Conversion tips for Black Friday in North America

Thousands of hours have gone into researching factors that affect conversion, the critical yes-or-no moment a customer clicks “pay now.” You are likely familiar with them: confidence in your brand + not too many clicks + trust in payment security = making the sale. This is never more important than during the Olympics of online shopping – Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM). One in three US consumers spend more online during this time period than they do in physical stores.

At Checkout.com, we are dedicated to optimizing our customers' peak season performance, and we regularly conduct consumer research to understand what drives purchasing decisions.

Tip #1: Reduce false declines

We know that 45% of consumers say they don’t retry a payment after their initial payment attempt is declined. For a good customer, this is known as a “false decline”, meaning the payment should have been accepted but, for technical reasons, failed. To combat this predicament, you can use sophisticated engines such as Intelligent Acceptance, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning to automatically improve each payment request based on historical data trends and prediction models to reduce the chance of a false decline. This is particularly important during BFCM, when customers are looking for signs of trustworthiness in the way you take payments.

Tip #2: Show customers they can trust you

Conversion is closely related to the level of trust a customer has in your brand. When there are so many unknowns online – fraud, scams, and stolen credentials – it’s up to you to reassure the customer they are safe to transact with you. Our study showed that the safety of transactions are paramount, among other factors.

Besides price, which of the following is most likely to erode your trust and loyalty when you pay for products/services online?

• 45%: Uncertainty about the safety of the payment process
• 27%: No verification process during payment
• 27%: A slow and complex payment process

Payment security stems from partnering with a licensed and fully compliant payment services provider such as Checkout.com. We support you to offer a secure and reliable payment experience for your customers that’s tailored for improved conversion rates and reflects the safety and security that consumers are seeking. 

Tip #3: Provide convenient yet secure payment options

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If your payments page doesn’t send the right psychological signals – trusted logos, consistent branding, connection to verified payment methods, and so on – your customer will vanish. 

Consumers who agreed with the following statements: 

• 24%: “I’ve abandoned checkouts due to security concerns” 
• 14%: “I often abandon purchases when asked for a one-time password” 

While a one-time password can be unpopular, this simple verification technique is widely recognized as a reliable mode of two-factor authentication that can help to cut payment fraud. Security is important, but convenience is critical. After all, almost one in five consumers (18%) abandoned a cart this year because of a too long or too complicated payment experience. You must decide on the appropriate rigor for screening potential buyers, balancing the ease of conversion with your business's risk tolerance to best suit your customer base and product offering. Beyond two-factor authentication, a digital wallet, such as Apple Pay, offers built-in security mechanisms and limits friction for a consumer to complete their order. In addition, Checkout.com offers Flow Remember Me, which yields up to a 70% reduction in checkout time and 7% uplift in acceptance rates. 

Tip #4: Offer a favorable returns policy

• 15% abandoned a cart because the returns policy wasn’t satisfactory (Baymard Institute)
• Two in five (37%) said “No easy returns process” would erode trust and loyalty

The way you advertise your returns and refunds can also affect how willing customers are to buy from you, particularly around the busy holiday shopping season. A Checkout.com survey found “Struggling to get refunds/returns processed” was a top concern of shopping online for 16% of US consumers. This hesitation could be enough to push a potential buyer to another site that they feel more confident about its ability to claim a refund from, if needed.

In addition to a strong returns policy, you also need an easy way to send funds back to customers quickly. We can help you do this within minutes of approval (when the issuer is fast-funds enabled).

Strengthen conversions during BFCM and beyond

Global businesses like Uber, HelloFresh, Pinterest, and eBay offer speed, convenience and safety to their customers by partnering with Checkout.com. We’re continually investing in platform enhancements to improve performance, including through our application for a Merchant Acquirer Limited Purpose Bank (MALPB) charter. Once approved and operationalized in 2026, this charter will give Checkout.com direct access to US card networks and greater control over payment performance, which means better results for merchants.

For more ways to better improve your customer experience, contact your account manager.