for your product or service. Learn more