We thought with the new eBay checkout it would be instructive to compare the current five stage checkout most people will be seeing on the UK site with the two click checkout that’s coming in 2013. First up is the current eBay UK checkout and then we’ll show you how quick and easy will be to buy in the future.
Buying with the checkout flow currently live on eBay UK
It’s fair to say that eBay UK now have the best checkout flow since the site started, however there’s still room for improvement so here’s what it looks like now and what it’ll be like in 2013.
eBay UK current checkout Step 1: Click the buy it now button
Clicking the buy it now button is the only action which is absolutely essential on eBay. It’s me as a buyer telling eBay that I wish to purchase this item.
eBay UK current checkout Step 2: Review order and click continue
We all know that at times buttons get clicked in error, so it makes sense that this review page is here. However apart from the sensible requirement for confirmation I’m going to be presented with another review page at step five in the payment flow making this page semi redundant.
eBay UK current checkout Step 3: Log into PayPal
This is a pain point, most ecommerce sites remember my payment details and in the future once my eBay and PayPal accounts are linked this step will go.
eBay UK current checkout Step 4: Continue back to eBay
Ok so I’ve logged into PayPal, I don’t understand why I need to click on this page to continue. Why can’t PayPal automatically redirect me back to eBay once I’ve logged in?
eBay UK current checkout Step 5: Confirm and pay
This page is really the confirmation page I want to see instead of step two.
eBay UK current checkout Step 6: Order confirmation page
Great, I’ve purchased the item. However it’s taken five clicks plus typing my PayPal user name and password. The faster eBay get me to this page the better and the good news is that in the near future they will.
Two click checkout coming to eBay UK in 2013
The next generation eBay checkout will literally be a two click process. To demonstrate we’re going to buy exactly the same product from the same seller but this time we’ll be using the fastest checkout that eBay have ever had. When this comes to the UK in 2013 it will remove all the superfluous steps from the current eBay checkout flow shown above.
eBay 2013 checkout Step 1: Click the buy it now button
As before clicking the buy it now button (or in this case the buy another button) is the only action which is essential on eBay. It’s me as the buyer telling eBay that I wish to purchase this item.
eBay 2013 checkout Step 2: Confirm and pay
You’ll note that eBay have loaded up my PayPal account right there on the eBay order review page and I can now review my order, confirm and pay with just one more click. This step gets me directly to what’s effectively stage five in the current eBay checkout flow.
eBay 2013 checkout Step 3: Order confirmation page
That’s it, two clicks and I’ve paid. More importantly there’s no typing in of my PayPal email address and password. As I’ve linked my eBay and PayPal account that’s already done. I’ve clicked twice, bought and paid for the item and I’m now free to carry on browsing eBay looking for the next item to purchase. Roll on 2013 when this new checkout flow will be available to all of our customers.
4 Responses
RT @tamebay: eBay checkout comparison: Now vs 2013: https://t.co/TtC2SSiU
The middle payment bit (4th step) is there so you can change payment method, as a buyer I rarely have money sat in my PP account and have 2 cards linked to it, I swap and change which one I use regularly (CC for expensive things for example)
My main gripe with this is it seems to funnel buyers into making the purchase, while this is good for buying a toaster or something you generally will only ever want 1 of, it does nothing for merchants selling multiple things. A secondary button with say “continue shopping with this merchant” linking or highlighting any available deals or postage promotions a merchant may be running would also be a nice touch.
I agree that linking PP accounts with ID’s is a good step and I agree that the 5 step process is way too long however I think this has gone a little too far the other way.
I would like to see some sort of integration with the basket feature as opposed to a wham bam thank you mam button.
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