BigCommerce offers plenty of tools to customize an online store. Most of those changes can be done easily. We always try to offer best tips and practices to our visitors like why should you use BigCommerce for your website and steps to Configure Payment option to your BigCommerce store. Today we are bringing some basic but important ways that could improve your customer experience and increase conversion from web-store.
1: Is there a guest checkout Option?
If someone likes a product available on your website and made up their mind to purchase to please do not push them towards detailed registration. Why do they need to completely register if they wish to buy from you only once? This way buyers could loose their interest in your website, as they are compelled to create a new account. Visitors do have registered accounts in on several other eCommerce websites, they think twice before making another new account. You should keep evaluating your eCommerce website and optimize it according to visitors trends.
Here guest checkout option can do wonders for you, it is really a quick registration however the shopper just needs to enter an email address and receives a random password, that can be used to signon to their accounts. Visitors don’t bother receiving a password and registration confirmation, but making a new account could bother them.
Later on, if the customer returns to your eCommerce website, they will get a humble error message about guest checkout, since the email address has already been used. The customers can also discover about the reasons they have left the website without shopping anything in their last visit. Customers need gust checkouts to feel free while shopping. Be assured they will return if they really like your website.
2. Are you using multiple page checkout ?
It has been a well known fact that single page checkouts are prefered by the customers in comparison to double or triple page checkouts. There is really no requirement a visitor would like a 2 or 3 page checkout. You can even confirm this using Google Website Optimizer on the checkout trends prefered by the visitors on your webstore to realize why BigCommerce is profitable for your website.
So to our verdict single pages allows customers to view, enter and update the information at a quick glance. Once the customer has made their minds they want the product as quickly as possible, so just show them the Payment Button and seal the deal. Every extra page will increase the chances of shopping cart abandonment. Finally use single page checkout it works better.
3. Are there clear calls to actions ?
Call to action (CTA) is one of the most important on page elements for an eCommerce website. It could be a graphic or text. However placement of such an important element is one of the deciding factor for the final conversion. It is very important to grab attention from customers and make them complete the last step of a their purchase. If you are still not usre about placing a proper call to action on your product pages or even regular pages of your website, you could avail the services from professional designers for custom website redesign and reproduce ideas to implement effective call to actions on your website.
The example we would like to mention here is an “Add to cart” button. If such an important link is not displayed effectively and a plane text is placed for it. How could it prompt the customer to buy your products ? The poor visibility of a single button could cause you loose valuable customers.
There are many other elements which decide success of eCommerce websites, we have just mentioned about conversion here. Please let us know whether the above mentioned information helped your eCommerce website in some ways. We need suggestions from your end about specific eCommerce topics you wish us to explain.
Editorial note (updated): this article originally referenced Google Website Optimizer for split-testing. That product was discontinued in 2012; its successor, Google Optimize, was itself sunset in September 2023. The testing principle is unchanged — validate checkout changes with data rather than opinion — and current options are noted below. The conversion guidance itself remains sound.
Why these three fixes work — the mechanism, not just the tip
Guest checkout, single-page checkout, and clear calls to action are not arbitrary best practices; each removes a specific, well-documented friction:
- Guest checkout removes the single most cited non-cost reason for cart abandonment in checkout research: forced account creation. The fix is not "no accounts" — it is "buy now, create the account afterward from the order, optionally." The account offer post-purchase converts far better because the customer already trusts you with a completed order.
- Fewer checkout steps reduces the number of points at which a buyer can hesitate and leave. Each additional page is another load, another form, another chance to reconsider. Consolidating to a single, clearly progressing checkout reliably lifts completion.
- An unmistakable primary CTA works because of visual hierarchy: if "Add to cart" does not dominate the product page, a measurable fraction of ready buyers simply do not find the path. The fix is contrast, size, position, and whitespace — not clever copy.
How to validate the changes (modern, post-Optimize)
Since Google Optimize is gone, validate checkout changes with: your analytics platform's built-in funnel and experiment reporting, a dedicated A/B testing tool, or — for low-traffic stores where statistical significance is hard — a before/after comparison over matched periods plus session recordings and heatmaps to see where people stall. The principle the original article got right is the durable part: change the checkout based on observed behavior, not opinion.
Beyond the three: the next conversion wins on BigCommerce
- Show all-in cost early. Surprise shipping at the final step is the top abandonment cause; a shipping-threshold message on the cart often beats a discount.
- Offer the payment methods your buyers expect, including at least one digital wallet for one-tap mobile purchase.
- Reduce form fields to the minimum and use address autocomplete — every removed field is friction removed.
- Add trust signals at the decision point — reviews on the product page, security and return-policy clarity in the cart.
Frequently asked questions
Does guest checkout mean I lose the customer relationship? No — you capture the email at checkout regardless, and you offer optional account creation from the order confirmation. You get the relationship without making it a barrier to the sale.
Is single-page checkout always better than multi-step? Usually, because it removes hesitation points, but a clearly progressing multi-step checkout can perform comparably if each step is short and progress is visible. The losing pattern is long, unclear, multi-page checkout — not steps per se.
How do I A/B test without Google Optimize? Use your analytics platform's experiment features or a dedicated testing tool; for low traffic, rely on matched before/after periods plus heatmaps and session recordings to see where users stall.
We optimize BigCommerce checkouts using exactly this approach. See our conversion optimization and BigCommerce services, or contact us.