Guest checkout impact at Creative Market

We successfully increased conversion rates and revenue generation by developing a new guest checkout aimed at reducing cart abandonment rates. This accomplishment was made possible by emphasizing primary calls to action, adopting form design best practices, and prioritizing trust and security.

Brand

Creative Market

Role

Sr. Product Designer

Platforms

Desktop / Mobile

Date

Jan 26, 2024

Guest Checkout with error state highlighted
Guest Checkout with error state highlighted

Guest Checkout page with payment options

Background

At Creative Market, we faced a significant problem: 77% of our customers abandoned their purchases when prompted to sign up or sign in. This issue, which directly impacted our key metrics and KPIs, particularly purchase conversions and Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV), needed immediate attention. Recognizing the importance of guest checkout options and a streamlined payment process, we prioritized these areas to drive sales.

Click path flow from account creation to cart and checkout
Click path flow from account creation to cart and checkout

Click path flow from account creation to cart and checkout

Dropoff rate from cart to sign sign up

Approach

Our team of product managers, designers, and engineers developed a comprehensive strategy based on industry best practices and a deep understanding of user behavior. Our approach was grounded in three core principles:



  • Prioritize Guest Checkout: We emphasized the guest checkout option based on Baymard's recommendation, ensuring it was easily accessible and visible to users. By default, we displayed payment fields to eliminate unnecessary barriers.



  • Build Trust and Security: We recognized the importance of fostering user confidence throughout the checkout process. Thus, we carefully designed each form element, incorporating trust signals and security features to reassure users of a safe transaction environment.



  • Simplify the User Journey: We streamlined the user experience by having one primary call-to-action, guiding users through the guest checkout process. We also implemented a smooth login and payment flow for existing users to reduce friction and enhance satisfaction.

Gust checkout recognized user state
Gust checkout recognized user state

Gust checkout recognized user state

Cart mobile design
Cart mobile design

Cart mobile design

Guest checkout mobile
Guest checkout mobile

Guest checkout mobile

Impact

Even though we scaled back the implementation of guest checkout at Creative Market, it still significantly improved metrics, showing the benefits of optimizing the guest checkout experience.

  • Conversion Rate Increase: Over 40% lift in conversions for the logged-out users observed over a six month period.

  • GMV Generation: Since its implementation, guest checkout has contributed to a substantial GMV. Notably, 10% of this GMV came from repeat purchases, highlighting the effectiveness of our guest checkout strategy in building customer loyalty.

  • Daily GMV Contribution: Since the guest checkout launch on November 10th, it has consistently accounted for 15-22% of our daily GMV, emphasizing its crucial role in driving sales growth and revenue.

    The success of our guest checkout optimization was also facilitated by our comprehensive design system. This system provided a shared language and streamlined communication between design and engineering, leading to synchronized efforts and increased efficiency. By adopting efficient, reusable design patterns, we ensured predictability, scalability, and consistency in the user experience.