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Speed sells: How one-click checkout is rewriting the rules of ecommerce
Fast buying isn’t just changing how people shop, it’s redefining how ecommerce businesses must operate. As customer expectations shift toward instant gratification, brands that optimize for speed are seeing measurable gains in revenue, retention, and brand preference.
One-click checkout has redefined online shopping, but how is it influencing buyer behavior and business performance?
To find out, we surveyed over 1,000 people, including 803 consumers and 201 ecommerce decision-makers, on how fast they’re buying, why they’re buying, and what happens after the transaction.
The results reveal a growing preference for frictionless shopping experiences and offer valuable insights into how ecommerce teams can improve conversions, reduce churn, and prepare for an impulsive new wave of customer behavior.
Key findings
- 1 in 7 shoppers (14%) have made an online purchase within 1 minute of seeing an ad.
- 1 in 5 shoppers have spent over $200 on a fast impulse purchase.
- 42% of shoppers said they’re most likely to buy impulsively between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., especially on Fridays (36%) and Saturdays (28%).
- 85% of shoppers said they’ve regretted making an impulse online purchase. Gen Z was the most likely to say so (89%).
- After implementing fast checkout, 53% of ecommerce professionals saw higher average order values, and 46% reported improved conversion rates, with an average increase of 33%.
- 71% of ecommerce professionals said customer retention improved after adding fast checkout options.
How fast shoppers are clicking “buy now”
Today’s ecommerce platforms offer nearly instantaneous shopping. With countdown timers, flash sales, and one-click tech creating urgency, impulsive decisions are now an important ecommerce design feature.
Shoppers may be buying faster than you might expect. Of the 14% who made a purchase within 1 minute of seeing an ad, 31% completed the transaction in 30 seconds or less. iPhone users (15%) were slightly more likely than Android users (13%) to act this quickly.
Triggers like flash sales and countdown timers played a major role, with 70% of these impulse buyers citing urgency-based tactics as the main reason they clicked “buy.”
Social media was also a key driver. Gen Z shoppers led all generations in fast purchases on YouTube (47%), Reddit (33%), and TikTok (27%). They were also nearly twice as likely as millennials to impulse buy on Instagram (40% vs. 25%). For 20% of shoppers, fast buys have exceeded $200.
The most common impulse purchases were clothing (43%), food and drink (41%), and electronics (41%), but habits varied across age groups. Gen Z gravitated most toward food and drink (67%), while millennials favored clothing (47%), and Gen X went for home goods (45%).
Overall, shoppers are most likely to impulse buy in the evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Fridays (36%) and Saturdays (28%).
“The data shows fast checkout isn’t just a convenience, it’s a catalyst for growth. This highlights a larger shift in consumer psychology. The future of ecommerce isn’t just fast—it’s instantaneous.”
Kyleigh Fitzgerald
Director of Product Marketing at Liquid Web
When fast checkout leads to regret
Impulse buys feel good in the moment, but not every transaction leads to long-term satisfaction. As checkout speeds increase, so do feelings of buyer’s remorse, especially among younger consumers.
A majority of shoppers (85%) said they’ve had buyer’s remorse due to an impulsive online purchase, with iPhone and Android users about equally affected (86% and 85%, respectively).
For Gen Z, the most common regrets came from buying things they didn’t need (66%), overspending (62%), or making an emotional purchase (32%).
Yet, the story isn’t all negative.
Even with occasional regrets, 76% of shoppers said they were satisfied with their most recent fast purchase. And while returns might seem like the logical next step, that’s often not the case – 84% of shoppers admitted they’ve avoided returning an item simply because the process was too complicated.
Checkout tech by the numbers
Despite the high usage of platforms like Shopify and Squarespace, only 1 in 4 ecommerce professionals feel their platforms handle advanced checkout well.
This gap represents a critical friction point and a competitive opportunity for businesses willing to optimize their tech stack.
Behind every seamless checkout is a platform doing the heavy lifting. We also surveyed ecommerce professionals to explore which platforms are delivering the best results when it comes to fast checkout capabilities.
Shopify was the most used platform among ecommerce professionals (62%), followed by Squarespace (41%). Wix, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce tied next at 21% each.
But when it came to platform capability, Magento stood out over all others, with 45% of its users saying their store supported advanced checkout features very well.
Overall, just over one-quarter of ecommerce professionals (26%) said their platform handled advanced checkout functionality very well, revealing a gap between adoption and execution across the industry.
Hosting infrastructure also plays a critical role in checkout performance. A high-performance ecommerce hosting solution can help reduce load times during peak traffic, enable faster transactions, and improve the overall customer experience.
Choosing a platform supported by optimized, scalable ecommerce hosting ensures that advanced checkout capabilities function smoothly at the most important step of the buyer’s journey.
The business payoff of fast checkout
Fast checkout delights customers, but it also delivers tangible results for ecommerce teams. From increased order values to stronger retention rates, checkout speed is a competitive differentiator.
After ecommerce professionals implemented fast checkout:
- 71% experienced better customer retention.
- 53% saw higher average order values.
- 46% reported improved conversion rates (with an average increase of 33%).
Sites using Shop Pay (69%) and PayPal One Touch (68%) were the most likely to report increases in average order value, followed by Google Pay (61%).
Despite strong performance metrics, many businesses have yet to align their marketing efforts. Only 36% said they currently promote fast or one-click purchases. Another 27% were planning to implement such strategies, while 37% had no plans in place.
From a technical standpoint, implementing fast checkout hasn’t been without friction. Integration bugs (43%) were the most common checkout issue, followed by customer confusion (38%), platform limitations (28%), and a lack of developer support (22%).
Some platforms also saw higher return rates after implementing fast checkout, with BigCommerce (57%) reporting it the most often.
“For ecommerce brands, the message is clear: streamline your path to purchase or risk being left behind.”
Kyleigh Fitzgerald
Director of Product Marketing at Liquid Web
Conclusion: From tap to transaction
Fast buying is reshaping ecommerce, creating new challenges and opportunities for developers, decision-makers, and infrastructure teams. As shoppers expect faster, frictionless experiences, checkout speed is becoming a critical performance metric.
Teams that prioritize seamless integration, clear UX, and platform compatibility are better positioned to increase conversions, reduce churn, and meet rising customer expectations without sacrificing control.
This is especially true during peak traffic seasons, such as Black Friday, when slow or unstable checkout experiences can quickly lead to lost revenue and long-term customer dissatisfaction.
Fast buying is no longer a trend; it’s the new baseline. The next era of ecommerce will be won by brands that make speed their strategy, not just a feature.
“Brands must prioritize infrastructure that supports fast, flexible checkout. At Liquid Web, we’re committed to helping our customers deploy the performance, reliability, and tech agility needed to fully capitalize on the next era of ecommerce.”
Kyleigh Fitzgerald
Director of Product Marketing at Liquid Web
Fair use statement
This content is based on proprietary research conducted by Liquid Web and is shared here under fair use for educational and informational purposes. If you reference any part of this article, please provide proper attribution with a link back to the study so your readers can see the findings in their entirety.
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