Forever 21 shares 5 ways to improve your checkout

The checkout process can make or break a customer’s relationship with a seller. Leaders at Forever 21 have been working on the checkout page for years. Jacob Hawkins, Forever 21’s director of marketing, digital and comprehensive, shared what he believes are the five most effective ways to improve a seller’s checkout experience.

Forever 21 ranks 105th on the list 1000 best. The database is Digital Commerce 360’s ranking of North American online retailers by online sales. Digital Commerce 360 classifies it as an apparel retailer.

1. Encourage customers to use the mobile app

The mobile app is the “first and best way” Forever 21 has streamlined the checkout process, Hawkins said. Two years ago, when he started working at a retail store, app sales were in the mid-single digits. Currently, over 50% of all transactions take place via the app.

“It’s the fastest and easiest way to shop at Forever 21,” added Hawkins.

Customers can see products similar to others they have viewed, and once they make a purchase, all of their information is saved so they can make a faster purchase next time. Through the app, consumers can also check prices and availability of specific products in stores and choose to ship to the store, Hawkins said.

2. Offer alternative payment options

Giving customers a variety of payment options is an important way to ensure they complete their purchase, Hawkins said. The clothing retailer allows consumers to pay via Apple Pay, Venmo, PayPal, Klarna and Amazon Pay.

Hawkins said it’s about choosing different payment types without overwhelming the customer.

“We don’t want to have all (payment types) available because more isn’t always more – sometimes it gets confused with 20 different options,” he said. Payment methods such as Apple Pay and PayPal speed up the checkout process and save time on entering credit card and shipping information, he added.

3. Optimize your website

Hawkins said Forever 21 has taken steps to speed up its website for consumers through a third-party vendor. The entire website is cached and content is loaded from servers close to the client. According to him, about a month after making this change, the site was running 50%-80% faster, depending on the device used to access it.

Consumers don’t have the patience to wait for slow-loading checkout pages and expect an instant experience, Hawkins said. Meeting these expectations promotes conversion.

4. Personalization

Forever 21 has also added a behavioral aspect to its checkout process. For example, a customer will see personalized recommendations when they are on the checkout page, based on other information they have shared. There are also recommendations on the individual product pages.

“I think checkout is an important element, but you want to speed up the process,” Hawkins said of the customer shopping experience.

He noted that speeding up the customer path to checkout is important for retailers, and personalized recommendations help consumers quickly find products they are interested in. Revenue from personalized recommendations has doubled in the eight months since Forever 21 launched the feature, he said.

5. Show your customers the possibilities of omnichannel

Retailers should provide customers with multiple options to receive a product and make it easier for them to make a purchasing decision, Hawkins said. Forever 21 offers home shipping and in-store pickup. This makes Forever 21 attractive to consumers with slightly different preferences. For example, a customer who doesn’t want to pay for shipping might opt for free shipping to the store. Or someone who needs a specific dress for that evening can buy it online, pick it up in store (BOPIS) and have it within a few hours.

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