How Can a Complicated Checkout Page Design Sabotage Your Sales?

If you are a small business, you’ve probably done all the hard work to improve your online store website. Your customer has found a product they like, added it to their cart, and clicked through to checkout. It should be smooth sailing from here, right?

Not always.

If your checkout process is clunky, confusing, or slow, there’s a good chance that the customer will give up and leave your site completely. In fact, a poorly designed checkout page can quietly hurt your sales more than you realise.

Let’s break down exactly how a complicated checkout could be costing you money and what you can do about it.

Why Your Checkout Page Really Matters

When someone gets to your checkout page, it only means that they’re already interested. They’ve said “yes” to your product. Now, they just need a simple way to pay and confirm their order.

But here’s the thing: People are easily put off if the final steps feel too hard. If they’re asked to fill in too many details, if things don’t load properly, or if they’re not sure what’s happening next, they’ll leave.

And they often don’t come back.

In fact, research from the Baymard Institute shows that almost 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, and a big chunk of those are abandoned due to checkout issues.

So, even if your website looks great and your marketing is strong, a poor checkout experience can undo all your good work.

What Makes a Checkout Page “Too Complicated”?

There are a few common problems we see in checkout designs. These may seem small on their own, but together, they can seriously impact your conversions.

• Asking for too much information
• Forcing account sign-up
• Surprise costs at the end
• Confusing design or poor navigation
• Not mobile-friendly
• Poor error messages

What a Smooth Checkout Should Look Like

A well-designed checkout feels easy and reassuring. It doesn’t distract or confuse people—it simply helps them finish what they came to do.

Here are some features of a good checkout:

• Simple layout with as few steps as possible
• Guest checkout is the default option
• Only essential form fields
• Clear summary of items and total cost (including shipping and tax)
• Multiple payment options (like credit card, PayPal, Afterpay, etc.)
• Trust badges and secure payment symbols
• Mobile-friendly design that loads fast

If you can get those basics right, you’re already ahead of the game.

How Does a Complicated Checkout Page Affect Your Business?

It’s not just one sale you might be losing when a customer drops off at checkout. The effects can simultaneously happen across your business website in ways you might not immediately see.

A confusing checkout page can quietly kill your revenue, your reputation, and your long-term growth. Here’s how:

1) Lower Conversion Rates

Your checkout is where people make their final decision. Even if your marketing worked beautifully, your products are top-notch, and your site looks the part – if the checkout causes friction, all that effort can go to waste.

And when conversion rates drop, it doesn’t just affect this week’s numbers. Over time, it means fewer orders, less cash flow, and slower growth. It’s a silent sales killer.

Think of it like this: if 1,000 people add items to their cart, but only 200 complete their purchase, what if better design could convert even 50 more? That’s a direct impact on your bottom line.

2) Higher Cart Abandonment

You’ve likely spent good money getting people to your site—whether that’s through Google Ads, social media, email marketing, or SEO. But if they reach checkout and drop off because of a poor user experience, that spend is essentially wasted.

Improving checkout design helps you get a better return on your marketing investment because more people actually complete their purchase.

3) Frustrated Customers 

Today’s customers have more options than ever. If they have a frustrating experience on your site, even if they like your product, they may choose not to come back.

Worse, they might tell others to avoid it too.

Frustration leads to lost trust, and trust is hard to win back. In contrast, a smooth, simple checkout can leave a positive impression, encouraging people to return next time or even recommend you to others.

Remember, it’s not just about the sale but also about building loyalty. And that loyalty can drive repeat business for months (or years) to come.

4) More Support Requests

When your checkout isn’t intuitive, people get stuck. And when they get stuck, they reach out to your customer support team if they don’t give up entirely.

This means more time spent answering emails, dealing with phone calls, and troubleshooting issues that could have been avoided with better UX. It also means your support staff is tied up with preventable problems instead of focusing on more valuable tasks.

Over time, these operational costs add up—both in time and in dollars.

How to Fix a Complicated Checkout Without Starting Over

The good news? You don’t need to throw out your entire website to improve your checkout. Here’s a step-by-step approach:

• Review Your Current Checkout: Go through it yourself on both desktop and mobile. Is anything unclear, slow, or annoying? Better yet, ask a friend or customer to try it and give honest feedback.
• Track Where People Drop Off: Use tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to see where users are dropping off. You might find patterns that help you spot problem areas.
• Simplify the Steps: Cut down on unnecessary fields. Combine pages where it makes sense. Remove distractions like ads or extra menu links during checkout.
• Add Trust and Reassurance: Make sure your site has an SSL certificate, show secure payment icons, and keep the design consistent with the rest of your brand.
• Test and Improve: Try out different versions of your checkout (A/B testing) to see what works best. Sometimes, a small change like moving the payment button or tweaking your CTA can make a big difference.
• Get Expert Help: If you’re not sure where to begin, consider working with a conversion-focused web design agency like Chromatix. We’ve helped many Australian businesses uncover hidden issues and turn browsers into buyers.

Conclusion

A complicated checkout doesn’t just slow things down—it actively drives customers away. And often, you don’t even realise it’s happening.

That’s why your checkout design deserves just as much attention as your homepage or marketing funnel. With a few smart changes, you can make a big impact on your bottom line.

Want help improving your checkout process? At Chromatix, we specialise in building high-performing websites that convert. 

If you’re unsure whether your checkout is helping or hurting your sales, don’t hesitate to get in touch for a chat.