Guest Checkout or Customer Accounts?
By CodexierPublished 5 min read
Every webshop owner wants customer accounts: repeat purchases, order history, a list to market to. Every first-time customer wants to pay and leave. Forcing an account before payment puts those two wishes in conflict at the worst possible moment. This guide explains the mechanism behind lost orders, what accounts are really worth, and how to get them without making them a toll gate.
Why forced accounts lose orders
The mechanism is simple. A registration step adds fields, a password decision and often an email verification between the customer and the payment. Each extra step is a moment to hesitate, get distracted or decide to buy elsewhere. It also signals commitment — newsletters, stored data — that a first-time buyer has not asked for. And customers who do register forget the password and hit a reset flow on their next visit, which adds friction again.
- Extra fields and password rules before payment
- Uncertainty about what the shop will do with the account and data
- Email verification that sends the customer out of the checkout
- Forgotten passwords on the second purchase
- Mobile keyboards making every extra field slower
What accounts give the shop
Accounts are still valuable, just not at the price of the first order. They let customers see order history and track deliveries, handle returns themselves, save addresses and reorder quickly. For the shop they connect purchases to a person, which improves segmentation and makes loyalty programmes possible. Note that you do not need an account to send marketing: that requires consent, which can be collected at checkout regardless of whether an account exists.
| Benefit | Needs an account? | Alternative without account |
|---|---|---|
| Order tracking | No | Tracking link in the confirmation email |
| Self-service returns | No | Return portal looked up by order number and email |
| Faster repeat checkout | Helpful | Payment provider remembers the customer |
| Newsletter | No | Separate consent checkbox at checkout |
| Loyalty points and member prices | Yes | — |
Creating the account after purchase
The best-performing pattern is to ask after payment. On the confirmation page, offer one click: ”Save your details for next time — just choose a password.” Name, address and email are already known. Alternatively, send a link in the confirmation email. Both Shopify and WooCommerce support this approach, and Shopify's newer customer accounts avoid passwords entirely by using one-time codes sent by email.
Make sure the offer is honest about what the customer gets — order history, faster checkout, easy returns — and keep marketing consent separate. Pre-ticked boxes do not count as consent under GDPR.
Passwordless and BankID logins
Passwords are the weakest part of customer accounts, both for conversion and security. One-time codes by email or SMS remove the forgotten-password problem. BankID gives strong identification that Swedish customers trust, but it is usually overkill for a regular consumer shop and adds cost per login. It makes sense where identity really matters: age-restricted products, high-value orders, B2B portals or shops where customers handle sensitive data.
One-time code by email
Simple, cheap and familiar. Good default for most consumer shops.
Social login
Fast for some customers, but adds a third-party dependency and privacy questions.
BankID
Strong identification. Worth it for age checks, high values and B2B, rarely for everyday retail.
B2B exceptions
In B2B the logic reverses. When prices are customer-specific, when buyers pay on invoice with credit terms, or when some products are only available to approved customers, login is a requirement, not friction. The work then goes into making login smooth: several users per company, roles for buyer and approver, and saved order lists. Our guide to B2B webshop features covers this.
When not to change anything: if your shop already offers guest checkout and account creation after purchase, the account question is solved and your conversion work belongs elsewhere — shipping costs, payment options or product pages. Our checkout friction checklist helps you find where.
Next step
Go through your own checkout on a phone as a new customer and count the steps before payment. If an account is required, making it optional is usually a small change with a direct effect. For a full review, see our checkout optimisation service or book a short call.
Frequently asked questions
Should I remove customer accounts entirely?
No. Keep them optional and offer them after purchase. Returning customers who want order history and faster checkout will create one; first-time buyers are not blocked.
Can I still send newsletters to guest customers?
Yes, if they gave consent through a separate, unticked checkbox. Marketing consent does not depend on having an account.
Is BankID login worth it for my webshop?
Usually not for everyday consumer products. It is worth considering for age-restricted goods, high-value orders and B2B portals where identity matters.
How do guest customers handle returns?
Through a return portal where they look up the order by order number and email, or through a link in the confirmation email. No account is needed.
Losing orders in the checkout?
Fifteen minutes: we go through your checkout with you and point out the steps that cost orders — accounts, fields, shipping or payment.
Book a free 15-minute call