Before/After: simplifying checkout in a meal-delivery app cut cart abandonment in half

Design · 4 min read

The original checkout crammed address, payment, tip, delivery instructions, promos, and dietary preferences into one long form. Usability testing revealed users scrolling back-and-forth, missing promo instructions, and feeling uncertain about final fees. The design team faced a choice between cosmetic tweaks and a structural rework of the checkout flow.

They chose a progressive multi-step checkout with persistent order summary and inline fee breakdown. Critical changes included moving promos earlier in the flow, offering suggested tip amounts with explanations of driver impact, and surfacing delivery time windows with a confidence badge. They also replaced a generic “apply” promo field with a tappable modal that previews savings before committing.

Within six weeks, cart abandonment dropped from 28% to 14%, average order value rose 9% due to contextual upsells, and customer support inquiries about unexpected fees declined 62%. The redesign shows how clarifying cost signals and reducing cognitive load at decision points can materially improve conversion.