From optimising checkout to embedded e-commerce—here’s what’s next

The focus? Making it easier to complete a purchase by prioritising factors such as fewer fields, faster load times, and frictionless payments. And it’s worked. Innovative options like guest checkout, one-click payments, and digital wallets helped push conversion rates higher.

Still, the reality is that even the most optimised checkout is still a roadblock between the customer and their purchase. In 2024, the global average online shopping cart abandonment rate hit just over 70%—and in the United States, 85% of mobile shoppers’ baskets didn’t result in a completed order. 

Today’s consumers don’t think in terms of “checkout.” They want the ability to buy instantly, wherever they are: in an app; on social media; via a text message; or even through voice commands. Any extra step feels like friction, and friction kills conversions.

That’s why the next era of e-commerce won’t be about improving the checking out experience. It will be about making it disappear.

Checkout has long been treated as a fixed endpoint, the final step in a linear shopping journey. But consumer behaviour has evolved, and paths to purchase rarely follow the straightforward model brands used to rely on. In a world of one-click convenience and instant gratification, forcing customers into a static checkout flow feels outdated.  

Today, consumers scroll TikTok, spot a product that piques their interests, and expect to buy without leaving the app. Or, they receive a personalised product promo in a text or marketing email and want to complete the purchase instantly. They may even engage with AI-powered recommendations from chatbots or shopping assistants and assume they can buy with a single confirmation.

Yet most brands still force customers into a traditional checkout funnel—regardless of the channel—that requires multiple clicks, redirects, and often redundant information gathering. The result? A checkout experience that drives customers away rather than pulling them in.

Shoppers abandon their carts for many reasons, but most stem from unnecessary friction—extra costs at checkout, required account creation, slow load times, and payment inflexibility. The longer the process takes, the greater the chance they’ll drop off. 

We’re on the brink of a commerce shift where checkout as we know it disappears entirely. Instead of being a distinct step in the transaction process, checkout is becoming a less distinct layer that adapts to each customer’s behaviour in real time.

Here are some of the ways we see that happening: 

Instead of static checkout flows, AI will dynamically adjust the experience based on the customer’s history and risk assessment. Returning customers won’t need to enter payment or shipping details at all, while new shoppers will be guided through a personalised, seamless flow. And with context-aware transactions, checkout steps will adapt depending on the purchase type, device, and location.

For example, Stripe Checkout automatically detects and optimises the payment experience based on the device, location, and past behaviour of a shopper. By dynamically adjusting available payment methods and security measures, it ensures speed without compromising fraud prevention.

Biometric authentication is making checkout even more seamless, eliminating passwords and manual data entry. From facial recognition to palm scanning, biometric payments allow customers to complete transactions without ever pulling out their wallet.

• Face ID and fingerprint scanning allow customers to approve purchases instantly,  without entering credentials.
• Palm recognition technology like Amazon One enables users to pay by hovering their hand over a sensor, linking biometric data to their payment method. Amazon has expanded the accessibility of this payment tool with the Amazon One app, which lets users register their palms from their phones.  

The fewer steps, the higher the conversion rate. One-click checkout solutions are reducing abandoned carts by allowing customers to buy instantly with stored payment and shopping details—no extra forms, no friction.

Bolt’s Checkout Everywhere enables brands to integrate one-click checkout across social media, email, Google product listings, and partner sites, letting shoppers complete purchases without having to leave the platform they’re on. Similarly, Shopify’s Shop Pay checkout links enable brands to convert shoppers in just two clicks—from anywhere.

But why click at all? Voice, wearables, and automated purchasing are also redefining how we shop. The checkout process is becoming an instant action, not a multi-step experience.

Solutions like Walmart’s Voice Order let consumers reorder and add items to their virtual grocery basket by simply asking Siri or Google Assistant. With shipping and payment information stored in their Walmart accounts, users can schedule deliveries and checkout all through voice. 

None of this is five years away. It’s happening now. Brands that embed transactions directly into customer interactions—instead of treating checkout as a separate process—will be the ones leading the future of retail. And with innovations like Shopify’s Order Editing, brands have more tools than ever to increase the fluidity of the e-commerce experience, empower shoppers with self-service order adjustments, and drive immediate upsells. 

The future of e-commerce isn’t about optimising checkout—it’s about eliminating the barriers that slow customers down and turn full shopping carts into closed tabs. As brands shift toward frictionless, embedded commerce, the right technology and strategy make all the difference. 

Tools like Shop Pay provide the foundation, but unlocking their full potential requires expertise in execution. As a Shopify Plus partner, helps brands integrate these tools, modernise their e-commerce experience, and build the seamless shopping journeys customers now expect.