Direct Checkout WooCommerce is one of the easiest ways to speed up purchases and boost sales in your online store. By skipping the cart page, you can send customers straight to checkout, reducing friction and increasing conversions. If you’re running a WooCommerce store in 2025, optimizing your checkout flow with direct checkout can be a game changer.

Direct Checkout solves that problem. Skip cart page in WooCommerce entirely, sending customers straight to checkout after they click the “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” button.

In this comprehensive 2025 guide, you’ll learn:

• What Direct Checkout is and how it works
• The benefits and drawbacks of skipping the cart page
• Three different methods to enable it (settings, plugins, custom code)
• How to enhance the checkout experience for even higher conversions
• Troubleshooting common issues

Let’s dive in.

1. Why Direct Checkout Matters for WooCommerce Stores

E-commerce has become fiercely competitive. Customers are impatient—research shows that 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase. While there are many reasons for this, a complicated checkout process is one of the top culprits.

The traditional WooCommerce checkout flow looks like this:

1. Customer browses your store
2. Adds product to cart
3. Visits cart page
4. Clicks “Proceed to checkout”
5. Fills in checkout form
6. Pays for the order

That’s six steps before the sale is complete. Every extra step is an opportunity for the customer to leave.

By skipping the cart page, you reduce the number of clicks and page loads, making it more likely that customers will follow through.

2. Understanding Direct Checkout in WooCommerce

2.1 What is Direct Checkout?

Direct Checkout is a process where customers are redirected straight to the checkout page after adding a product to their cart. It eliminates the intermediate cart page, creating a faster purchase flow.

Normal flow: Product Page → Cart Page → Checkout Page → Payment
Direct Checkout flow: Product Page → Checkout Page → Payment

2.2 Direct Checkout vs. One-Click Checkout in WooCommerce

• Direct Checkout skips the cart page but still requires the customer to fill out the checkout form unless their details are pre-filled.
• One-Click Checkout skips both the cart page and most of the checkout form—if a returning customer’s payment and shipping details are saved, the order is completed instantly with a single click.

Example:

• Amazon’s “Buy Now” button is closer to One-Click Checkout.
• A simple redirect to the checkout page is Direct Checkout.

2.3 Benefits of Direct Checkout

1. Faster Purchase Flow – Ideal for impulse buys.
2. Reduced Cart Abandonment – Fewer opportunities for distractions.
3. Better Mobile Experience – Less navigation and fewer clicks.
4. Increased Conversions – Studies show each removed step can improve conversion rates by 10–20%.
5. Perfect for Single-Product Stores – If you sell one main product, the cart page is often unnecessary.
6. SEO & Marketing Benefits of Direct Checkout –
   • While Direct Checkout doesn’t directly impact SEO rankings, it improves user behavior signals like bounce rate and time on site—both of which influence rankings indirectly.
7. For marketing –
   • Combine Direct Checkout with PPC ads for high-intent buyers.
   • Use dedicated landing pages with Buy Now buttons for faster conversions.

2.4 When NOT to Use Direct Checkout

Direct Checkout isn’t for everyone. You might want to keep the cart page if:

• Customers often purchase multiple items at once.
• Products require customization or configuration.
• Your store heavily relies on upselling during the cart stage.

3. Method 1 – Enable Direct Checkout in WooCommerce using Built-In Settings

WooCommerce actually includes a basic Direct Checkout feature—no plugin required.

Steps:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Go to WooCommerce → Settings.
3. Click on the Products tab.
4. Scroll down to Add to cart behaviour.
5. Check the box for Redirect to the checkout page after successful addition.
6. Save your changes.

Now, whenever someone adds an item to their cart, they’ll be taken directly to the checkout page.

4. Method 2 – Using a WooCommerce Direct Checkout Plugin

If you want more flexibility, customization, and features like a Buy Now button or true One-Click Checkout, you’ll need a plugin.

4.1 Why Use a Plugin?

• Customize the button text and placement.
• Enable one-click checkout for returning customers.
• Skip checkout form entirely when details are stored.
• Add Direct Checkout to multiple product types.

4.2 Best WooCommerce Direct Checkout Plugins in 2025

4.3 Example – Setting Up Direct Checkout with Quicker Plugin

Step 1: Install & Activate the Plugin

• Install and activate the Quicker plugin from WordPress.org.
• Go to Plugins → Add New.
• Search for Quicker – One-Click Checkout.
• Click Install Now, then Activate.

Step 2: Configure Direct Checkout WooCommerce

• Go to Quicker → Settings → Products → Direct Checkout
• Configure Direct Checkout Options
• From the “Direct Checkout from Archive and Shop Page” dropdown, select one of the following options:
  • No: Maintains default WooCommerce cart behavior
  • Checkout Page: Skips cart and redirects directly to checkout
  • Custom URL: Redirects to a custom URL you define
• If you selected “Custom URL”:
  Locate the field: “Replace the cart URL with a custom URL”
  Enter your destination URL
  Example: https://yourstore.com/express-checkout/
  

Step 3: Customize button text if needed. (Optional)

To update the button appearance:

• Navigate to: WordPress Admin → Quicker → Settings → Products → Add Cart Button
• Change the button label to reflect the direct checkout functionality:
  • Buy Now
  • Instant Checkout
  • Go to Payment
  • Quick Purchase

Frontend Experience:

• Customers see a Buy Now button directly on product and shop pages.
• The checkout flow feels smooth and distraction-free, improving conversions.
• Mobile users benefit from quick, one-tap checkout without extra steps.

5. Method 3 – Custom Code Approach

If you’re comfortable editing PHP files, you can implement Direct Checkout WooCommerce without plugins.

Step 1: Open your theme’s functions.php file.

Step 2: Add the following code:

add_filter('woocommerce_add_to_cart_redirect', 'custom_skip_cart_redirect');
function custom_skip_cart_redirect() {
    return wc_get_checkout_url();
}

Step 3: Save and test your site.

Pros:

• No extra plugins.
• Very lightweight.

Cons:

• Requires coding knowledge.
• No additional features like Buy Now buttons.

6. Enhancing the Direct Checkout WooCommerce Experience

Enabling Direct Checkout is a great start and skip cart page in WooCommerce, but you can take it further for maximum conversions.

6.1 Add a “Buy Now” Button

Instead of relying on the Add to Cart button, a Buy Now button can trigger instant checkout. Many plugins allow this, but it can also be added manually with code.

6.2 Optimize Checkout for Mobile

• Use larger buttons and input fields.
• Remove unnecessary form fields.
• Enable autofill for address and payment.

6.3 Improve Page Speed

Direct Checkout works best when your site loads fast. Use caching plugins like LiteSpeed Cache or WP Rocket, and optimize images.

6.4 Offer Guest Checkout

Requiring customers to create an account slows things down. Enable guest checkout in WooCommerce settings.

7. Testing Your Direct Checkout Setup

Testing ensures your checkout flow works across devices and payment methods.

Checklist:

• Add to cart → direct redirection to checkout.
• Payment processing works with all gateways.
• Mobile navigation is smooth.
• No unnecessary refresh or reload issues.

8. Common Issues and Fixes

8.1 How can I check if another plugin is preventing redirection from working?

• If redirection doesn’t work, try disabling other plugins one by one to identify the conflict. Once you find the conflicting plugin, you can either adjust its settings or contact support for assistance.

8.2 Will Direct Checkout affect coupon codes or discounts?

• No, customers can still apply coupon codes and discounts directly on the checkout page.

8.3 Can I enable Direct Checkout for specific products only?

• Yes, you can choose whether to apply Direct Checkout sitewide or only on selected products.

8.4 Can I customize the Direct Checkout button?

• Yes, you can rename, style, or place the button on product and shop pages to match your store’s design.

9. Final Thoughts – Should You Use Direct Checkout in 2025?

Direct Checkout can be a game changer for WooCommerce stores—especially if you sell single products or want to speed up the buying process.

• Best for: impulse purchases, single-product stores, mobile shoppers.
• Not ideal for: bulk orders or complex products requiring customization.

If your store fits the right profile, enabling Direct Checkout could help you reduce cart abandonment and boost conversions significantly in 2025.