111 Designs for Checkout Buttons

UPDATE: if you plan to design a checkout button, please read our post on “The Best Checkout Button“.

The checkout process plays an important role in the shopping experience of all e-commerce websites. And, the shopping process starts with a click on the Checkout button. While buying decision can be made outside your website influence, once visitors decide to buy products from your site, it is your job to help (persuade) them to complete the buying process.

Assuming your visitor already added products in their shopping cart, how well do you manage to persuade them finish the checkout process? How usable is your checkout button and checkout pages? Does the button stands out of the rest of the page? Do visitors find it easy and compelling to click on it? Are there any general rules to follow when designing a checkout button?

We’ve tried to answer such questions and this is how we ended up analyzing 111 checkout button designs, from 111 top retailers. The buttons were taken from their shopping cart pages.

Conclusions and other interesting stats are to be found at the end of this article.

NOTICE: there are two retailers we couldn’t list a proper checkout button, one being The Sharper Image (site is still under construction) and the other one is Gateway, which doesn’t sells directly on their website.

If you need the button list as a single image you can download it from our checkout buttons image page (you may need to allow pop-ups from our website) .

checkout button 1800 Contacts checkout button 1800 Flowers checkout button 1800 Pet Meds
checkout button AbeBooks checkout button Abercrombie Fitch checkout button American Eagle
checkout button Alibris checkout button Amazon checkout button Apple
checkout button Art.com checkout button Avon checkout button Bass Pro
checkout button Bath and Body Works checkout button Bed Bath and Beyond checkout button Bath and Body Works
checkout button Blair checkout button Bloomingdale-s checkout button Blue Nile
checkout button Barnes and Noble checkout button Buy.com checkout button Cabelas
checkout button Cafe Press checkout button CDW Corporation checkout button Chadwicks
checkout button Circuit City checkout button Cold Water Creek checkout button Comp U Plus
checkout button Comp USA checkout button Costco checkout button Crate and Barrel
checkout button Crutchfield checkout button CVS Pharmacy checkout button Delias
checkout button Dell checkout button Disney Shopping checkout button Domestications
checkout button Drs Foster and Smith checkout button Drug Store checkout button eBags
checkout button eCost checkout button Eddie Bauer checkout button eFollet
checkout button eTronics checkout button Foot Locker checkout button FTD Group
checkout button Furniture.com checkout button The Gap checkout button Gateway
checkout button Harry and David checkout button Hickory Farms checkout button Hallmark.com
checkout button Homeclick checkout button Home Depot checkout button Hewlett Packard
checkout button I Buy Digital checkout button JC Penney checkout button J Crew
checkout button JC Whitney checkout button J Jill checkout button Lands End
checkout button Lillian Vernon checkout button Liz Claiborne checkout button LL Bean.com
checkout button LL Bean.com checkout button Lowes checkout button Macy's
checkout button Major League Baseball checkout button Musician's Friend checkout button New Egg
checkout button Nieman Marcus checkout button Nordstrom checkout button Northern Tool
checkout button Office Depot checkout button Office Max checkout button Omaha Steaks
checkout button Oriental checkout button Overstock checkout button Palm.com
checkout button PC Connection checkout button PC Mall checkout button Peapod
checkout button Pet Smart checkout button Ralph and Loren checkout button Pro Flowers
checkout button QVC checkout button REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) checkout button Ritz Camera.com
checkout button Saks checkout button Scholastic.com checkout button Schwans
checkout button Sears checkout button Sephora checkout button NBC
checkout button Smart Bargains checkout button Sony Style checkout button Spiegel
checkout button Sportsman's Guide checkout button Staples checkout button Talbots
checkout button Target.com checkout button Tiger Direct checkout button Sharper Image
checkout button Toys'R'Us checkout button Urban Outfitters checkout button Victoria's Secret
checkout button Vista Print checkout button Walgreens checkout button Walmart
checkout button Williams Sonoma checkout button Zappos

Conclusion:
Even if 110 retailers display 110 different checkout button images, there are some common practices you can follow when designing a checkout button. Let’s take a look at some statistics (all % are rounded up):

Button colors (background):
blue – 21 (19%)
brown – 5 (4.5%)
gray – 11 (10%)
green – 17 (15%)
orange – 12 (11%)
pink – 2 (2%)
purple – 4(4%)
red – 24 (22%)
white – 6 (5%)
yellow – 8 (7%)

Button colors (text):
black – 10 (10%)
blue – 9 (8%)
brown – 1 (less than 1%)
green – 1 (less than 1%)
orange – 1(less than 1%)
pink – 1 (less than 1%)
purple – 1(less than 1%)
red – 2 (less than 1%)
white – 84 (77%)
yellow – 1 (less than 1%)

How is “checkout” spelled?
check out – 8 (7%)
checkout – 101 (93%)

Is “checkout/check out” always used as button’s text?
yes – 108 (99%)
no – 2 (1%) – 1800contacts uses CONTINUE ORDER and proflowers.com uses Order Now

Is “checkout” UPPER case, lower case or Sentence Case?
CHECKOUT – 44 (40%)

checkout – 11 (10%)
Checkout – 44 (40%)
others – 9 (10%)

Which call to action verbs are used on buttons along with “Checkout”(which can also be considered a call to action, but not so strong)?
Continue – 12 (11%)
Proceed – 30 (27%)
Now – 9 (9%)
Go To – 2 (1%)
Use – 1 (less than 1%)
Begin – 7 (6%)
none – 50 (45%)

Does the button contains anti-anxiety elements, such as the term “secure”?
secure – 14 (12%)
no – 96 (88%)

Is there an arrow associated with the checkout button?
yes, on the left side of the button – 45 (40%)
yes, on the right side of the button – 17 (15%)
no – 48 (43%)

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