Techniques For Reducing Friction In Online Purchases

One of the biggest UX insights we discovered this year? We stopped thinking about "checkout" as a single moment. Instead, we started breaking down our cart experience into distinct “moments”. And that has changed everything. Here are the 5 moments that can drive your AOV 🆙 Brands tend to think about checkout like this: Add to cart → Payment → Done But there are actually 5 points in the process where you can connect with shoppers and increase purchase intent. They are: 1. The Cart Dance 2. The Trust Check 3. The Investment Window 4. The Celebration Gap 5. The Confirmation Page  Each needs its own tactics and attention… Moment #1: The Cart Dance 💃  This isn't just "items in a basket." It's when customers start mentally committing to the purchase. We leverage this moment with →  • Free shipping threshold progress bars • Upsell recommendations based on cart items  • Free Gift With Purchase tiers to promote higher AOV Moment #2: The Trust Check ✅  Before entering payment info at the cart step, customers subconsciously do a final trust assessment. We've seen success with →  • Money-back guarantee badges • "Join 250,000+ customers" social proof • Product-specific reviews Moment #3: The Investment Window 💳 This is when your customer’s wallet is literally out. Meaning when they're MOST receptive to relevant offers. We focus on seamless one-click experiences →  • Relevant product add-ons • Easy cart upsells • Simple payment flow Moment #4: The Celebration Gap 🎉  It's easy to waste the space between "Submit Order" and "Thank You." But we turned this into a revenue generator →  • Sequenced 1-click post-purchase offers • Time-sensitive bonus deals • Urgency and scarcity messaging Moment #5: The Confirmation Page 🎉  Most brands treat their thank you page as the end, but we turned it into another opportunity. We use this space for →  • Premium Network Offers that drive incremental profit • Other product recommendations • Social proof from happy customers We built all this with AfterSell by Rokt's no-code solution. They help us painlessly test and optimize different tactics for each moment without the hassle of custom development. That’s how we were able to put our checkout customization into overdrive this year. Okay, but does all this actually work? Yup →   • +$7.50 higher AOV • Network Offers earn an average of +$0.50 per order • Each "moment" generating incremental revenue we were missing before So stop thinking about "checkout optimization" and start thinking about "moment optimization." Each stage of the journey is a unique psychological state. Treat it that way and you’ll open up new opportunities to delight your customers and increase your AOV.

Abandon cart is only 1/7 of the story. Most brands only hit "send" after an empty cart, without realizing there are 𝗦𝗜𝗫 other exit points are waving a white flag for help. 1. 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They bounced from the home page. Use a soft re-invite - "Still exploring? Here's what people love most on day one." 2. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They browsed a category but never drilled deeper. Spotlight a best-seller from that collection and add social proof. 3. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They typed a query and left. Fire a message that echoes the exact term ("Looking for red linen?") and suggest a shortcut to results. 4. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They lingered on a product page. Send a quick FAQ or user photo to erase last-mile doubts. 5. 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Items in cart, but life got loud. A gentle nudge plus urgency ("Inventory is low") wins the easy saves. 6. 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 They reached the billing screen. Address friction directly-shipping, payment methods, guest checkout, whatever the data shows. 7. 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Card entered, transaction failed or timed out. Offer alternative payment options or a one-click resume link. Each of these moments carries different intent signals-search terms, dwell time, SKUs, even error codes. Feed that context into your flows and the message feels helpful, not pushy. Remember: most shoppers aren't saying no. They're saying 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸. Meet them exactly where they paused, and "later" turns into "order confirmed."

How a mobile cart redesign increased transactions by 3.4% Problem: Checkout drop-off rates were killing mobile revenue. → The cart design was cluttered, unintuitive, and frustrating for users. → Visitors struggled to understand their next steps, leading to high abandonment rates. Solution: We did a deep dive into user behavior with: - Google Analytics: To identify friction points in the funnel. - HotJar heatmaps: To track user interactions and frustrations. - User Testing: To understand why visitors were dropping off. What we found: Visitors needed clearer CTAs, smoother layout, tap-friendly elements. We implemented a mobile-specific cart redesign with these improvements: Larger tap targets for easy navigation. Streamlined layout to reduce decision fatigue. Stronger calls-to-action to guide users through checkout. Testing Process: We A/B tested the revamped cart design against the original. - Audience: Mobile visitors. - Metric: Increase in visits to checkout. - Duration: Conducted over a statistically significant period. Results: The redesign delivered across all key metrics: - +8% lift in visits to checkout. - +3.4% increase in transactions. - $1.39 boost in revenue per visitor (RPV). Here’s how you can use this for your brand: Eliminate friction with clear pathways. Simplify deep-funnel elements for mobile users. Invoke the “Don’t Make Me Think” principle to guide users seamlessly to checkout.

Building your checkout flow is like crafting a sales conversation. Every element either moves customers closer to purchase or creates friction that drives them away. Most DTC brands obsess over ad creative but underestimate checkout design. Here's the truth: A well-designed checkout can lift revenue more than your best-performing ad. 3 critical areas to master: 🥵 Cognitive Load → Every question, field, or decision point in checkout adds mental friction. Your job? Remove unnecessary thinking. If a customer has to calculate free shipping thresholds or wonder about the order’s arrival day, that’s friction. 👍 Trust Signals → First-time buyers need different reassurance than repeat customers. Your checkout should adapt. New customers might need reviews and press features. Loyal customers want their status acknowledged and rewarded. 💎 Value Perception → Shipping costs hit differently at various price points. A $7 shipping fee on a $30 order feels expensive. The same fee on a $100 order? Barely noticeable. The problem is even when brands know these principles, they struggle to implement and test them effectively. That's where smart checkout optimization comes in. At Obvi, we've been methodically testing these elements. Our latest focus is reducing cognitive load around free shipping thresholds (FSTs)... Using PrettyDamnQuick with Avi Moskowitz, we tested adding a simple note showing exactly how much more a user needed for free shipping. No complicated math for customers. No uncertainty about what the threshold is or how to reach it... The results after 25 days →  • +$0.78 more revenue per customer (meaning the messaging IS pushing people to add more to their cart) • Better conversion rates • Higher average order values across the board This nicely illustrates why checkout optimization matters. One small friction point removed = real revenue impact.