The best ecommerce checkout experiences for fashion brands
Find out what makes a great checkout UX and meet the brands that are delivering frictionless experiences.
Why does the checkout experience matter?
Beyond the obvious—it's where the sale happens—it’s also the final chance to turn a first-time shopper into a loyal customer. When the checkout flow feels disconnected from your brand, it's not just bad UX. It's a missed opportunity to build trust and drive repeat purchases.
Checkout is where brand, design, and commerce must come together. It should feel on-brand with the rest of the customer journey, intuitive to use, and optimized to drive conversions.
In this post, we’re diving into what makes a checkout great, and highlighting the brands that (in our opinion) are nailing the checkout UX.
Elements of a winning checkout
What defines a standout checkout experience? Based on our work with global fashion brands, it’s the sweet spot where smart UX meets consistent, on-brand UI. When functionality and creative align, the checkout becomes intuitive, fast, and built for conversion. Here are some ecommerce checkout best practices:
On-brand, visually engaging design
The checkout should look and feel like the rest of your brand—not as if the customer has been handed off to a third party to finalize their purchase. Consistent use of color, typography, and imagery reinforces brand identity and builds trust.
Fast loading times
It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway)—speed is critical. A quick-loading checkout reduces abandonment rates and keeps the momentum going through to purchase.
Mobile optimization
With more consumers browsing and purchasing on mobile devices, the checkout should be fully responsive and easy to complete on any device.
Minimal friction and streamlined flow
Use autofill, limit mandatory form fields, and offer guest checkout. Reducing steps means fewer drop-offs.
Clear trust signals
Highlight security, payment protection, and return guarantees to reassure customers that they’re buying from a trustworthy business.
Localized delivery and payment options
Offer a variety of localized shipping and payment methods to meet diverse customer and cultural preferences.
Value-added incentives
Integrated upsells, cross-sells, and free shipping thresholds can boost average order value (AOV) while enhancing the customer experience, if placed carefully.
Transparent communication
Clear, upfront information about shipping costs and return policies prevent surprises that cause cart abandonment and helps customers feel confident about buying.
Seamless style and flow: checkouts we love
COS
Why we love it: COS delivers a consistent and seamless brand experience from shopping bag through to checkout. Customers can easily toggle between their shopping bag and wishlist, moving items back and forth with ease. Multiple payment options are also offered, including Google and Apple Pay, enabling a one-click checkout that’s optimized for mobile.
Djerf Avenue
Why we love it: Djerf Avenue strikes the perfect balance between commercial incentive and customer experience. Its thoughtfully designed, on-brand checkout journey includes an easy-to-browse add-to-cart product feed that encourages shoppers to add items to qualify for free shipping.
Nudie Jeans
Why we love it: Nudie Jeans’ checkout follows through on the brand’s sustainable, customer-first values. The flow is clean and intuitive, highlighting perks like free lifelong repairs for newsletter subscribers. For local shoppers, it even offers pickup at a Nudie Repair Shop—a touch that reinforces community and convenience.
Holzweiler
Why we love it: Holzweiler’s checkout features built-in localization, so that when customers change their shipping country, all options, costs, and delivery times update instantly and accurately.
Paul Smith
Why we love it: Paul Smith elevates the delivery experience with detailed and intuitive click-and-collect options. At checkout, customers can find their nearest store location, view opening hours, and select pickup based on distance.
Arket
Why we love it: Arket stands out for its array of delivery options through the Ingrid integration, suiting customers’ needs wherever they are. Customers can choose from standard shipping to express and convenient pickup choices, including a ‘Climate Smart’ option.
Luca Faloni
Why we love it: Luca Faloni delivers a checkout experience that’s both convenient and focused on building customer loyalty. The flow offers guest checkout while clearly promoting the advantages of account creation. Registration is simple and unobtrusive.
Tretorn
Why we love it: Tretorn uses a smart message rotator in the checkout to deliver key customer information, like payment options and return policies, without cluttering the page. This keeps shoppers informed and reassured while maintaining an on-brand checkout experience.
Mini Rodini
Why we love it: Mini Rodini brings playful brand energy into the checkout flow. Cross-sell products are seamlessly integrated in a feed at checkout, offering add-ons that feel curated rather than pushy. The full-screen checkout design also keeps the focus clear and distraction-free.
Samsøe Samsøe
Why we love it: Samsøe Samsøe makes it possible for shoppers to share their cart via a link, which, when clicked, opens directly to a pre-filled basket. The brand also includes a well-placed call-to-action prompting customers to check sizing before checkout—helping reduce returns and discouraging over-ordering.
OAS
Why we love it: OAS keeps its checkout clean and simple, breaking the process into three clear sections. The straightforward design creates an easy, intuitive UX that guides customers effortlessly to complete their orders.
Chimi
Why we love it: Chimi puts delivery front and center with a postcode field that instantly calculates shipping fees, giving customers cost expectations from the start. A progress bar at the top of the checkout page makes the journey clear for customers from the jump.
Malina
Why we love it: Malina delivers a streamlined, one-page checkout where everything is thoughtfully arranged—from multiple gift box styles to a quick-shop section that lets customers easily add more items without leaving the flow. There’s also a smartly placed newsletter sign-up with content preferences, inviting shoppers to stay connected on their own terms.
Control the checkout, own the experience
There’s no one-size-fits-all checkout experience for fashion brands. Every checkout should reflect a brand’s unique identity while still catering to customers’ preferences. With Centra’s headless architecture, brands have complete control to create a checkout that balances style and functionality, including:
Custom design & UX: Align the checkout with your brand’s look, feel, and tone
Flexible flows: Choose between streamlined single-page or multi-step checkout experiences
Continuous improvement: Test, optimize, and iterate the checkout based on real customer behavior
Integrated strategy: Drive broader business goals like mailing list growth, and cross-channel sales
Want to transform your checkout experience? Talk to our team about how Centra can help you create a checkout that speaks to your customers and stays true to your brand.
