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Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience
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Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience

By: Moneris Team
January 14, 2026 clock Calculating time...
Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience hero


January is the best time to review how your checkout performed during busy periods. With business slowing down, it’s easier to understand which parts worked well, which took longer or required more coordination and where small changes could make transactions even easier.

It’s one of the few months of the year when switching this up doesn’t affect the flow of your business. January gives you room to review your checkout experience, refine how you handle payments and make thoughtful improvements before activity picks up again.

Best of all, it’s a practical process you can approach step by step. Here are some tips to help you use the post-holiday season to prepare for the months ahead.

Review checkout performance after the holidays

It’s best to review how your checkout performs during busy periods rather than relying on memory. Look back at times when volume was higher, and use checkout reporting and insights to understand how transactions moved from start to finish. Pay attention to where staff spent more time than expected and where extra coordination helped keep things on track.

Next, walk through checkout step by step. Do it once as a customer and once as someone handling payments. Notice how many steps are involved, how clearly each step flows into the next and where staff pause or switch tasks. This kind of walkthrough often brings small details to the surface that are easy to miss during the day.

January makes it easier to do this review well. With fewer interruptions, you have time to look at notes, talk with staff and compare how checkout performs at different times or across channels. The goal isn’t to critique what happened. It’s to get a clear picture of what works so you can decide where small changes will make the biggest difference.

Identify which checkout improvements matter most

Once you’ve reviewed how checkout performs, the next step is deciding where to focus your attention. You don’t need to overhaul everything at once—a small number of well-chosen improvements usually deliver more value than broad updates. Here’s how to narrow down what matters most.

  1. High-use steps: Start by identifying the steps that appear in nearly every transaction. Focus on areas where customers and staff interact repeatedly throughout the day. Improving these steps supports consistency across most payments.
  2. Staff interaction points: Look for moments where staff regularly assist or guide customers at checkout. These touchpoints often shape how efficient the process feels in practice. Refining them can reduce extra back-and-forth during transactions.
  3. Payment acceptance flow: Review how different payment methods move through checkout. Pay attention to whether the steps feel consistent across cards and mobile wallets. Small adjustments here can make daily processing easier to manage.
  4. Checkout handoffs: Notice where tasks move between people or systems during checkout. These transitions often require extra coordination to keep things moving. Clarifying ownership at each step helps the process feel more straightforward.
  5. In-store and online alignment: Compare how checkout works across physical and digital channels. Look for differences that require staff or customers to adjust their behaviour. Aligning these experiences can simplify training and daily operations.

Staff familiarity: Consider how comfortable staff feel with the current checkout setup. Areas that require frequent reminders or explanations are worth reviewing. Improving clarity here supports smoother day-to-day use.

Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience in blog 1


Use January to refine checkout processes

January is a practical time to make small, focused updates to how checkout runs day to day. With more breathing room, you can test ideas gradually, keeping the work manageable. Here are a few areas to focus on.

Review current checkout workflows

Start by walking through your checkout from beginning to end. Think of it like a flow you’d show a new team member. Start with how a customer enters the line or cart, move through each payment step and finish with how the transaction settles. This gives you a direct, hands-on view of your current processes and where they could be more intuitive.

Next, use tools with good reporting features. Solutions designed for small businesses can help you easily compare how checkout performs over time and across channels so you can make informed refinements and adjust with confidence.

Finally, talk with your team about what they notice most often and keep track of recurring patterns so you can refine with intention.

Make small process adjustments

Once you’ve reviewed your checkout workflows, focus on small changes that are easy to test and reverse. Look for steps that can be simplified, reordered or clarified without changing how checkout works overall. Small adjustments are often enough to improve how transactions flow day to day.

January gives you room to try these one at a time. You can switch up one part of the process, see how it feels and make modifications as appropriate before moving on. This helps you keep the work manageable and avoids unnecessary disruption.

Keep track of what you change and why. Writing things down helps you stay intentional and makes it easier to decide which adjustments are worth keeping as part of your regular checkout process.

Support staff through updates

As you refine checkout processes, make sure your staff understands what’s changing and why. Even small updates are easier to adopt when everyone knows what’s happening. Clear communication helps maintain consistent daily routines.

Take time to walk through new processes together rather than relying on written notes alone. Short conversations at the counter or during slower periods often work better than formal training sessions. Remember, your staff is your most valuable asset—and these moments give them a chance to share highly valuable feedback in real time.

Pay attention to how updates feel in practice. If something causes confusion or slows things down, adjust it early. Supporting staff while you make improvements helps refinements settle in naturally.

Observe and refine over time

After making updates, give yourself time to observe how checkout runs afterwards. Watch how transactions move throughout the day and note where new processes feel clearer and steadier. Patterns tend to emerge once changes are in place.

Use what you see to guide your next moves. Some updates may work well right away, while others benefit from small tweaks. January allows you to adjust at a comfortable pace without rushing decisions.

Treat this as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. Small, thoughtful modifications made over time can add up to a checkout experience that supports daily operations more effectively.

Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience in blog 2


Prepare payment systems for future demand

After reviewing how things run today and making refinements, the next step is making sure your setup can support what comes next without requiring constant attention. That means thinking beyond individual tools and looking at how everything fits together as volume increases and expectations evolve.

One way to support future demand is to adopt a unified commerce system that aligns your in-store and online sales and helps you grow steadily. Syncing sales, reporting and customer in a single environment makes it easier to stay organized as activity increases. It also gives you a clearer view of performance without juggling multiple systems.

Preparing in advance reduces the need for reactive decisions later. With the right foundation in place, you can focus on running your business knowing your payment systems are ready to support what’s ahead.

Improve your checkout experience with Moneris

January gives you the clarity and time to act on what you’ve reviewed and refined. At this point, the goal isn’t to rethink how your business runs. It’s to support the improvements you’ve already identified, with systems built to handle everyday activity and whatever comes next.

This is where having the right partner matters. A single, reliable platform helps keep payments, reporting and daily operations working together instead of pulling your attention in different directions. It also makes it easier to maintain consistency as volume grows or buying habits shift.

Working with Moneris gives you the tools and 24/7 live support to put those January improvements into place with confidence. With a setup designed for real businesses and real workflows, you can focus less on managing payments and more on running your business the way you want throughout the year.

Why January Is the Right Time to Improve Your Checkout Experience in blog 3

FAQs

Key takeaways

  1. Review how your checkout process performed during the holidays to identify areas for improvement now.
  2. Focus on checkout changes that reduce wait times and make payments easier for customers and staff.
  3. Use January’s slower pace to refine checkout processes without disrupting regular operations.
  4. Strengthen payment systems to support faster transactions and more consistent performance throughout the year.
  5. Prepare your checkout experience to handle future increases in customer demand with confidence.

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Moneris Team

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Moneris is a leading provider of payment processing solutions in Canada. Our blog is your go-to resource for insights into the ever-evolving world of payments. We cover everything from the latest industry trends and technologies to practical advice for businesses of all sizes. Our blog's mission is to spotlight small businesses and provide resources that help them succeed in today's economy. Blog articles are written by members of Moneris' in-house marketing team with support from internal product and industry experts.

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