The checkout process is crucial for closing a sale, with nearly 70% of carts abandoned due to a frustrating checkout experience. Customers today demand more: instant, seamless, and frustration-free checkouts.
This article provides a comprehensive comparison of Simpler Checkout and WooCommerce’s Native Checkout, focusing on usability, pricing, real-world performance, and customer insights to help you see how Simpler can help you sell more.
Simpler Checkout vs. WooCommerce Native Checkout - Overview
WooCommerce Native Checkout offers a built-in but rigid, multi-step flow with outdated forms for shipping, payment, and review. It lacks flexibility, customisation, and provides a poor mobile experience, often leading to high cart abandonment and lower conversions.
Simpler Checkout is trusted by over hundreds of e-commerce stores across Europe and serves a network of more than half a million shoppers. It is built to revolutionise the checkout process—making it up to 80% faster than traditional systems and boosting conversion rates by as much as 35%.
It integrates easily with your WooCommerce store and streamlines purchasing. First-time customers complete checkout in under a minute using a lean form, while returning users finish in under 7 seconds with auto-filled details. Featuring one-click checkout, auto-fill, and loyalty incentives, Simpler Checkout reduces friction and enhances the customer experience, particularly on mobile, cutting cart abandonment.
What’s the difference between Simpler and WooCommerce’s Native Checkout?
Challenges with WooCommerce’s Native Checkout
- Complex Checkout Process: Multi-step flow slows transactions, adds errors, and deters quick purchases.
- Dependency on Plugins: Requires multiple extensions, leading to compatibility and performance issues.
- Mobile Issues: Poor optimisation causes excessive scrolling, input frustration, and abandonment.
- Registration Frustrations: Errors in guest checkout and registration create confusion and prevent orders.
- Payment Plugin Glitches: Problems with modules like PayPal disrupt checkout at critical stages.
- Security Risks: Vulnerabilities like outdated extensions threaten data safety and trust.
- Localisation Barriers: Language, currency, and regulation issues hinder global usability.
How does the User Experience differ?
Simpler Checkout is designed for a seamless, user-friendly experience by eliminating unnecessary steps:
First-Time Users:
- The checkout process is streamlined and efficient, featuring a lean form that requests only essential details. The form is organised into three intuitive sections within a single window, minimising cognitive load while maintaining clarity. Users checkout in under a minute.
- Account creation is not required; instead, user details are automatically saved and securely passed on to the merchant.
- These saved details allow customers to easily check out on any store that offers Simpler in the future.
Returning Users:
- On their next purchase, users can check out in under 7 seconds with all their information auto-filled.
- Shoppers benefit from a unified experience across different stores that use Simpler, making subsequent purchases incredibly fast and easy.
Loyalty Scheme:
- Simpler also features an integrated loyalty programme that rewards users with Simpler Coins for their purchases.
- These coins can be redeemed on future purchases, promoting repeat engagement without extra costs for merchants—making it a win-win for both shoppers and store owners.
WooCommerce’s Native Checkout, though reliable, is a multi-step process that can feel cumbersome, particularly for mobile users. It involves a multi-step process where users must complete separate steps for shipping, payment, and review. While it provides essential fields and some customisation, this setup is filled with friction and barriers for customers expecting a fast, smooth experience.
Overall, Simpler increases conversions by an average of 35% compared to traditional checkout solutions.
Payment Options and Flexibility
While a fast and smooth checkout can help in increasing conversions, having payment flexibility can help you sell even more. Customer preferences for payment options are varied—some prefer credit cards, others want Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options, and many customers opt for digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Simpler Checkout offers all of these out of the box:
- Credit and Debit Cards
- Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) Options
- Digital Wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal & Revolut Pay)
This range of payment options makes Simpler more adaptable to different customer needs, leading to a higher likelihood of completed purchases.
WooCommerce’s Native Checkout, on the other hand, is quite limited in terms of built-in payment flexibility. While it can process credit cards, adding BNPL options or digital wallets requires separate integrations. Not only is this cumbersome, but it can also be prohibitively expensive, with integration costs and spending on resources reaching up to €7000.
Mobile Optimisation
With over 50% of online purchases now happening on mobile devices, optimising the mobile experience is essential. However, the mobile cart abandonment rate is significantly higher than on desktop, often exceeding 85% (Source: Baymard Institute). This is largely because checkout flows on mobile are often cumbersome and not user-friendly, making it difficult for shoppers to complete their purchases.
Simpler Checkout is designed with a mobile-first approach, offering one-click checkout and auto-fill features that make the entire purchase process faster and easier on mobile screens.
WooCommerce’s Native Checkout, on the other hand, is functional on mobile but follows a traditional form-based layout. Mobile shoppers may find this setup less intuitive and challenging to navigate, which contributes to increased abandonment rates. It requires additional customisation or plugins to optimise fully for mobile users.
Pricing and Cost-Effectiveness
While WooCommerce’s Native Checkout comes included with the platform, it often requires significant customisation and additional plugins to meet modern e-commerce needs. These modifications can be costly and time-consuming, making it less budget-friendly than it initially appears.
Simpler Checkout, on the other hand, is subscription-based, with monthly fees that vary by plan. However, the added cost can be offset by the boost in conversions, customer loyalty, and ease of use, making it a valuable investment for growing businesses.
Simpler Checkout Pricing
Each plan comes with a 30-day free trial, giving businesses an opportunity to test Simpler’s impact on conversions before committing. Learn more here.
Compliance and Security
Both Simpler Checkout and WooCommerce Native Checkout adhere to industry-standard security practices, ensuring that customer data is handled safely. Simpler Checkout, however, provides advanced fraud protection measures and real-time transaction monitoring, adding an additional layer of security.
Simpler Checkout’s Enhanced Security:
- PCI-DSS Compliance
- Advanced Fraud Detection: Real-time monitoring helps prevent fraudulent transactions, an essential feature for ecommerce
Enhanced security features can build customer trust and reduce abandoned carts by alleviating safety concerns, especially for first-time buyers.
Case Study: Simpler Checkout in Action
Simpler Checkout is trusted by hundreds of brands across Europe, providing a seamless and flexible checkout experience that drives conversions and customer satisfaction.
Below, you can see two specific brand success stories to demonstrate the tangible impact Simpler can have on e-commerce performance.
Funky Buddha Case Study:
Funky Buddha, a leading clothing brand in Southern Europe, integrated Simpler Checkout to enhance the online customer experience.
- 24.7% increase in conversion rates.
- 75% of buyers skipped the funnel and bought directly from the product page or mini cart.
- 10% of purchases completed in just one click (averaging 6 seconds).
- 57% rise in registered buyers.
MyBrand Shoes Case Study:
MyBrand Shoes, a trendy European footwear retailer, integrated Simpler Checkout to improve payment flexibility and streamline the buying experience.
- 98% of Orders Completed Earlier in the Funnel: 53% directly from the product page, 45% from the mini-cart, reducing drop-off rates.
- 18% of Orders via Digital Wallets: Quick, secure payments like Google Pay and Apple Pay gained traction.
- 13% of Orders via PayPal & 8% via Klarna: Significant uptake of modern payment methods.
- Checkout Share Improved from 10% to 22%: Over three months, Simpler's streamlined funnel increased adoption.
- Average Purchase Time: 6.8 seconds for returning customers and 72 seconds for first-time shoppers, indicating an optimised, seamless experience.
Customer Support and Integration
WooCommerce Native Checkout integrates seamlessly with the WooCommerce platform, which can be advantageous for users needing minimal setup. However, Simpler Checkout also integrates smoothly with WooCommerce and includes dedicated support for setup and optimisation, making it ideal for businesses without extensive IT resources.
Comparison:
- WooCommerce Native Checkout: Standard support within WooCommerce’s ecosystem.
- Simpler Checkout: Dedicated support and integration assistance, particularly valuable for optimising and troubleshooting in real-time.
Why choose Simpler over WooCommerce’s Native Checkout?
WooCommerce’s Native Checkout is highly customisable and budget-friendly for basic use, but it often requires additional plugins and technical expertise to deliver a seamless, mobile-optimised checkout experience.
Simpler Checkout, by contrast, offers an all-in-one solution with one-click functionality, extensive payment options, automatic account creation, and a loyalty programme—all designed to streamline the user experience, reduce cart abandonment, and boost conversions, especially on mobile.
Ready to sell more with your WooCommerce store? Get Simpler here.
FAQs
Q1: Is it challenging to switch from WooCommerce Native Checkout to Simpler Checkout?
A: Not at all. Simpler Checkout integrates with WooCommerce and comes with dedicated support for an easy transition.
Q2: Does Simpler Checkout support guest checkouts?
A: Yes, Simpler allows guest checkouts. Accounts are automatically created during the first checkout, enabling users to quickly check out as returning customers with their details pre-filled.
Q3: What security measures does Simpler offer?
A: Simpler provides PCI-DSS compliance, advanced fraud detection, and real-time transaction monitoring.
Q4: Can I customise Simpler Checkout to match my brand?
A: Yes, Simpler offers branding customisation options for an on-brand experience.
Q5: What payment options does Simpler support?
A: Simpler supports credit cards, digital wallets, BNPL options, and other local payments for a broad, flexible range of choices.
Q6: Does Simpler Checkout have a free trial?
A: Yes, each plan includes a 30-day free trial to test its impact on conversions.
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