Store Zip Code from Shipping Calculator

Usability Low Priority 6% Adoption 4 Seconds Saved

The easiest way to irritate your customers and increase friction is to ask them the same question multiple times. If they enter a ZIP into a shipping or tax estimator, keep that ZIP.

One of the top Usability Commandments is “Thou shall not repeat questions.”

Many checkouts include some form of shipping calculator – or possibly a tax calculator – designed to give a user an idea of how much they’ll pay in shipping or taxes before they reach the end of the checkout. This number is pulled from their ZIP code in a separate field early in the checkout process, or even on the cart page.

Of course, a ZIP is also needed when entering a shipping address. If a user entered their ZIP in a calculator, don’t ask them for it again in the checkout – carry it over.

Don't make users enter the same thing again on the next page.

Usage

Implementing this feature is simple and straightforward. If your site has a shipping calculator, carry the ZIP to the checkout.

Some sites may instead implement a tax calculator, or depending on the product, a local store locator - if ordering pizza for example. If it is a tax calculator, follow the same procedure as if it was a shipping calculator.

If a store selector is used, however, carying over the ZIP is risky since the store might not be in the same area code as the user.