Checkouts with too many steps and fields can give customers too many excuses to leave their cart. Streamlining checkout means making it faster and cleaner, and cutting away anything that gets in the way of a sale. Below, we’ll explain what streamlining looks like, where some businesses might go wrong, and how to fix it.

What’s in this article?

• What does the checkout process typically look like?
  
• How can businesses streamline their checkout process?
  
• How does checkout complexity impact cart abandonment rates?
  
• What are common pain points businesses should remove at checkout?
  

What does the checkout process typically look like?

While every site varies in design, the online checkout process typically follows a familiar path, which includes these basic steps:

• Reviewing the cart

• Entering shipping details

• Entering billing information

• Selecting preferred shipping method

• Entering payment information

• Reviewing the order

• Order confirmation

If businesses overload their checkout flows with redundant fields, unnecessary pages, and a slow-loading user interface (UI), they risk driving customers away.

How can businesses streamline their checkout process?

Streamlining checkout means making the process feel as fast and focused as possible, so there are fewer opportunities for the customer to get frustrated or second-guess their purchase. A streamlined checkout removes hesitation from the customer’s path while giving the business more completed purchases and fewer abandoned carts.

Here’s how to get it done.

Cut down on form fields

Many checkouts collect more information than they need: average checkout flows in 2024 showed they had 11.3 form fields, while most purchases can be completed with 8.

You can do a few things to cut down on form fields:

• Autofill the billing address using the shipping address by default.

• Collapse optional fields behind a “Show more” toggle.

• Eliminate inputs such as “Company name” or “Phone number,” unless they’re really needed.

• Combine steps (e.g., if your “Review” screen just repeats what’s already been shown, remove it).

Make payment flexible

Limiting customers to one payment method is a fast track to cart abandonment—especially on mobile or in international markets.

To keep conversions high:

• Accept global digital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay).

• Support buy now, pay later (BNPL).

• Offer popular local payment options based on your customers’ geography.

• Let users save payment details for future use.

Stripe can help simplify this step by offering a single integration that handles 100+ payment methods globally, so businesses don’t have to piece it together themselves.

Implement one-click checkout for returning customers

Speed matters, especially for repeat buyers. One-click checkout options let returning users skip the form filling entirely.

Tools such as Link—Stripe’s accelerated checkout—save customer details and enable fast checkout across any participating site. This kind of remembered identity can reduce drop-off, especially for mobile shoppers, who are often multitasking.

Make every field work smarter

Intelligent defaults, autocomplete, and real-time feedback can make the checkout feel faster—even when the total field count stays the same.

Speed up the checkout process by:

• Using Google’s Place Autocomplete or a similar service to speed up address entry

• Making sure form field names match browser expectations so autofill works

• Validating inputs as users type

• Offering explicit and helpful direction when something goes wrong (e.g., “Postal code is too short”)

These small user experience (UX) touches can make the difference between a checkout that feels tedious and one that feels effortless.

Remove surprises, especially cost-related ones

If taxes, shipping, or other charges appear late in the process, the customer might abandon the cart.

To avoid that:

• Show estimated shipping and tax costs early.

• Be up front about any additional fees and why they exist.

• Give users control over cost-related variables (e.g., let them choose shipping speed or method before finalizing the order).

Transparency can make a big difference in whether a customer completes their purchase.

Design for mobile and optimize for speed

Mobile checkouts need more than responsive design. They need to feel purpose-built for small screens and customers who are multitasking. That means:

• Large, tappable buttons

• Minimal typing

• A layout that stays clean and legible on all devices

Performance matters, too. If you can’t guarantee fast page loads, consider offloading the heavy lifting to a hosted checkout solution that’s already optimized for speed.

Stripe Checkout, for example, is optimized for mobile by default and comes with address autocomplete, real-time card validation, and descriptive error messages—while still allowing brand customization.

How does checkout complexity impact cart abandonment rates?

When a checkout feels slow, confusing, or overly demanding, customers leave. In 2025, 18% of US shoppers abandoned a purchase because the checkout was too long or complicated. That’s nearly 1 in 5 customers who already had the item in their cart and decided not to complete the order because it was too much trouble.

Customers might decide not to complete their purchases if they encounter the following issues:

• Too many pages

• Too many form fields

• Mandatory account creation

• Unexpected costs

• Poor mobile usability

• Slow-loading pages

• Unclear errors or broken flows

Each of these issues can give customers a reason to hesitate, and hesitation can completely halt conversions. Even short checkouts might feel long if the pages lag. And the longer customers wait, the more time they have to second-guess or give up. Each additional step or second is a potential leak in your revenue funnel.

And cart abandonment rates are even higher on mobile than on desktops. A form that might be tolerable on a laptop can feel unbearable on a phone. Smaller buttons, slower loads, and extra steps can compound frustration quickly.

Businesses using Stripe’s Payment Element, a secure, embeddable UI component that supports global payment methods, saw 11.9% more revenue on average. A faster, more intuitive checkout has the potential to directly translate to more revenue.

What are common pain points businesses should remove at checkout?

A complicated checkout usually fails because of small, avoidable problems that compound. Here are some common ones—and what to do about them.

Forced account creation

This can be a fast way to lose a sale. Many customers don’t want to commit to a relationship before the first purchase.

• Always offer guest checkout.

• Make “Continue as guest” easy to find.

• Let users create an account after purchase.

Unexpected fees

No one likes reaching the final step only to discover that extra charges—such as shipping costs, handling fees, or taxes—have been added without warning.

• Show total pricing early.

• Display estimated shipping and taxes in the cart or as soon as the customer enters a postal code.

• If fees are unavoidable, be clear and up front about them.

Long, complicated checkout flows

A drawn-out or confusing checkout process causes drop-off. That includes excessive form fields, unclear progression, and unnecessary steps.

• Keep required form fields to a minimum.

• Consolidate steps and use smart defaults (such as autofilling billing with shipping information).

• Use a progress indicator if checkout spans multiple pages.

Limited payment options

If customers don’t see a payment method they use, they might be forced to leave.

• Offer multiple payment methods, including credit and debit cards, digital wallets, BNPL, and region-specific options.

• Let customers save their payment information for faster checkout for the next time.

• Use a payments platform that helps you manage this.

Slow or buggy performance

A checkout page that’s slow to load or throws errors during submission can make customers nervous.

• Monitor checkout page performance closely for both speed and uptime.

• Reduce scripts and plugins that slow down the page.

• Test rigorously across devices and browsers.

If building and maintaining this yourself is a burden, consider using a hosted checkout solution that’s optimized for speed and reliability, such as Stripe Checkout.

Lack of trust signals

Even if everything else works, customers might hesitate if they’re unsure whether the checkout is secure.

• Use HTTPS and show it clearly.

• Keep the branding consistent from cart to checkout.

• Display small but familiar security indicators (e.g., lock icons, compliance badges, “Secure checkout” language).

Last-minute surprises

Late mentions of shipping delays, out-of-stock items, or rigid return policies can shake confidence and prompt customers to leave.

• Communicate shipping timelines and return policies before the checkout begins.

• Show delivery estimates as soon as a postal code is entered.

• Avoid cluttering the checkout page with last-minute upsells or distractions.