In e-commerce, friction in the purchasing process appears as soon as an interested customer encounters a blocking point. This obstacle can be rational, such as a shipping cost discovered too late, or emotional, such as doubt about the trustworthiness of the store. It can also be technical: a barely visible button, a slow page, a payment error, a form that is too long, or confusing navigation.

Friction does not always mean the customer abandons immediately. It can create hesitation, postpone the purchase, or push the visitor to compare elsewhere. The more small irritants the journey accumulates, the more the probability of conversion decreases. An incomplete product sheet, followed by an unclear cart and then a complex checkout, is sometimes enough to lose a customer who was nevertheless motivated.

A distinction must be made between unnecessary friction and necessary friction. Requesting a shipping address is essential; asking for too much information without justification is not. Displaying return policies is reassuring; hiding them until the end of the journey creates doubt. The objective is therefore not to eliminate every step, but to make each step understandable and justified.