The problem
The checkout asked customers to complete seven steps.
That was the obvious place to start. But the number of steps was only part of the problem.
Navigation remained on the page. Marketing copy and graphics competed for attention. The form used a two-column layout that made the experience harder to follow, particularly on mobile.
Customers had already made it to the point where they could buy. The checkout was still giving them other things to look at, consider, and navigate.
What needed to change
Simply squeezing the same experience into fewer screens would have left most of that friction in place.
The more useful question was:
What does a customer actually need on the screen to finish buying?
I redesigned the checkout around that question.
The seven-step process became two steps. I removed the main navigation, unnecessary marketing copy, and distracting graphics. The two-column form became a single-column flow.
The goal was simple: make completing the purchase the clearest task on the screen.
That single-column structure became especially important on mobile. Instead of asking customers to scan back and forth between fields, summaries, and other page elements, the form gave them one clear path from the first field to the final action.
Less to interpret. Less competing for attention. A clearer way to finish.
The result
Following the redesign, site-wide conversion rate increased by 26%.
A larger share of website visitors completed a purchase.
Several parts of the experience changed together, so I would not attribute the entire improvement to reducing the number of checkout steps. The redesign also simplified the page, removed distractions, improved the form structure, and created a more focused mobile experience.
That distinction matters.
The lesson wasn't simply “fewer steps convert better.”
It was that the entire checkout should help customers complete the decision they have already started making.
Sometimes the biggest conversion opportunity isn't something you need to add. It's something you need to remove.
What this means for your website
Fewer steps do not automatically make a process easier.
A short form can still be confusing. A longer one can work well when the instructions are clear, the sequence makes sense, and every element earns its place.
And this applies beyond traditional e-commerce.
If your business relies on online appointments, consultations, estimates, or reservations, your booking experience has essentially the same job as a shopping cart: help someone who is ready to act complete the transaction without unnecessary friction.
When we review a checkout, inquiry form, or booking process, we look at what the customer is trying to accomplish—and what the website puts in their way.
Is your website making it harder than necessary to buy or book?
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