How to reduce checkout abandonment? 10 common holiday checkout mistakes you can fix today.

Below are ten of the most common checkout mistakes that tend to pop up during the holidays, along with some quick and practical ways you can fix them before they cost you more sales:

1. Your checkout loads too slowly

When holiday traffic spikes, your website has to handle a lot more visitors at the same time. The server gets overloaded, pages start loading slower, and your checkout suddenly feels heavy and unresponsive. For a customer who just wants to buy a gift and move on, even a few extra seconds of spinning loaders is enough to make them lose patience, close the tab, and buy from someone else.

Fix it fast:

• Use caching or a CDN to speed things up
• Remove heavy scripts and unnecessary plugins
• Test your checkout speed daily in December
• If your store slows down every year, it's time for a hosting upgrade

2. You force shoppers to create an account

Imagine someone in a hurry, trying to buy a last-minute gift. They add the product to the cart, go to pay, and suddenly your site forces them to create an account, choose a password, and confirm an email. In that moment, it feels like too much effort, so many of them simply give up and leave.

Fix it fast:

• Offer guest checkout
• Keep ''create an account'' optional, at the very end
• Add one-click login options like Google or Apple

3. Shipping costs only show up at the end

When shipping costs only appear at the very end of the checkout, it can seriously damage your chances of getting the sale. The customer goes through the whole process thinking the price is one thing, then suddenly sees an extra fee added at the last step. When this happens, many people feel misled or tricked, and instead of completing the order, they just close the page.

Fix it fast:

• Show shipping costs early - on the product page if possible
• Offer a free shipping threshold ("Free shipping over X")
• Use a simple shipping calculator

4. Your checkout form has too many fields

No one wants to feel like they're filling out a full-on application form just to buy something online. Name, address, shipping details, phone number - that's all fine, people expect that. But when you start asking for things like company name, fax number or extra address lines that aren't really needed, it quickly becomes annoying. That's usually the moment when people lose patience, abandon the checkout, and never finish the order.

Fix it fast:

• Remove every field that isn't essential
• Auto-fill city and region based on ZIP code
• Combine unnecessary fields
• Keep the layout clean and direct

5. You don't clearly communicate delivery dates

During the holidays, arrival dates matter just as much as the gift itself. Shoppers need certainty, and if they can’t tell whether their order will arrive on time, many won’t take the risk. They’ll simply leave and buy from a store that clearly communicates delivery timelines.

Fix it fast:

• Show estimated arrival dates on product pages
• Display clear shipping deadlines (e.g., “Order by Dec 20 for Christmas delivery”)
• Highlight express delivery options

6. You don't offer enough payment options

Every customer has a preferred payment method, and during the holiday rush shoppers won’t adapt to what your store supports. If they reach the checkout and can’t pay using the method they trust — especially on mobile — they’ll abandon the cart and move to a store that does offer it.

Fix it fast:

• Card payments
• PayPal
• Apple Pay / Google Pay
• Buy Now, Pay Later options (Klarna, Clearpay, etc.)

7. Your checkout breaks under heavy traffic

Holiday traffic rises fast, and many stores underestimate how fragile their checkout actually is. High loads can cause payment gateways to fail, scripts to freeze, or plugin conflicts to appear out of nowhere. When customers ready to pay suddenly can’t complete their order, they leave — and sales disappear without warning.

Fix it fast:

• Run stress tests regularly
• Check logs for hidden or intermittent errors
• Keep all plugins and integrations updated
• Have backup payment methods ready

8. Your checkout doesn't feel trustworthy

During the holidays, many shoppers are visiting for the first time. If the checkout looks outdated or even slightly suspicious, customers won’t risk entering their card details. They’ll close the tab instantly and buy from a competitor whose checkout feels modern and secure.

Fix it fast:

• Add trust badges (SSL, secure payment logos, money-back guarantee)
• Show customer reviews close to the checkout
• Highlight a clear and easy return policy

9. Your mobile checkout is hard to use

Most holiday purchases happen on mobile. If the desktop checkout works well but the mobile version is cramped or frustrating, shoppers won’t fight with it — they’ll abandon the order and buy from a store where the checkout takes only a few easy taps.

Fix it fast:

• Use large, tap-friendly buttons
• Simplify form fields for mobile users
• Enable Apple Pay / Google Pay
• Avoid forcing long typing on small screens

10. Your return policy is hard to find

Holiday shoppers often buy gifts, and gifts sometimes need to be returned or exchanged. If your return policy is hidden or confusing, shoppers hesitate — “What if it doesn’t fit?” “What if they don’t like it?” That uncertainty alone can stop them from completing the order.

Fix it fast:

• Show the return policy clearly on product and checkout pages
• Add a “Free returns” or “Easy exchanges” note near the price
• Simplify the return policy during December

Final Thoughts

When your conversions drop during the holidays, it's rarely due to something mysterious or unpredictable. Most of the time, it comes down to small checkout problems that become much bigger when shoppers are stressed, rushing, or trying to get through a long gift list as fast as possible. The good news is that these issues are usually straightforward to identify and fix once you know where to look.

By focusing on a checkout experience that's faster, clearer, simpler, and more trustworthy, you immediately put your store ahead of many others. Even a few thoughtful adjustments-cleaner forms, transparent delivery details, faster loading times can lead to a noticeable lift in completed orders throughout December.

At PrestaChamps, we work with ecommerce stores every day to solve exactly these kinds of bottlenecks. Our team specialises in analysing, optimising, and improving checkout flows so businesses don't lose sales to avoidable friction. With the right tweaks and a strategic approach, the holiday season can be one of your strongest revenue periods, not one filled with abandoned carts and missed opportunities.