Making the checkout process efficient on your e-commerce website is not rocket science; however, many companies add in so many features and checks to the process that it becomes a lengthy and tedious task. Certainly security is important and systems should give customers the opportunity to check that they have made their purchases correctly. At the end of the day, you need to remember this one simple fact -- your business will only thrive if you keep customers happy by making their lives better, easier or more efficient. Nobody likes to get bogged down in systems, least of all your customers. It is therefore essential to make the checkout process as simple and efficient as possible for your customers. Here are some tips on what makes a checkout process efficient.

Server Capacity and Response Time

Everyone is impatient nowadays. We are so used to getting information at the click of a button that if we have to wait, even if it is just for 30 seconds, it seems too long. If you want to be competitive in the e-commerce industry, you need to be at the top of your game. And that means making sure that your server has the capacity and capability to process requests quickly and efficiently. Websites that time out during the middle of a transaction or are slow will frustrate your customers. It is essential that you get this important back-end function operating efficiently.

Logical Processes for the Customer

When setting up the checkout process, keep it simple and logical. Do not have fields for information just because they are nice to have. People by nature hate filling out forms and the same applies when completing information on a website. Customers want to put in the minimum effort required so make sure that you do not repeatedly ask customers for the same information. If you require detailed customer information, create customer accounts where they can record their information once. Thereafter all they have to do is log in and all their details will immediately be brought up. Also don't have more than three or four steps in the checkout process. Remember to keep it simple and always look at the checkout from your customer's point of view. What is important to them? If you do that, you can be more assured of keeping your customers happy.

Being Able to Check the Items in the Shopping Cart

A key step in the checkout process is giving your customers an opportunity to review the items in their shopping cart and confirm that they want all the items and are willing to pay the total costs. At this stage of the checkout process, many e-commerce sites will have a check box where customers agree to the terms and conditions of sale. This can protect you if there are any disputes over purchases that have been made online.

Complementary Product Offers

You can also use the checkout phase as a way of increasing your sales. For example, if you have a website that sells digital cameras, at the checkout you could have a table that adds in optional extras such as a memory card, camera pouch, waterproof case or mini tripod. Often these are things that customers seldom seek out because they don't think of them. But if you make the suggestions, they may very well purchase them. Make sure that each additional item listed has an accurate price and a link to more information. In this way, if a customer wants more detail they can easily look it up without interrupting the checkout process.

Easy-to-Understand Interface

Don't complicate your website with fancy animated graphics, pop-up windows and other fancy design gadgets. Most of the time they irritate customers more than they impress them. Once again, keep it simple. Label the steps of the checkout process so customers can see where they are in the process. Keep descriptions at the checkout brief and to the point. When asking for information from the customers, be clear in your requests so there is no confusion. Use simple and easy-to-understand language as it is possible that not everyone using your site may be native English speakers.

Clear Product and Transaction Referencing

When the transaction is complete, make sure that it is properly referenced. Have a receipt or confirmation email that gets sent to the client detailing what they have purchased and the amount that has been deducted from their credit card. This will help you to provide an efficient delivery service to your customers and it will give them the peace of mind that what they have paid for will arrive at their door.