Should HTTPS cover the whole site or just the checkout?

The whole site. An HTTP page can be altered in transit even if its form later posts to an HTTPS address — redirect HTTP to HTTPS and remove mixed content. Browser indicators vary, and HTTPS protects the connection without certifying that the merchant is trustworthy. Never collect payment or personal data over plain HTTP.

What is the biggest cause of cart abandonment?

There's no single cause for every store — much abandonment is simply people who weren't ready to buy. Among preventable checkout problems, unexpected or excessive shipping, taxes and fees lead the list: show a useful estimate early and the exact total before the order is submitted. Guest checkout removes another common friction point.

Do I need to be PCI compliant to take card payments?

Yes — merchants accepting cards always retain PCI DSS responsibilities. A fully hosted payment page or eligible hosted-field integration, where card data goes directly to a currently validated provider and never touches your systems, can reduce your scope — but the reduction depends on the integration, not the provider's brand name. Secure the integration and confirm the required validation with your acquirer.

Does your checkout earn the customer's trust?

Checkout is a high-friction moment: the visitor is about to hand over money and card details, and unclear costs, unfamiliar payment handling, or missing information can tip them into abandoning. Much of the preventable loss is about doubt and surprises, not the price itself.

Security that actually protects — and what it signals

HTTPS on every page, not just checkout. Redirect HTTP to HTTPS and remove mixed content — an insecure page anywhere can be tampered with in transit. Browser indicators vary and prove little to visitors; the protection is the point. Never collect payment or personal data over plain HTTP. (HTTPS doesn't control caching, either: mark cart, checkout and confirmation responses Cache-Control: private — no-store where they must not be retained — and keep personal data out of URLs.)
Outsource card handling properly. Use a currently validated payment service provider through a fully hosted checkout or an eligible hosted-field integration, where card data goes directly to the provider and never passes through or rests on your systems. That can reduce — never remove — your PCI DSS obligations, and the reduction depends on how it's integrated, not on the provider's logo. Secure the integration and confirm the required validation with your acquirer.
Don't ask for more than you need. Unnecessary fields add friction and make customers wonder why you want the data. Ask what the transaction requires, mark what's optional, explain unusual requests, and keep marketing consent separate from completing the purchase.

Remove the reasons people hesitate

Show costs early, and exactly before ordering. Unexpected shipping, tax and fees are a leading preventable abandonment cause. Where the exact total depends on address or choices, show a clear estimate early, say what can change, and display the precise total before the order is submitted.
Meet the EU's order-page rules. Directly before the final order action, show the essential product details, the total price, and any contract duration — and label the final button so it unambiguously says ordering means paying.
Offer familiar payment options. Cards, PayPal, and regional favorites (in Belgium, Bancontact) let people pay the way they already know. Show only methods you actually accept.
Make the terms clear. The real returns policy, an honest delivery estimate, and a working contact route at checkout — not buried in a footer. Keep voluntary return terms distinct from statutory consumer rights.
Allow guest checkout. Forced account creation is a documented abandonment driver; offer accounts, don't demand them.

Small reassurances — honest and operable

A short, accurate line near the pay button — "Secure payment · 30-day returns · Questions? Call +32 …" — reduces uncertainty, provided every word matches your actual policy.
Show accurate progress ("Step 2 of 3") so customers know what remains.
Make the forms accessible: visible associated labels, keyboard operation, clear required-field instructions, input preserved after errors, and error and success messages that assistive technology announces.
Confirm properly. On-screen confirmation with the order number as soon as the order is recorded, and a prompt email from your authenticated domain — order reference and status, no full payment details. And never mark an order paid or start fulfillment until the payment is verified server-side with the provider: a customer landing on the "thanks" page proves nothing.

Clear costs, secure and properly scoped payment handling, and accurate reassurance remove the avoidable hesitation at the moment money changes hands.

What to do

Serve the whole site over HTTPS (private/no-store on checkout responses) and take cards through a properly scoped hosted integration, validation confirmed with your acquirer.
Show cost estimates early, the exact total and essential terms directly before the order, and a pay-obligation button label.
Offer familiar, local payment methods and guest checkout, collecting only the data the transaction needs.
Place brief, truthful reassurances beside the pay button, on forms anyone can operate.
Confirm on screen and by authenticated email — and fulfill only after server-side payment verification.