The Real Cost of Checkout Friction (And How to Fix It)

Imagine a customer walking into your store, filling up their cart, walking to the register—and then walking out without buying a thing.

No rude employee. No missing inventory. Just a long wait, confusing signs, or a payment method they don’t recognize.

Now imagine that happening seven times out of ten.

That’s what’s happening every single day in e-commerce.

According to industry research, more than 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. That adds up to an estimated $260 billion in lost revenue globally—revenue that could be recovered with better checkout experiences.

One of the causes of this is called “Checkout Friction”.

So, what exactly is “checkout friction”? Why does it matter? And how can you eliminate it without rebuilding your entire commerce operation?

Let’s break it down.

Checkout friction is anything that slows down, confuses, or frustrates your customers between the moment they click “Add to Cart” and the moment they see a purchase confirmation screen.

It’s the digital equivalent of a broken register or a line that never moves.

Common examples include:

These problems seem small. But in e-commerce, where attention spans are short and competition is a click away, every second—and every click—counts.

Let’s talk about numbers.

It is estimated that $260 billion in lost orders could be recovered if e-commerce sites addressed common usability issues. These are buyers with intent who just didn’t make it to the finish line.

Every second of delay in page load time during checkout can result in a 7% drop in conversions. Imagine what that means over thousands—or millions—of site visits per year.

When checkout friction is high, you’re spending more to acquire customers who never convert.

You could have the best ad creative, the most targeted campaigns, and a glowing product—but if your checkout process loses them at the finish line, your cost per conversion goes up, and your margins take a hit.

Shoppers who experience frustration at checkout are unlikely to return. A study by PwC showed that 32% of customers will stop doing business with a brand they love after just one bad experience.

That means checkout friction doesn’t just affect this sale—it could cost you every future one.

To fix the problem, you need to know where it hides. Friction tends to show up in a few key places:

Customers expect fast, responsive experiences. Google reports that a 1-second delay in mobile load times can reduce conversion rates by up to 20%.

Slow-loading checkout pages, delays between steps, or unexpected lags during payment authorization all add invisible friction.

Forms that ask for too much information, multiple screens without clear progress indicators, or lack of auto-fill functionality create cognitive fatigue and drop-offs.

Forcing account creation is one of the top reasons for cart abandonment. Many customers want a “buy now, decide later” experience. If that’s blocked, they’ll leave.

Today’s shoppers use everything from credit cards and PayPal to Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna, and regional methods like iDEAL or UPI.

If you don’t offer localized, flexible payment methods, you’re telling customers, “This isn’t built for you”.

If your checkout looks outdated or lacks trust indicators like SSL certificates, clear return policies, or payment security icons, customers may bail before clicking “Submit”.

The good news? These are fixable problems. You don’t need to rebuild your tech stack to make meaningful changes.

Here’s where to start:

Mobile now accounts for 60-70% of e-commerce traffic. Yet many checkouts flow still prioritize desktop.

Invest in mobile-first design:

Test your mobile experience end-to-end like a customer would.

Don’t make account creation a barrier.

Offer a guest checkout option up front, and let customers optionally create an account after purchase by saving their order info with one click.

Bonus: this also makes retargeting easier with verified email capture.

Do you really need a second phone number? Or company name for a personal order?

Use progressive disclosure to only ask what’s needed, when it’s needed. Combine fields, use smart defaults, and limit distractions.

Fewer steps = more completed checkouts.

Different regions and demographics prefer different payment options. Offer a wide range—especially wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) tools.

Use geolocation to prioritize region-specific methods (like Afterpay in the US or Paytm in India).

Compress images, reduce scripts, and use a content delivery network (CDN) for faster load times.

Google’s Core Web Vitals are a great starting point to benchmark your site’s performance and catch what’s slowing you down.

Display security badges, clear return policies, shipping timelines, and customer support access within the checkout experience—not hidden away.

Add a progress indicator bar so users know where they are in the journey and what’s next.

Transparency reduces anxiety, which increases conversions.

AI tools like Salesforce Einstein can tailor product recommendations, autofill delivery details, and even predict payment preferences.

Personalization isn’t just for the homepage—it matters most at the final step.

All of this can feel overwhelming—especially if your team is juggling multiple storefronts, backend systems, and regional complexities.

That’s where platforms like Salesforce Commerce Cloud come in.

It’s built to remove friction at every layer of the commerce experience:

Plus, you can test and experiment—A/B pricing strategies, fulfillment models, or checkout flows—without disrupting the customer experience.

In short: your checkout should never be the reason someone walks away.

Fix the friction. Reclaim your revenue. And build a customer journey that feels as seamless as your brand promises.