NEW YORK — Getting checkout right can mark the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart. A great experience keeps things simple without sacrificing security or stability, leaders from Wayfair and SSENSE said during a Sunday session at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show conference in New York City.
SSENSE has emphasized reducing friction at checkout, cutting down the average checkout time on its site by 70%, according to Ludovic Maire, director of product management at SSENSE, a digital fashion retailer. The difference has had a direct impact on conversion rates.
“Checkout speed and performance is the actual customer experience for us,” Maire said during the session.
By the time a customer reaches the checkout page, they have gone through a long customer journey and are ready to bring it to a conclusion. This creates one of the most sensitive CX touch points in a transaction — one retailers can’t afford to get wrong.
“They’ve browsed, they’ve considered, they’ve gotten our app out and tried to visualize it in their space,” said Curtis Crawford, global director and general manager of fintech and loyalty organization at Wayfair, a furniture retailer, during the session. “By the time you say, ‘I think I’m ready’ or even just want to explore affordability — by the time you hit the checkout experience — you just want it to be easy.”
One important aspect of the checkout experience is that it works every time, according to Maire. Customers don’t care that an app or site was uniquely busy when it wouldn’t accept their payment. If the first try doesn’t work, or even just loads slowly, they might walk away.
SSENSE handles up to 2,000 orders per minute during major product drops. The retailer ensures a smooth experience by having a dedicated team that works to ensure that if one checkout component goes down it can still process more than 99% of orders.
Checkout page layout is also important, and all payment options should be readily available, according to Crawford. Customers who are deciding between various options shouldn’t have to dig to find which one best fits their needs.
Retailers will need to strive to meet customer demand for convenient payment across multiple methods in the coming year.
“There’s so much innovation happening,” Maire said. “How can we make sure that we provide a completely frictionless and completely personalized checkout experience, especially in the context where there is an explosion of payment methods?”
