Checkout Optimization & Dynamic Logistics Engine
Recovering lost revenue by removing checkout friction and fixing delivery ETAs in the volatile Lagos market.
MovamFast, a fast-moving consumer goods e-commerce platform in Lagos, was losing significant revenue at the bottom of the funnel. A mandatory account-creation and email-verification wall sat between high-intent shoppers and payment, while static distance-based delivery estimates routinely missed the reality of Lagos traffic. The brief: diagnose the friction with data and design a technically feasible, operationally sound fix within six months.
Two compounding problems drove churn. First, checkout forced users off-platform to verify an email before they had transacted — catastrophic for the mobile-first majority who lose their browser session when switching apps, and a hard ask in a market where ~70% of shoppers historically preferred Pay on Delivery. Second, delivery ETAs were calculated from static distance, ignoring that a 10km trip can take 20 minutes or 3 hours depending on the corridor and time of day. Consistently missed windows eroded the trust digital commerce depends on.
How it came together
Foundation & Discovery
Installed product analytics (Mixpanel) to visualise checkout drop-off, selected Maps and address-verification API vendors, and aligned Ops, Tech, and Marketing on a shared definition of guest checkout.
Checkout Engineering
Re-architected the user database to support guest orders, built a single-page checkout with real-time validation, and replaced the email link with on-page SMS/WhatsApp OTP verification.
Logistics Intelligence
Integrated the Google Routes API for traffic-aware ETAs and configured a Safety Buffer algorithm tuned to Lagos rush-hour and corridor risk factors.
Operational Rollout & Pilot
Piloted the dynamic logistics logic in a single zone (Ikeja), comparing predicted vs. actual delivery times and tuning the buffer with real data.
Full Launch & Optimization
Measured pre/post-launch metrics, ran a 'Guaranteed On-Time Delivery' campaign, and optimised the post-purchase flow to convert guests into registered users.
What we shipped
- Guest-first checkout requiring only the data needed for fulfilment — account creation becomes an optional post-purchase step on the confirmation page.
- On-page OTP verification via SMS/WhatsApp with auto-fill, eliminating the off-platform email loop.
- Single-page progressive checkout with inline validation, Google Places address autocomplete, and mobile-optimised inputs.
- Dynamic ETA engine combining the Google Routes API with a Safety Buffer algorithm (traffic factor × travel time + prep + last-mile).
- Hub-and-spoke micro-fulfilment in key demand clusters to cut cross-town traffic exposure.
Results that mattered
of abandoned carts targeted for recovery
improvement in delivery-time accuracy
projected cart abandonment rate
checkout completion throughput
projected Net Promoter Score gain
potential gross revenue uplift
The friction in MovamFast's checkout was never just a UI issue — it was a strategic barrier to growth. Decoupling account creation from the transaction and respecting the real logistics constraints of Lagos through dynamic data turned the technology back toward serving the user, rather than the user serving the system.