In the world of e-commerce, even small details have a big impact.

In order for an online store to continuously generate results, it requires a combination of several factors. One of these is setting up the Shopify checkout and payment process properly.

Start optimizing your Shopify checkout by avoiding these common mistakes that cause even the most potential customers to back out at the very last moment, just before completing the payment.

Double your online store sales in a week by avoiding these mistakes:

1. Unexpected costs just before payment

Even if the costs are not very high in relation to the purchases, if a customer encounters unexpected expenses, such as postage, delivery fees, or taxes, the result is most likely the abandonment of the shopping cart.

The same is evident from numerous surveys and by examining e-commerce statistics.

Since transparency and predictability are clearly key, itemize all expenses right in the shopping cart instead of having them pop up just before payment.

2. Requiring registration at checkout

Most customers expect a quick and straightforward payment process, and mandatory registration at checkout slows this down.

If you want to sell as much as possible, give the customer the opportunity to create an account and encourage them to do so, for example, through a discount, but do not complicate the purchase unnecessarily by making registration mandatory.

3. The checkout has too many pages or too much content

As already mentioned, we live in a world where convenience and speed are key. Often, purchases are made based on emotion rather than necessity.

For these reasons, it is important that the customer can complete the purchase quickly and with as little effort as possible, and at a moment of their choosing.

Improve sales opportunities by converting the Shopify checkout into a single page, minimizing the amount of information required to only the essentials, removing unnecessary sections and buttons, and making the checkout page visually clear and simple.

4. Your online store does not inspire trust

It may be that your products are interesting, but the customer's doubt about the reliability of the online store arises only when faced with the payment.

For example, older people may fear providing card information at the checkout and its leakage, and your online store may fuel this fear.

The problem with a self-made online store often lies in various small errors and deficiencies, which make the store appear unprofessional and dysfunctional as a whole in the eyes of the customer.

You can avoid the problem by optimizing your online store or by asking a Shopify partner and Shopify expert to create an effective and cohesive implementation for you that inspires trust in the customer.

5. Suitable payment methods are not available

Referring to the previous point, ensure that your online store offers the payment methods preferred by the customer.

In Finland, the overwhelmingly most popular way to pay is online banking, and sometimes its absence can cause distrust.

Additionally, if familiar payment methods are not available, it becomes more difficult for the customer to make a payment immediately.

For example, through Paytrail, an entrepreneur can easily access, among other things, online banking payments and a one-page Shopify checkout. Visma Pay is also a viable option for domestic online commerce.

6. Delivery times are too long

Although you cannot influence the postal delivery, you can expedite the shipment by dispatching online store orders from your warehouse as quickly as possible.

Nowadays, this should no longer take anyone several days, let alone weeks. The most efficient online stores dispatch orders on the day they are made or at the latest the following day, and this is what more and more customers expect.

If you want the customer to make future purchases as well, your online store must meet the customer's expectations regarding delivery time.

Less important but still significant is to offer multiple delivery options at the checkout of a Shopify store.

If you offer fast delivery times or process orders exceptionally quickly, inform the customer about it.

7. There are bugs in the Shopify checkout or the site crashes

The customer's experience in the online store must be seamless from start to finish.

Sometimes the payment process is interrupted due to reasons attributable to the customer themselves, and there is nothing you can do about it (other than implementing targeted advertising later).

But if your online store doesn't run smoothly or there are issues with the Shopify checkout, you will unnecessarily lose customers to competitors.

The customer is unlikely to return if the purchase was rushed, your company is not a particularly unique option compared to competitors, or if your online store managed to give a bad impression.

So invest in a functional and lightning-fast online store by acquiring it initially from a quality provider – it will definitely pay off.

8. There is room for improvement in the return policies

Clarify, expand, and update your return policy in accordance with current legislation. E-commerce return policies are regulated by both EU and consumer protection laws. 

Ensure that the return policy is easily accessible. Also, advertise any free returns and/or exchanges throughout the online store.

It is also worth trying to extend the return period. It may be more effective to offer a 30-day or longer return period instead of the statutory 14 days, as it lowers the threshold for purchasing.

Shopify POS and Shopify Checkout – what is the difference?

Shopify POS and Shopify checkout are both products intended for payment, but they have different purposes.

Shopify POS (Point Of Sale) is specifically designed for brick-and-mortar stores as it enables on-site sales. Shopify Checkout, on the other hand, is intended and tailored specifically for the needs of online stores.

If you have both an online store and a brick-and-mortar shop, you can utilize both systems. However, many entrepreneurs already have a separate cash register and enterprise resource planning system in place before establishing an online store.

To enhance sales, these should be integrated with the Shopify checkout as early as possible.

Even though sales do not directly increase with the integration, a large part of the manual work is eliminated and the risk of errors is reduced. This, in turn, means more satisfied customers who are considering returning, and more time to focus on productive activities instead of administrative tasks, such as e-commerce digital marketing.

Optimize Shopify checkout and online store for success

The digital agency Growly specializes in Shopify e-commerce and thus also in optimizing the Shopify checkout. Thanks to our collaboration, clients from various fields have repeatedly seen their sales increase 2–10 times, even in a very short period of time.

A functional Shopify checkout is, of course, only part of the success equation. The entire online store and sales funnel must be in order if lasting results are to be achieved.

Whether you need a Shopify online store or help to kickstart sales, we are here to assist you. We also help automate your online store with integrations.

Contact us through the form below and let's see together how we can take your business to the next level.