When you buy online, confirming details like order amount, discounts, shipping address, and shipping costs is a must-have when you finalize a purchase. After all, no one wants to be charged for two items when you only wanted one, and no one wants a subscription sent to a misspelled address.
As an ecommerce seller, you can use a review order page to empower customers to double-check their info. It’s an ecommerce website page specially designed to confirm all details related to an online purchase.
Adding a review order page to your website or app is easy, especially if you partner with a comprehensive ecommerce provider. Here are some review order page examples, plus tips for adding an order review page to your own ecommerce site.
What is a review order page?
A review order page is a web page that an ecommerce site displays as part of the online purchase process; it gives the customer an opportunity to verify all transaction details before submitting the final order and payment. It typically asks users to confirm that their order information—name, address, credit card details, items ordered, and total price—is correct.
Once a customer determines that everything is correct, they tap or click a button to complete the transaction. This button may be labeled “Pay Now,” “Place Order,” or “Complete Order.” The ecommerce site then submits a request to charge the customer’s payment method of choice. If the charges are accepted, an order confirmation message appears on the customer’s screen, indicating that the transaction was successful.
Review order benefits to the buyer
An order confirmation page lets customers place orders with confidence. Specific benefits include:
- Verification. A review order page gives customers a chance to double-check the order’s accuracy (e.g., items or services, quantities, prices, discounts, shipping method, taxes, and total cost) before completing a transaction.
- Adjustments. An order review page lets users make changes to their order before committing, reducing buyer frustration and accidental purchases.
- Transparency. Order summary pages build trust between the buyer and the seller by showing full transparency in the transaction.
Review order benefits to the seller
Sellers reap their own rewards from presenting order review pages. These include:
- Reduced cart abandonment. Order review pages may dissuade customers from prematurely leaving the customer journey due to unexpected fees, shipping charges, or wait times. This could cut down on abandoned carts, a known scourge in ecommerce.
- Pre-purchase clarity. Summarizing an order before purchase can minimize the likelihood of disputes, refunds, and chargebacks, since it allows the buyer to confirm all the details.
- Brand reputation. A transparent order review page reinforces professionalism and reliability, helping you court new customers and potentially boost conversion rates.
- Legal protections. The Federal Trade Commission, an arm of the United States government, requires online sellers to clearly disclose the total cost of a purchase—including product price, shipping, taxes, and fees—before the consumer is charged. A review order page is the standard way ecommerce sites comply with this.
Examples of review order pages
Not sure what a good order page looks like? Here are some examples to inspire you, all of which use variations of the standard Shopify Checkout review order page layout:
Pela
Pela makes compostable cases for phones and other electronic devices. This review order page contains a section on the right that summarizes the user’s order. It cleverly includes a call to action (CTA) that gives customers the option of adding more items to their order at a discounted price.
When you scroll down the page, you see a place to enter payment information and a button labeled “Pay now.” The company ends the page with a customer satisfaction pledge—Pela dubs it a “Happiness Guarantee”—in the lower right-hand corner. It’s a parting message to inspire trust and give customers the confidence to complete their order.
United by Blue
United by Blue is an apparel and home goods retailer that shuns single-use plastics and supports sustainability. On its ecommerce order review page, it places the order summary on the right-hand side of the page. Notably, this order page automatically adds a discount code—for a “buy one, get one free” deal in this example—without the shopper even having to enter it. If a shopper had missed the coupon code elsewhere on the site, they may be pleasantly surprised to see it appear, and thus even more likely to complete their purchase.
Cocolab
A review order page is always valuable, even if you’re selling a subscription-based product. In this example, Cocolab—which sells dental products like floss and toothpaste—presents customers with a summary of their subscription, including what the company will send, how often it will send it, and how much it will cost.
This review order page includes a free gift that Cocolab offers to customers who opt for subscriptions rather than one-time purchases. It also has recommended add-ons. The page design highlights those add-ons by placing them above the total price.
Fly By Jing
Fly By Jing’s review order page features a distinctive color scheme. Even though the format is based on the standard Shopify layout, Fly By Jing has chosen to use its own custom colors to project a unique brand identity.
When shoppers peruse the Fly By Jing website, the company gives them the chance to join the Tastemaker Club, which it sells as an annual subscription. If the customer adds a subscription to their cart, it appears alongside other products with details about renewal frequency. Each product is clearly labeled so the customer understands exactly what they’re buying.
Best practices for making a great review order page
- Offer total transparency
- Provide flexible payment options
- Make it easy to edit an order
- Reinforce trust
- Conclude with a clear call to action
A review order page comes at the conclusion of a customer’s buying journey. If they’ve made it this far, they’ve shown strong purchase intent, and now it’s time to seal the deal. Here are the best ways to do that with an effective review order page:
1. Offer total transparency
Your order review page should clearly display the total cost of a customer’s order. This includes a breakdown of the product cost, shipping charges, tax, and any applied discounts. Do not use this page as a place to tack on fees you hadn’t mentioned on a product page.
When you select Shopify as your ecommerce partner, you can use Shopify Checkout for your review order page. It offers a clean order summary with line-item clarity, helping customers feel confident before paying.
2. Provide flexible payment options
Your order review page should include a display of all accepted payment methods and financing options. Accelerated checkout buttons like Shop Pay save customer information from prior transactions to enable one-click payment. Shopify merchants can also offer their customers Shop Pay Installments, allowing the customer to review and accept a breakdown of their cost into manageable monthly payments. Allowing installment payments may lower the perceived barrier to purchase and increase conversion rates on large or high-value orders.
3. Make it easy to edit an order
Allow buyers to adjust quantities, shipping methods, or payment details directly from the order review page without having to restart the checkout process. Making these details easy to modify removes friction, speeds up the process, and prevents cart abandonment.
4. Reinforce trust
Your customers want to be sure they’re dealing with a reputable seller. Without realizing it, they may be doing a subconscious risk analysis as they scan your checkout page. Put them at ease by displaying security badges (digital icons that signal a reduced purchasing risk), SSL encryption notices (which authenticate a website’s identity), and “secure checkout” messaging. Offering peace of mind can help nudge your customers toward making their purchase official.
5. Conclude with a clear call to action
The final button on your review order page should use simple, definitive language, like “Place Order” or “Pay Now.” Avoid ambiguous terms; customers need to understand that by tapping or clicking this button, they agree to be charged for their order. This CTA should be the most dominant element on the page, drawing focus, and gently pushing for a completed transaction.
Review order FAQ
What is a review order page?
A review order page is the final step before checkout confirmation, where buyers verify their order details—items, pricing, shipping, and payment—ensuring accuracy and transparency for both the customer and the seller.
What is the purpose of the order review stage?
The purpose of the order review stage is to give buyers a final chance to confirm all order details, ensuring transparency and reducing errors or disputes before completing payment.
What should I include in an order review page?
An order review page should include item details, quantities, prices, shipping information, taxes, payment method, and the total cost. Offer options to edit an order directly on the page, including the option to add more items, to make it easy for a shopper to complete their transaction. Conclude with a call to action that asks the customer to confirm the purchase.
