# Where the checkout loses the sale

> The sale is lost between 'add to cart' and 'paid' in boring, measurable places. The fixes are usually weeks, not redesigns.

Across e-commerce rebuilds the same four leaks show up: forced registration, surprise fees at the last step, payment methods the buyer's country does not use, and a form that fights autofill. Each is measurable in analytics the shop already has.

## Guest checkout is not a downgrade

Accounts can be offered after the payment, not demanded before it. The data is consistent across shops: forced registration at the door costs single-digit percentages of completed orders, and the account offer after purchase converts better anyway.

## The last step must not surprise

A shipping fee or tax appearing for the first time on the payment step is the single most cited reason for abandonment. Surface the full price on the product page or in the cart drawer — early, even if it is an estimate.

## Autofill is a design requirement

Correct input types, autocomplete attributes and address-format tolerance cut mobile checkout time dramatically. A form that makes a phone number mandatory, then rejects spaces, is a conversion leak dressed as validation.

## What to take away

- Offer the account after payment, not before.
- Show the full price before the payment step.
- Support the payment methods your buyers actually use.
- Test checkout on a real phone with autofill on.

## Tags

E-commerce, Conversion, Checkout, UX

## We build this for clients

https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/services/full-stack

## More from the lab

- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/accessibility-afternoon.md — An accessibility pass in one afternoon
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/custom-software-cost.md — What custom software actually costs
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/custom-vs-off-the-shelf.md — Custom software or off the shelf — the honest test
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/first-90-days-retainer.md — The first ninety days of a retainer, as it actually goes

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Source: https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/checkout-friction
DField Solutions — Dunakeszi, Hungary — dezso@dfieldsolutions.com
Booking: see https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/contact