E-commerce · Mobile web
A calmer checkout for an independent bookshop marketplace
A checkout that feels as considered as the shops it serves.
- Role
- Product designer
- Timeline
- 6 weeks
- Team
- Co-founders, 1 full-stack engineer
- Tools
- Figma, Hotjar, Google Analytics
The problem
Orders often included books from several shops, each with its own shipping. The cart surprised buyers with split costs at the last step.
Constraints
- Each shop set its own shipping rules.
- Payments were handled by an existing provider.
- Most traffic came from phones.
Key decisions
Decision 1
Show shipping per shop in the cart
Costs now appear grouped by shop as books are added, so the total never jumps at payment.
Before and after: cart grouped by shopDecision 2
One page, three clear sections
I replaced a five-step checkout with a single page: delivery, shipping choices and payment, each collapsing once complete.
Mobile flow: single-page checkout sectionsDecision 3
Keep the shop’s voice
A short note from each bookshop appears in the order summary, keeping the personal feel buyers came for.
Detail: bookshop note in the order summary
The solution
A single-page mobile checkout with shipping visible from the cart onwards and each shop’s identity kept through to the confirmation.
Results
The co-founders saw fewer abandoned carts at the payment step and fewer emails asking about shipping costs.
What I learned
Small copy changes around shipping did as much as the layout work. I would test words earlier next time.
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