How to Reduce Cart Abandonment by 20%: Remove Unnecessary Checkout Steps

Teaser: extra steps = lost customers.

Imagine this scenario: your potential customer has already chosen a product, added it to their cart, and is ready to pay – then suddenly disappears. Sound familiar? This is exactly why finding ways to reduce cart abandonment has become a top priority for every e-commerce brand.

According to the latest research, 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, and on mobile devices, this figure reaches a staggering 85%. The biggest loss occurs precisely at the checkout stage – almost 1 in 5 shoppers quit because the checkout is too long or complex. Nearly as many drop out when a site forces them to create an account.

The truth is that every unnecessary step on the path to purchase is lost money. 

We took this to heart when analyzing one of our e-commerce app projects. The goal was clear: simplify the checkout flow to remove friction. By doing so, we managed to plug a big leak in the funnel and cut the cart abandonment rate by about 20%. 

The problem in detail

Before sharing our solutions, let’s explore the typical problems users face during checkout in most e-commerce applications.

The checkout stage is where most brands fail to reduce cart abandonment, mainly due to friction and unnecessary steps.

Mandatory registration 

Baymard Institute research shows that 24% of users are ready to abandon their cart if the app requires creating an account. When you remove mandatory registration, you can save many more customers. Why? Customers want to quickly buy a product, not create another account with a password they’ll forget in a week.

Address re-entry 

Many platforms force users to enter their shipping address, and then enter it again for billing. Even when addresses are identical, the system doesn’t offer automatic copying. This creates frustration and increases checkout time.

Multi-page checkout 

Traditional 3-4 page checkout processes force users to click “Next” multiple times, wait for each page to load, and never see the finish line. Every click is an opportunity for the user to change their mind.

Hidden costs until the final step

48% of buyers abandon their cart due to unexpected costs. When these costs appear only on the final checkout page, it creates a feeling of deception and leads to immediate abandonment.

Our Solution: Minimalism That Helps Reduce Cart Abandonment

At DreamBit, our UX improvements directly helped reduce cart abandonment by simplifying the checkout flow and removing friction points.

No mandatory registration

We remove the “create an account” roadblock. New customers can check out as guests without signing up. We still collect an email for receipt and allow account creation after purchase, but we no longer force it upfront. This can remove a huge barrier for first-time buyers. What’s more important: making a sale or making a user account? Obviously, the sale. 

This change alone can have a significant impact – even industry leaders like ASOS saw 50% more customers complete checkout after they added a guest checkout option. We follow the same principle so that nothing stops a willing customer from paying.

No duplicate data entry

Many apps force users to enter their shipping address, then re-enter it as a billing address (unless they notice a tiny checkbox). We fixed that by defaulting billing = shipping and only asking for an address once. Customers can still adjust it if needed, but the typical buyer now fills out a single address form one time. We also typically enable address auto-complete to speed this up. 

By eliminating redundant forms, we shave off an entire page of the checkout process. Fewer form fields means less friction – Baymard Institute’s research shows an ideal checkout only needs about 7–8 fields, yet the average app’s checkout has around 15 fields. We took that lesson and ran with it, asking only for the essentials: shipping info, email, and payment details. Nothing more.

One-page checkout

We consolidated multiple steps into a single page. Previously, our checkout was split into separate pages for shipping, payment, review, etc., each with its own load time and chance to drop off. Now, it’s all presented in one cohesive page (on one screen in the app). The moment a user decides to check out, they see a one-page form where they can enter an address, choose shipping, input payment, and hit “Place Order”. There’s no clicking “Next” and waiting for another page to load. 

This streamlined UX makes the process feel faster and simpler. In fact, reducing the number of steps/screens directly boosts conversion. Our apps simply don’t give users a chance to second-guess with extra clicks.

Only essentials

Beyond the big structural changes, we scrutinize every element on the checkout screen. Anything not essential to completing the purchase can be cut. We often remove promotional banners, navigation menus, and any links that could divert the user’s attention. This way, the checkout page turns into a focused, distraction-free zone – essentially a dead-end whose only way out is a successful order. 

No more “About Us” links or product recommendations to lure users away at the last moment. We also drop optional fields like “Company Name” or survey questions that could be nice-to-have for us but roadblocks for the user. The checkout UI should be clean and minimal, asking only what’s needed to get the order in the books.

Faster payment options

We integrate one-tap payment methods like Apple Pay and Google Pay. These let users skip the manual entry of card details and billing address entirely, if they choose. Offering such express checkout options further streamlines the experience – for instance, adding digital wallet payments can significantly lift conversion rates (one study noted a 10.7% increase after adding an express payment option). 

In our case, a large portion of the app’s users are on mobile, so enabling Apple/Google Pay means many can check out with literally a single tap using stored credentials. The checkout went from a laborious form to a one-click affair.

Improvements at a glance

These changes clearly demonstrate how a focused approach to reducing cart abandonment impacts conversions and checkout speed.

The bottom line: The best checkout is an invisible checkout

The best checkout experience is invisible – one that naturally reduces cart abandonment and helps customers complete their purchase effortlessly.

In a world where user attention costs more than advertising budget, every second in checkout is critically important. Our experience shows that removing even one unnecessary step can increase conversions by 5-10%.

The best checkout is one that users don’t notice. They simply buy the product and enjoy the process.

If your e-commerce project needs similar optimization, DreamBit is ready to help create a checkout that converts visitors into customers.