Fluid Checkout is primarily a truly linear multi-step checkout for WooCommerce, and as such, it integrates a Checkout Progress Bar to indicate how far on the checkout process the customer is currently in.
Lack of clarity in checkout forms is a major driver of cart abandonment, in contrast, clearly visible progress indicators have the following advantages:
- Help customers understand how many steps are left and where they are in the process.
- Reduce uncertainty and anxiety, making shoppers more likely to finish their purchase.
- Provide a psychological sense of control and accomplishment, which lowers cart abandonment rates.
In a truly linear checkout page, shoppers should never be led backwards unnecessarily, the process should flow forward linearly, and the progress bar should support this by only moving forward as each step is completed.
The Baymard Institute’s research on this topic underscores that a good progress indicator not only improves completion rates but enhances user satisfaction and trust — both critical for better conversion rates.
Breadcrumbs Progress Bar #
With Fluid Checkout PRO, since version 3.1.0, you can swap the classic progress bar from Fluid Checkout Lite, which shows the steps with actual visual bars that expands as the shoppers go through the checkout process, with a checkout progress indicator that displays the step titles horizontally that visually lays out each step of the checkout process side by side in a row. It clearly shows the name of each step (such as Contact, Shipping, Billing and Payment for the default checkout steps of Fluid Checkout). The current step is highlighted, while upcoming and complete steps are shown but not emphasized.
Follow the steps below to activate the new progress bar with the step titles:
- Go to WP Admin > WooCommerce > Settings > Fluid Checkout > Checkout.
- Locate the section “Checkout elements > Progress bar”.
- Select the style “Breadcrumbs” for the field “Choose the style of the progress bar”.
- Save your changes.