Fast Checkout
Overview
Fast Checkout was initiated after analysing behavioural data across Myer’s checkout funnel, login patterns, and guest performance. The objective was to understand where friction existed in the purchase journey and identify structural barriers to conversion.
Data showed significant drop-offs across checkout stages, variation between logged-in and guest behaviour, and time inefficiencies on both Bag and Checkout pages.
The opportunity was not cosmetic optimisation, it was architectural simplification.
Problem
Checkout performance analysis revealed that the issue wasn’t visual polish, it was structural friction embedded in the flow.
Funnel data showed clear drop-offs at multiple stages, particularly between Bag > Checkout start and Delivery > Payment.
The experience was segmented across several pages, requiring repeated cognitive shifts at the most commercially sensitive moment of the journey.
Login behaviour further complicated the flow. Customers were authenticating at inconsistent stages rather than at a predictable point.
This introduced:
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Mid-journey redirects
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Context switching between guest and logged-in states
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Increased risk of abandonment during high intent moments
Time-on-page data for both Bag and Checkout suggested unnecessary effort was required to progress.
This indicated:
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Form complexity and validation friction
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Redundant information presentation
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Fragmented delivery and payment logic
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Lack of momentum-driven progression
The checkout architecture prioritised system checkpoints over customer flow.
Instead of guiding users seamlessly from Bag to Confirmation, the experience:
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Interrupted intent with authentication prompts
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Forced step-by-step segmentation
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Increased cognitive load
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Treated validation as the primary driver of structure
Fast Checkout was initiated to re-architect the journey, consolidating steps, removing avoidable interruptions, and restoring purchase momentum without compromising compliance or validation integrity.
Initial Research
Before proposing any structural changes, we began by diagnosing the checkout experience from multiple angles, behavioural data, competitive benchmarking, user validation, and industry research. Rather than assuming the friction was visual, we treated checkout as a system problem and sought to understand where momentum was breaking down. By combining funnel analytics, login pattern analysis, unmoderated usability testing, competitive audits of high-performing retailers, and Baymard Institute research, I built a comprehensive evidence base that pointed to one clear conclusion: the issue wasn’t cosmetic optimisation, it was architectural complexity embedded in the flow.
Competitor Analysis
In parallel with user validation, I conducted a structured competitive analysis of retail checkouts, including Everlane, Country Road, IKEA, and other large-format commerce platforms.
The objective was to identify architectural patterns, not visual trends, across brands optimising for speed, conversion, and reduced friction.
Across competitors, several consistent patterns emerged:
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Progressive single-flow architecture was dominant. Delivery, payment, and review were often consolidated into one vertically structured experience.
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Guest checkout was prioritised, with login positioned as optional or deferred rather than forced upfront.
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Inline validation reduced rework, preventing end-of-step error stacking.
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Clear progression cues replaced segmented pages, making the journey feel shorter even when the number of fields was similar.
Validating the Problem
Before proposing structural changes, we validated the friction through unmoderated user testing.
Rather than testing Myer in isolation, we benchmarked against fast, momentum-driven checkouts from brands such as Everlane, Country Road, and IKEA. Participants were asked to complete comparable purchase tasks while narrating their decision-making, confidence levels, and perceived friction.
The goal was to understand:
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Where momentum breaks
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How authentication impacts intent
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What “fast” actually feels like to customers
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How step consolidation affects perceived effort
Quantitatively, testing revealed:
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63% of participants expressed frustration when redirected to log in mid-journey.
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58% described multi-step checkout as “long” or “repetitive.”
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Task completion time was 18–24% faster in consolidated checkout flows (Everlane / Country Road models) compared to segmented flows.
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Perceived effort scores (self-reported on a 1–5 scale) were 30% lower in progressive single-flow checkouts.
Industry Research & Benchmarking (Baymard Institute)
In addition to internal data, user validation, and competitive benchmarking, we grounded the redesign in established e-commerce research from the Baymard Institute, a leading authority on checkout usability and conversion optimisation.
Baymard’s large-scale checkout studies reinforced several friction points we were observing in Myer’s funnel, including:
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The importance of always providing a clear order review step in multi-step checkouts
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Allowing users to edit data directly at the review stage
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Collapsing completed accordion steps into summaries to reduce cognitive overload
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Minimising visible form fields by default
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Inferring selections where possible to reduce unnecessary input
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Optimising microcopy to support skimming behaviour
These guidelines aligned directly with the behavioural and funnel data we had observed. In particular, Baymard’s research on reducing visible form fields and collapsing completed steps validated the hypothesis that fragmentation and excessive inputs were increasing cognitive load.
Rather than treating checkout as a linear sequence of system checkpoints, the research reinforced a momentum-based model:
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Consolidate where possible
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Reduce visual noise
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Minimise required effort
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Preserve continuity across steps
Baymard’s evidence base strengthened the business case for structural re-architecture and ensured that proposed changes were backed by proven industry standards, not isolated experimentation.
Cross-Functional Workshop
I facilitated a workshop with Product, Engineering, and key stakeholders, including front-end developers responsible for checkout implementation.
The objective was to:
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Align on the core structural problems
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Stress-test hypotheses against technical constraints
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Identify non-negotiables (payments, compliance, MyerOne requirements)
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Define principles for a Fast Checkout architecture
Key outcomes from the workshop included:
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Agreement to consolidate delivery and payment into a single progressive flow
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Reducing unnecessary redirects tied to authentication
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Maintaining persistent order summary visibility
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Collapsing completed steps into digestible summaries
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Defining validation patterns early to avoid downstream rework
This workshop ensured the redesign was not a design-led proposal imposed on engineering, but a collaboratively aligned architectural shift.
Rapid Prototyping & AI-Assisted Exploration
Following the workshop alignment, we moved quickly into rapid prototyping to test structural hypotheses before committing to full high-fidelity design.
Using AI-assisted prototyping tools, we explored multiple checkout architecture variations in parallel, including:
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Single-page progressive checkout
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Collapsible accordion models
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Consolidated delivery + payment flows
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Guest-first vs login-later structures
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Persistent order summary variations
The goal was speed and structural validation, not visual polish.
Rather than spending days manually constructing wireframes, we used AI to accelerate exploration and focus my time on evaluating trade-offs and validating flow logic.
This phase enabled:
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Faster stakeholder feedback cycles
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Earlier engineering input
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Reduced sunk-cost bias before high-fidelity design
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Clearer articulation of structural decisions
Only once the architecture was done, did we move into validation.
Prototype Testing & Validation
Once the structural direction was defined, I validated the Fast Checkout prototype through unmoderated user testing.
Participants were asked to complete a standard purchase task using the new progressive checkout flow. The goal was to assess:
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Perceived speed
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Clarity of progression
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Confidence in order details
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Authentication experience
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Overall effort
The prototype simulated:
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Collapsible delivery and payment sections
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Persistent order summary visibility
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Deferred login prompts
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Inline validation behaviour
The consolidated structure demonstrated clear behavioural improvements.
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6 out of 8 participants described the experience as noticeably faster or smoother than traditional multi-step checkouts.
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7 out of 8 participants completed the task without hesitation or navigation backtracking.
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Only 1 out of 8 participants expressed friction around login when authentication was deferred.
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5 out of 8 participants reported higher confidence when order details remained visible throughout the flow.
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Error recovery was significantly smoother, with most participants correcting inputs inline without restarting sections.
High-Fidelity Design & System Integration
With structural validation complete, I transitioned the Fast Checkout architecture into high-fidelity execution.
The objective at this stage was not aesthetic refinement alone, it was ensuring that the architectural simplification translated into clarity, confidence, and scalability across devices and brands.
The high-fidelity phase focused on:
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Establishing a clear visual hierarchy to support progressive disclosure
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Designing collapsible sections that reduced visual noise while preserving context
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Maintaining persistent order summary visibility without overwhelming the layout
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Clarifying primary and secondary CTAs to reinforce forward momentum
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Standardising inline validation states for consistency and reduced friction
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Ensuring accessibility compliance across form inputs and interactive elements
Special attention was given to micro-interactions and state transitions. The expansion and collapse of delivery and payment sections were designed to feel intentional and fluid, preventing the “hard stop” sensation common in multi-page flows.
Authentication states were carefully considered to avoid disruptive redirects. Instead of interrupting the journey, login became an optional enhancement rather than a forced checkpoint.
Design System & Scalability
The solution was designed in alignment with Myer’s design system to ensure:
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Consistency across AU and NZ brands
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Reusable components for future optimisation
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Reduced engineering rework
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Future experimentation flexibility
Form fields, validation patterns, spacing rules, and interaction behaviours were standardised to support long-term maintainability rather than a one-off redesign.
This ensured Fast Checkout was not only an improvement, but a scalable foundation for continued experimentation and personalisation.
Engineering Collaboration
Throughout high-fidelity execution, I partnered closely with engineering to:
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Validate feasibility of consolidated flows
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Resolve edge cases early
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Align on validation logic before implementation
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Minimise handoff ambiguity
Rather than a static handoff, this phase involved iterative reviews to ensure the architectural intent remained intact through development.
View below some snapshots of the High-Fidelity designs.
Results & Commercial Impact
After several weeks of controlled experimentation, Fast Checkout delivered clear improvements across customer experience, commercial performance, and technical stability.
From a commercial perspective:
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+5.4% uplift in conversion rate (CVR)
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Flat Average Order Value (AOV), indicating the uplift was driven by improved completion, not discounting or basket changes
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Customers completed checkout 15 seconds faster on average, signalling reduced friction and improved momentum
The uplift was driven by structural simplification rather than persuasion tactics, reinforcing that architectural clarity was the primary lever.
From a customer experience standpoint:
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+0.7 uplift in overall Net Promoter Score (NPS)
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+8.4 uplift in Bag NPS
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+0.9 uplift in Checkout NPS
The significant improvement in Bag NPS was particularly telling, validating that reducing fragmentation and authentication friction improved early-stage confidence in the journey.
From an operational perspective:
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Technical performance metrics remained stable throughout the test period
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The Myer Experience Centre (MXC) reported zero customer contacts related to checkout issues
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No increase in error-related support tickets
With customer, commercial, and technical metrics all positive, the initiative progressed to a full 100% traffic rollout across web devices, with app rollout scheduled thereafter.
Outcome
Fast Checkout proved that meaningful conversion gains can be achieved through structural simplification rather than incremental UI adjustments.
By re-architecting the journey around momentum and clarity, the experience became faster, more seamless, and commercially stronger, without compromising stability.