9 Ways to Optimize Shipping & Payment of Magento 2 Checkout Process

by Stephanie Greene

If you have a glance at our recent blog named Tips For Magento 2 Checkout Customization You Won’t Want To Miss; then you should also read this article. 

It is in regard to Magento 2 checkout customization but focuses on the shipping and payment experience. Those tips were shared by Chris Hedge, Senior Director of Product Management in Magento, and Craig Peasley, Head of Product Marketing in Magento. 

For more information, please refer to here.

We choose to introduce you to this topic because the unexpected cost mainly related to the shipping & payment methods ranks the first place in the cart abandonment challenges facing Magento 2 store owners.

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Now, let’s go insight into each tip!

1. Clearly Display All Cost Up Front

Why are there so many shoppers who are interested enough to add your products to the cart but drop off at the halfway of the checkout? This situation happens frequently since customers are taken aback by different unexpected charges such as the shipping tax or the extra fee that they can’t see at the shopping cart page earlier. Such cost surprises make the desired product no reason anymore.

Hence, the first tip for Magento 2 checkout customization is to display all product prices right on the shopping cart page with the calculation instant update. Being transparent in the checkout makes it easy for customers to see the whole cart and feel comfortable toward the purchase.

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Source: Magento Webinar

2. Offer A Range Of Shipping Option

When making a purchase, every customer has a different time range and budget in mind. Some desire to get their orders immediately without much bother for shipping fee while others might concern significantly on cost. Thus, another best practice for Magento 2 Checkout Customization is to provide various time plan and prices for customers to receive orders at their convenience.

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Source: Magento Webinar

Besides paid shipping options, you can also offer free shipping for a specific order value. In that way, not only can online stores broaden the shipping options, but customers are also encouraged to purchase more. In short, free shipping is an excellent tactic to boost the average value of the order and reduce cart abandonment at the same time.

3. Speed Up The Checkout with Saved Payment Information

Along with shipping experience, payment must also be taken into consideration when it comes to Magento 2 Checkout Customization. You should allow customers to use the saved payment information in the checkout to immediately shorten the process and reduce the number of the form fields. 

For example, if your Magento 2 checkout integrates with PayPal, customers shopping on your sites for the first time can choose this payment method by checking the box. The payment information will be saved for the later checkout.

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Source: Magento Webinar

Restoring payment details for future use saves customers’ time and effort when shopping online. Such a fast and convenient experience will trigger them for often coming back.

4. Offer Flexible Payment Terms

Being flexible with the methods of payment is to meet individual customer requirements with various payment options. It was found in Forrester study that the businesses offering flexible payment terms witnessed an increase of 17% in sales and 21% in average orders.

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Source: Magento Webinar

5. Own Your Checkout Experience

Another recommendation for Magento 2 Checkout Customization is to fit the checkout with your brand. It is beneficial that all components of the checkout should work with some reflection of your sites.

magento-2-checkout-customization

Source: Magento Webinar

A great example of the online stores which own customer checkout experience is Amazon. This e-commerce giant has developed Amazon Payment to be used in the checkout. Both online sellers and customers popularly use this payment method because of its speed, safety, and user-friendliness.

However, Magento 2 Checkout Customization with the brand payment method requires the large budget and professional management also.

6. Optimize Checkout for Mobile Customers

Nowadays, more and more buyers shop online via their mobile devices rather than on desktop, so regarding Magento 2 Checkout Customization, you need to make sure that your checkout design is fully mobile-responsive.

magento-2-checkout-customization

Source: Magento Webinar

The challenge is to make all information visible on a small screen. You should simplify the form fields as short and straightforward as possible. Another recommendation is to install Magento 2 One Step Checkout extension which not only displays all checkout information on one page only to fasten customers’ experience but also fits well on any devices.

7. Use Analytics to Improve the Checkout

To implement Magento 2 Checkout Customization effectively, it is essential to understand the experience of the buyers on your checkout page from the beginning to the end. Accordingly, you can figure out what drives customers away, fix it, improve the conversion rate, and earn more.

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Source: Magento Webinar

There are many analytic tools available, both free and paid, say, Google Analytics. In case you run an advertising campaign for your Magento 2 websites on Facebook or Google, you can refer to Google Adwords or Facebook Ads also.

8. Provide Fulfillment Options

If you look for an easy Magento 2 Checkout Customization way- relieve your lovely customers with various fulfillment options. Please have a quick look at the picture below to get the different shopping behaviors of customers.

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Source: Magento Webinar

Since shoppers take both online channels and brick-and-mortar stores into account, you should keep some note in your mind:

  • Connect your global inventory with the participation of drop ship vendors, suppliers, internal distribution centers, and stores.
  • Plan carefully to avoid the stock-outs.
  • Employ intelligent sourcing from the best location.
  • Move faster and minimize markdowns.

9. Display Shipping and Review & Payment in One Page Checkout

The last tip, but definitely not the least is to show both shipping and payment information on one page only rather than in two different tabs.

As mentioned above, the price surprise is of the most frequent reasons making customers drop out of the checkout. The shipping and payment should be transparent as much as possible. Hence, if there is a change in the shipping address or shipping method, the payment is updated immediately.

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To do this task, feel free to check Magento 2 One Step Checkout extension by BSS Commerce. We develop this one-page checkout module based on the pro tips above and even make it better with more advanced features.

Final Thought

In summary, there are many ways to optimize Magento 2 Checkout, 9 of which are detailed introduced as above. If you find them useful, don’t hesitate to Like and Share with others, and Comment below to share more and more Magento 2 checkout customization tips.

P/S: Here are several articles under the same topic Magento 2 Checkout Customization that you should check right away!

Get More Understanding about Default Checkout in Magento 2

Best Way to Enable Magento 2 One Page Checkout

4 Biggest Benefits of One Step Checkout Magento 2 Shouldn’t Be Missed

Have a look at our collection of Magento 2 extensions and Magento Website Development services as well.

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