You have visits, you have products, the cart is full and the sale still does not close. The checkout is the last meter of the race: the point where the most people drop out and, on top of that, the most neglected. In Ecuador there is an extra ingredient: if the payment step ignores how people pay here, abandonment skyrockets. These are the mistakes that cost the most sales and how to close them.
An abandoned cart is rarely the customer's fault. Almost always it is the checkout asking too much, springing surprises or failing right at payment.
1. Forcing people to create an account to buy
It is the classic that kills the most sales. The customer has already decided to buy and, right there, you ask them to sign up, confirm an email and create a password. Half of them leave. Always enable guest checkout; if you want their account, quietly create it after the purchase with the data they already left.
2. Asking for too many fields
Every extra field is an excuse to abandon. Do you really need the company, the second surname and two phone numbers to ship a package? Keep only what is essential. That said, in Ecuador some data does matter: the ID number (cédula) or RUC for the invoice. The key is to ask for what is necessary and nothing more.
3. Surprise costs at the end
Nothing causes more rejection than reaching the last step and discovering a shipping cost you did not expect or a surcharge for paying by card. Show the shipping cost as early as possible (ideally in the cart) and make clear whether the price already includes VAT. Transparency sells more than any last-minute discount.
4. Not offering Ecuador's payment methods
This is where many stores lose by not knowing the local market. If your checkout only accepts an international gateway and ignores local cards, deferred payment (with or without interest) and options such as bank transfer, you are leaving sales on the table. Choosing the right gateway is half the battle: I break it down in Datafast vs PayPhone vs Kushki. Deferred payment, in particular, is almost a standard expectation for Ecuadorian buyers.
5. A slow checkout or one that breaks on mobile
Most people buy from their phone, often on mobile data. If the checkout is slow to load, the buttons jump around or the form is awkward on a small screen, you lose the sale without noticing. Here performance is hard cash: treat it with the same care as the rest of your store's performance optimization.
6. Not conveying trust
Paying is an act of faith. If the HTTPS padlock is missing, there is no real contact information, the returns policy is unclear or the design looks improvised, the customer doubts and leaves. Secure payment badges, a visible phone number or WhatsApp and clear policies do more for conversion than it seems.
7. Payment errors that are not explained
A bare "an error occurred" is a lost sale and a frustrated customer. When a payment fails, tell the user what happened and what to do: retry, try another card, use another method. And save their cart so they do not have to start over.
8. Neglecting the invoice and SRI data
In Ecuador electronic invoicing is not optional. If your checkout does not capture the ID number or RUC and the purchase details properly, you create problems after the sale, which is the worst way to start a relationship with a customer. This starts even before the checkout, in how you load your catalog: having the products uploaded in WordPress with the right prices and taxes avoids half of these messes.
Summary: mistakes and fixes
Mistake | How you notice | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
Mandatory registration | Abandonment at the first step | Guest checkout |
Too many fields | Long form, people giving up | Ask only what is necessary (plus ID or RUC) |
Surprise costs | Abandonment at the last step | Show shipping and VAT early |
Missing local payments | "I cannot pay the way I want" | Local gateway and deferred payment |
Slow checkout on mobile | Endless loading, errors on the phone | Optimize performance and mobile |
Lack of trust | Doubts, inquiries that do not buy | HTTPS, contact details and clear policies |
Unexplained errors | Failed payment and a lost customer | Clear messages and a saved cart |
SRI data captured wrongly | Problems with the invoice | Capture the right ID/RUC and details |
The five-minute test
Buy your own product from a mid-range phone, on mobile data, using a local card and choosing deferred payment. Time the process and note every friction: the extra field, the cost that shows up late, the button that is hard to find, the error that explains nothing.
Then fix in this order: first what prevents payment (gateway and payment methods), then what scares (surprise costs and lack of trust) and finally what tires (fields and speed). Repeat the test every month and every time you change a plugin or the gateway.
A checkout that respects how Ecuadorians buy is almost never a redesign: it is three or four concrete fixes that someone took the trouble to find.
Does your store get visits but few turn into sales? At Codegea we audit and optimize WooCommerce checkouts built for Ecuador, with local gateways, deferred payment and SRI invoicing properly integrated. Tell me your case and we will see where sales are slipping away.
Written by
Carolina Dávila
Co-founder & Project Manager
Co-founder of Codegea. Coordinates projects, teams and deliveries so every launch lands on time.