These articles are based on observations and test findings from our usability research on cart and checkout.
Payment Method UX: Designing Payment Selection
A subgroup of users relies on third-party payment options to complete their checkout — yet 21% of sites only accept 1 method. See our latest test findings on payment method UX.
Featured10 UX Best Practices for E-Commerce Sales and Promotions
Checkout UX 2024: 11 Pitfalls and Best Practices
Checkout Optimization: 5 Ways to Minimize Form Fields in Checkout
Mobile UX Trends: The Current State of Mobile UX (15 Common Pitfalls & Best Practices)
2024 E-Commerce Checkout: Expanded and Updated Checkout Research Findings
Checkout UX 2024: 11 Pitfalls and Best Practices
In Baymard's latest benchmark of 130+ leading e-commerce sites, 65% performed "mediocre" or worse in Checkout UX. Here are 11 common Checkout UX pitfalls and strategies for improving Checkout UX.
FeaturedRetain Data in Sensitive Credit Card Fields after Validation Errors (34% Don’t)
Usability Testing of Inline Form Validation: 31% Don’t Have It, 4% Get It Wrong
Improve Validation Errors with Adaptive Messages (98% Don’t)
Have an Address Validator (47% Don’t)
6 Ways to Get More Out of Your Order Confirmation Page
Phone Number UX: Always Explain Why the ‘Phone Field’ Is Required
Up to 14% of users will abandon your checkout flow if 'phone' is simply required. Our large-scale usability testing reveals users just need an explanation of WHY the phone field is required — yet 58% of e-commerce sites don’t.
FeaturedForm Field Usability: Avoid Extensive Multicolumn Layouts (16% Make This Form Usability Mistake)
Format the “Expiration Date” Fields Exactly the Same as the Physical Credit Card (72% Don’t)
Always Collapse Completed Accordion Checkout Steps into Summaries
Save Account Creation for the Confirmation Step (42% Don’t)
Payment Method UX: Designing Payment Selection
The 'Credit Card Number' Field Must Allow and Auto-Format Spaces (80% Don't)
Despite 5% of users abandoning checkouts due to credit card validation errors, 80% websites don't actively aid their users in typing and validating the 16-digit card number by auto-formatting it with spaces
FeaturedInclude All Order-Fulfillment Options in the Fulfillment-Selector Interface (50% Don’t)
Use “Delivery Date” Not “Shipping Speed” (41% Don’t) — From UX Research to Implementation Roadmap
Checkout Usability: Autodetect “City” and “State” Inputs Based on the User’s Postal Code (28% of Mobile Sites Don’t)
Provide a “Fully Automatic Address Lookup” Feature (55% Don’t)
Make “Guest Checkout” the Most Prominent Option (47% Don’t)
Format the “Expiration Date” Fields Exactly the Same as the Physical Credit Card (72% Don’t)
Our UX testing found that difficulty inputting their credit card expiration date needlessly delayed users from placing orders — yet 72% of sites fail at this. See our latest Checkout findings.
FeaturedUse “Shipping Address” as “Billing Address” by Default (16% of Mobile Sites Have Implementation Issues)
Avoid Unnecessarily Complex Password-Creation Requirements (82% Don’t)
Form Usability: Getting ‘Address Line 2’ Right
Use Buttons or Buttons Plus an Open Text Field for Updating Cart Quantity (61% Don’t)
250+ New Examples Added from Large-Scale Testing on European Sites
6 Ways to Improve the Relevance of Cross-Sells in the Cart (52% of Desktop Sites Don’t Do Enough)
Our large-scale usability testing reveals that product recommendations and offers that appear unrelated to the user’s cart contents erode confidence in the site and its recommendations — even relevant ones.
FeaturedBaymard Update: 13 New Case Studies and 3 New 2021 Benchmarks (Checkout, Product Page, and On-Site Search UX)
6 Ways to Improve the Relevance of Cross-Sells in the Cart (52% of Desktop Sites Don’t Do Enough)
5 Ways to Provide a Superior Gifting UI and Flow
4 Design Patterns That Violate “Back” Button UX Expectations – 59% of Sites Get It Wrong
5 ‘Credit Card Form’ Implementations That Make ‘L.L. Bean’ Best-in-Class
Checkout Optimization: 5 Ways to Minimize Form Fields in Checkout
Checkout optimization: the average number of form fields in checkout is 11.3 — and 22% of users have abandoned due to checkout complexity. See how to reduce form fields to optimize checkout.
FeaturedPhone Number UX: Always Explain Why the ‘Phone Field’ Is Required
5 ‘Order Review’ UX Implementations That Make Office Depot Best-in-Class
Checkout Optimization: From 16 Form Fields to 8 Fields (keynote presentation)
Drop-Down Usability: When You Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Them
E-Commerce Checkouts Need to Mark Both Required Fields and Optional Fields Explicitly (Only 14% Do So)
CAPTCHAs Have an 8% Failure Rate, and 29% if Case Sensitive
Remove Select Features When There’s Only One Option Left (14% Don’t)
Consider Using Localized Input Masks for ‘Phone’ and Other Restricted Inputs (64% Aren’t Taking Advantage of Input Masking)
5 Common Usability Pitfalls of Custom Designed Drop-Downs (31% Have Drop-Down UI Issues)
The ‘Credit Card Number’ Field Must Allow and Auto-Format Spaces (80% Don’t)
How Users Perceive Security During the Checkout Flow (Incl. New ‘Trust Seal’ Study 2023)
Reasons for Cart Abandonment – Why 68% of Users Abandon Their Cart (2024 data)
Accordion UX: The Pitfalls of Inline Accordion and Tab Designs
Fixing Bugs – the Next ‘Big Thing’ in E-Commerce?
Form Usability: Validations vs Warnings
How to Recoup 30% of “Card Declined” Abandonments
Users Continue to Double-Click Online
Which Site Seal do People Trust the Most? (2013/2016 Survey Results)
A Holistic View on the Current State of Checkout Usability
Add Descriptions To Checkout Form Labels (92% Get It Wrong)
Why Your Checkout Process Should Be Completely Linear
Accordion Style Checkouts – The Holy Grail of Checkout Usability?
Visually Reinforce Your Credit Card Fields (89% Get it Wrong)
Checkout Experience: Don’t Require Seemingly Unnecessary Information (61% Get it Wrong)
Checkout Usability: Don’t Use “Apply” Buttons (72% Get it Wrong)
A Consistent Shopping Experience With Product Thumbnails
Idea: Error-Fields Only
Checkout Usability: Apply Changes Immediately and Near the Input
Observation: Users Will Go Far to Avoid Repeat Form Errors
E-Commerce Copywriting: Returning Customer?
Account ‘Sign Up’: Ask to Confirm E-mail, Not Password
One Page Checkouts – the Holy Grail of Checkout Usability?
E-Commerce: Why Customers Abandon Their Shopping Cart
User Expectations: Create an Illusion of Space
Form Field Usability: Matching User Expectations
People Think Registration Leads to “Spam”
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