Amazon
We are all familiar with Amazon’s checkout process. The simplistic process of finding an item of interest, clicking to buy the item, and actually buying the item creates an unparalleled, muscle-memory-like familiarity. Every checkout makes the next one even easier. On top of this, Amazon has other methods of convincing you to buy RIGHT NOW. For example, the countdown gives you better shipping options if you buy the product in that session, and the big “Buy Now” button makes it easier to check out.
Warby Parker
This checkout process is clearly designed to make the purchaser feel confident and comfortable with their purchase. Yesterday (true story), I bought a pair of eyeglasses from a LensCrafters in person. Despite being in person and not having to handle details like prescriptions and sizing, I was still questioning my decisions after checking out. Clearly, instilling confidence is critical for a purchase since most customers will only buy one item at a time. This is evident by the lack of an “add to cart” flow within the checkout process. Despite having a cart, WP doesn’t give you options to go back to browsing once you are in the meat of the check out flow. This is clearly a purposeful design choice to give customers less “outs” when making a purchase.
Patagonia
Patagonia is a good counterexample to WP’s lack of a cart. Patagonia’s “Add to Cart” button is a bright orange, and it sits right above the checkout button. To me, this is clearly telling me to add to cart now, browse more options, and pay later. It’s clear they are banking on customers having familiarity with their quality and brand loyalty.
