Did you know, a simple and efficient one step checkout page has the capacity to increase your conversion rate by at least 30%?

That’s why the Magento 2 OneStepCheckout extension is an absolute gold mine for ecommerce retailers. Basically, this extension structurally organises all the necessary checkout fields onto one single page. This means not having to click ‘back’ or ‘next’ if your customers realise they’ve made a mistake; they don’t have to restart the entire process. This essentially decreases wait time to 0% and boosts sales by up to 60%. Now that’s some pretty impressive statistics.

Before we get into more detail about M2’s latest extension, let’s review why the checkout experience is so important…

Customers no longer expect to be treated well. They demand it! This is how M2 introduces the importance of customer value in the mix. Ensuring your site has the same customer feel from beginning to end; aka the moment they land on your page, to the moment they receive a confirmation of their order, is vital. Ecommerce retailers must have a flawlessly consistent website design. Every little detail counts… a simple change in font could throw a customer off and destroy the user experience.

In fact, past experiences have shown us that the first page checkout is where we see the largest number of drop-offs in the checkout funnel. The nit and grit of a ‘sign-in’ barrier, commanding customers to recall which email (out of half a dozen) they decided to create an account with 6 months ago, and then commence the arduous journey of figuring out its corresponding password - that’s a whole lot of potential (and likely) frustration!

There comes a point where over customising your checkout page will become of detriment to your ecommerce store. Nobody likes a complex, hard to follow layout. There’s a good reason why the saying, ‘less is more’ is so popular.

"Studies have shown that the top 3 reasons for cart abandonment are around unexpected costs, site speed and checkout form complexity. That's why we got overwhelming responses from merchants when we came up with the original OneStepCheckout back in the early days of Magento. With Magento 2, native checkout has been simplified to just 2 steps instead of 6. However surprises can still happen after the two steps and most importantly we have found over the last 7 years dealing exclusively with checkout for Magento that each merchant needs a different checkout: registration type, fields placements, country specific legal requirements, payment provider and third party compatibility etc... That's why our upcoming OneStepCheckout extension for Magento 2 will be extremely modular and allow merchants to shape the checkout that they want with minimal development skills and resources,” states Thien-Lan Weber, CMO of OneStepCheckout.

The M2 Checkout Experience is estimated to perform 50% faster page loads as well as 38% faster checkout process. This means a substantial decrease in cart abandonment with a pleasing increase in customer retention.

Guest Checkout Improvements

Simple customizations such as allowing customers to ‘check-out as guest’ ensures a quicker buying process. While this was already an option in Magento 1, it was far more complex. And what have we already discovered about complex interfaces? They don’t work. These extra steps created an impediment and elongation of the conversion process. The Magento 2 extension is far less clustered and you’re offered far less choices. That means greater customer enjoyment.

Internal Payment Gateway

The new M2 checkout experience features an internal payment gateway that supports over 60 payment methods, including (but not limited to):

• Credit Card,

• Credit Card Direct Post,

• PayPal Credit

• PayPal Express Checkout Payflow Edition

• Check/Money order

• Braintree

Customers are no longer dragged over to an unknown third party site and moreover, are not left feeling anxious or worried about the security of their personal information.

This information is also arranged logically in a linear timeline. After following, ‘add to cart’, customers seamlessly navigate through the fundamental steps:

1. Billing Address

2. Shipping Address

3. Shipping Method

4. Payment Method

5. Order Review

User-Friendly Customization

The new M2 friendly extension also means more flexibility for customization. Store administrators have large reign for design. While you will be limited to the one page, you (the online retailer) are in control of the layout and appearance ie. the number of columns you choose to display (1,2 or 3) as well as the look and feel of the checkout page.

Retailers can now include interactive customizations such as Gift Message attributes, which allow product items to be sent to the exact shipping address along with a personalised message. You can also select a Gift Wrap option that enables customers to select whether or not they wish the product be gift wrapped. The additional fee is then automatically added to the order total.

If you’re just after a simple comment box, that’s easy too. Installing this enables customers to include specific requests regarding delivery and drop off etc. The Magento 2 OneStepCheckout also has a user-friendly coupon code system. A helpful way to encourage more online purchases.

Mobile Optimisation

The great thing about a OneStepCheckout extension on Magento 2, is its mobile friendly design. As it has been for the last three years, mobile growth will continue to expand, and we will see a 6% rise in ecommerce consumers. If your website still isn’t optimised for mobile, (dare I ask, how have you survived?) then now is the time to do so. Push has well and truly come to shove, and it’s not a choice that needs second thoughts; having a mobile designed store front is necessary for your eCommerce site to succeed.

In 2015, it was reported that companies who did optimize their mobile website consumer experience increased their annual revenue by 157%. Optimising your website and installing extensions such as One Step Checkout are sure fire ways to ensure you’re not left behind.

Another multi-device benefit: Magento 2 OneStepCheckout decreases data usage and prevents people from having to wait around for yet… another page load. It shows the required information very clearly and simply, on all platforms.

Auto-Updates

Due to the installation of Ajax Loading Technology, auto-updates are quick and seamless; customers can change any information without waiting around for page reloads. It also means a simple way of tracking the entire checkout process.

So, Why Choose OneStepCheckout?

The new Magento 2 OneStepCheckout extension makes the customer process a whole lot simpler and more efficient. The user-friendly extension allows retailers to be in more control of the layout and overall experience. In turn, this allows the customer to be in more control of their purchases as they navigate their way through an easy and effective design. If you’re weighing down the options and want to know the best ways to optimise your ecommerce website, be sure to take the time to process all considerations. These Magento 2 upgraded features promises a friendlier experience and an extension such as the OneStepCheckout will only take your site to the next level. –

acidgreen is an award winning e-commerce agency  specialising in Magento, Shopify Plus and digital marketing with over 15 years of  industry experience. Our certified developers and digital marketers are highly qualified to create aesthetically pleasing Magento and Shopify Plus websites that generate the highest amount of conversions and provide the best ROI. Be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, or give us a call to learn more about our services.