The Critical Role of Cart and Payment in App and Brand Design

A cart and payment process is a critical yet often overlooked part of the user journey that can make or break an ecommerce app. From the outset, cart design, user experience and flexible payment options should be at the top of the agenda for digital brands wanting to drive conversions.

Understanding User Intent

When users add items to their carts, they have shown a clear intent to purchase. To complete that transaction, the following checkout process needs to be as easy and seamless for them as possible.

Higher abandonment rates occur due to unnecessary friction caused by a confusing interface, complicated payment flows, and the absence of preferred payment methods, among other things. Studies show that 76% of online shopping carts are eventually abandoned, and clunky checkout design is a big part of this.

The cart and payment section is the last step in persuading users to buy. An optimized experience directly correlates with higher conversion rates and more revenue.

Key Aspects to Optimize

There are 3 key aspects of the cart and checkout process that need to be optimized for conversion-focused brands:

1. Cart Design and User Experience

The cart should provide a simple, visual summary of items added for purchase along with quantity selected and total order value. Allowing users to easily edit item properties, apply discounts, and estimate shipping simplifies what can be an anxiety inducing process, especially on mobile.

Advanced features like saved carts for returning users further facilitate purchases. Offering guest checkout alongside account creation streamlines the process for first-time customers.

2. Flexible Payment Options

Research shows that cart abandonment is reduced on sites that offer preferred payment methods. The more payment modes you enable, the higher the chances that users will find an option they trust and feel comfortable with.

Major credit cards, mobile wallets, Buy Now Pay Later schemes, bank transfers, and other must have options; location based popular payment methods like Sofort, iDeal if you are selling across geographies.

PCI-compliant integration with payment gateways such as Stripe and PayPal unlocks multiple payment methods while additionally ensuring transaction and sensitive user data security. Discover how to add payment gateway in app to enhance the payment capabilities of your mobile app.

3. Testing and Optimization

No cart experience is perfect out of the box. Running A/B tests by tweaking design elements, flows, payment options, etc., provides data-backed insights on what users respond best to.

Tools like Hotjar record user sessions directly in your live cart which surfaces pain points that can then be fixed. Analytics dashboards reveal drop off rates at each step, average order values and other trends that indicate scope for improvement if benchmarked periodically.

Examples of Brands with Great Cart Experiences

Some standout examples of brands that ace the cart and payment process:

1. Made.com

Made.com offers a clean, distraction free cart with focus on only relevant details like items added, shipping estimates, order total, discounts and gift cards applied.

Purchasing without account creation can be done through their guest checkout and the option to save details for faster repeat orders.

At checkout, there are multiple payment methods clearly presented, along with clear messaging around security and returns policy – both essential to gain user trust for a furniture brand.

2. Bolt.com

Bolt presents users with a single-page visual cart that provides details of services (food, rides, etc.) along with associated quantities, pricing and taxes.

Pre-added tips can be edited before seamlessly checking out via integrated payment partner Stripe. Discounts and promo codes can also be applied directly on this page.

The cart is optimized for speed, which is in line with Bolt’s brand promise of efficient deliveries and payments.

3. Amazon

Amazon offers the gold standard for guided cart experiences, with persistent visibility into items added for purchase, alerts on discounts and delivery estimates.

Their patented one-click buying option removes friction, allowing power users to skip checkout. However, multiple payment methods, including COD and EMI schemes, make it accessible for first-time buyers, too.

The entire purchase process is geared towards user convenience, distilled through decades of testing and user data.

Designing a Cart Experience from Scratch

Creating an effective cart experience requires understanding user psychology, buyer journeys, and an iterative design approach.

Here is a step-by-step process to follow:

1. Define Goals and Outcomes

First, define what a successful cart and checkout flow needs to achieve from a business point of view. Typical goals include:

  • Increasing conversion rate from x% to y%
  • Reducing cart abandonment by z%
  • Improving average order value from a to b
  • Decreasing payment failures by c%

So that design choices align with business impact and tie these to overall revenue and growth goals.

2. Map the Existing User Journey

Analyze data around existing user behavior across the checkout process, e.g.:

  • What percentage of users add items to a cart vs make a purchase?
  • At what stage do most users drop off?
  • How often are certain payment options used?
  • What are the peak traffic and conversion times?

The above can be gleaned from tools such as Google Analytics and Hotjar.

3. Competitor Benchmarking

Look at how competitor brands within your industry offer study cart experiences. Find out what flows, or features appeal most to users.

For example, they can provide guest checkout or Apple/Google Pay for mobility apps or BNPL options for D2C brands.

The right cart design combines learnings from data and real-world behavior.

4. Create and Test Hypotheses

Using what has been researched so far, imagine what cart element and flow changes could positively impact your goals, e.g.

  • Adding animations will increase product clarity
  • Offering mobile wallet payments will reduce the failure rate
  • Simplifying the cart layout will improve the completion rate

Once you’ve tested these hypotheses with real users through interviews or prototypes, roll them out globally. Tools like UserTesting.com can be used to do quick user studies to find feedback.

 

Choosing the Right Payment Partner

To allow flexible payment options, though, one must interface with a payment service provider.  Here are key aspects to evaluate when choosing a payment partner:

  1. Platforms Supported

The partner should advocate consistent checkout integration among several platforms, including web, mobile apps, POS systems, etc. 

  1. Global Payments Infrastructure

For businesses selling cross-border, the partner must offer payment acceptance using local methods in 100+ markets, multi-currency processing and DCC.

  1. Fraud Protection

Using 3D security, risk-based analysis, artificial intelligence, etc., payment partners guard transactions. You should choose a mate with advanced competence in this field.

  1. Payment Methods

The partner should support integration with credit cards, the most popular mobile wallets, UPI, BNPL schemes and other modes of payment supported by the region.

  1. Developer Experience

Integration is simplified by clean documentation, SDKs for major platforms, demo apps and sandboxes. The cart UX reflects the entire development experience.

  1. Reporting and Reconciliation

Table stakes are centralized reporting on payment status; order placed transaction reconciliation, and fraud prevention tips.

  1. Pricing and Contracts

Sign up only after you understand transaction fees, support charges, and hidden costs. It is flexible to changing business needs.

Leading providers like Stripe and Adyen check most boxes around the above parameters while remaining developer-first. However, they assess options based on specific requirements.

Key Takeaways

  • The cart is where buyer intent translates into real revenue. Optimize for ease of purchase.
  • Offer flexible payment methods tailored to your audience and locations.
  • Continuously test and take feedback from real user sessions to improve.
  • Benchmark cart performance periodically using purchase data and analytics.
  • Research existing user behavior and problem areas
  • Test hypotheses with prototypes before the launch
  • Continuously optimize basis data and user feedback
  • Choose payment partners enabling platform flexibility and global reach

Much like the overall app or website, cart design needs to balance user experience with business impact. By following an insights-driven and iterative approach, brands can create differentiated checkout flows that convert lookers into loyal customers.

The cart and payment experience is a vital touchpoint that impacts conversions and long-term customer loyalty. For digital-first brands looking to scale efficiently, allocating resources to perfect this process is key.