diff --git a/app/_components/trade/order/forms/limit.client.tsx b/app/_components/trade/order/forms/limit.client.tsx
index 761389f..6a6bb74 100644
--- a/app/_components/trade/order/forms/limit.client.tsx
+++ b/app/_components/trade/order/forms/limit.client.tsx
@@ -477,8 +477,8 @@ const OrderLimitForm = () => {
 
       setIsSubmitting(true);
       toast({
-        title: "Placing order",
-        description: "Order is being placed, please do not close this page.",
+        title: "Step 1/3: Preparing account",
+        description: "Transferring funds to a new trading account...",
       });
 
       const { account: newTradingAccount } = await createZkAccountWithBalance({
@@ -540,6 +540,11 @@ const OrderLimitForm = () => {
             updatedAddress: updatedTradingAccountAddress,
           } = privateTxSingleResult.data;
 
+          toast({
+            title: "Step 1/3: Transfer broadcast",
+            description: "Waiting for on-chain confirmation...",
+          });
+
           const newZkAccount: ZkAccount = {
             scalar: updatedTradingAccountScalar,
             type: "Coin",
@@ -626,6 +631,11 @@ const OrderLimitForm = () => {
       const { newZkAccount } = queueResult;
       const leverageNum = parseInt(leverage || "1", 10);
 
+      toast({
+        title: "Step 2/3: Submitting order",
+        description: "Sending limit order to the relayer...",
+      });
+
       const { success, msg } = await createZkOrder({
         leverage: leverageNum,
         orderType: "LIMIT",
@@ -646,6 +656,11 @@ const OrderLimitForm = () => {
       if (!data.result || !data.result.id_key)
         throw "Error with creating limit order";
 
+      toast({
+        title: "Step 3/3: Confirming order",
+        description: "Waiting for order confirmation...",
+      });
+
       const transactionHashCondition = (
         txHashResult: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof queryTransactionHashes>>
       ) => {
@@ -670,7 +685,7 @@ const OrderLimitForm = () => {
         queryTransactionHashes,
         30,
         newZkAccount.address,
-        1000,
+        100,
         transactionHashCondition,
         transactionHashFailCondition
       );
diff --git a/app/_components/trade/order/forms/market.client.tsx b/app/_components/trade/order/forms/market.client.tsx
index 76ffb1e..611023e 100644
--- a/app/_components/trade/order/forms/market.client.tsx
+++ b/app/_components/trade/order/forms/market.client.tsx
@@ -439,8 +439,8 @@ const OrderMarketForm = () => {
       setIsSubmitting(true);
 
       toast({
-        title: "Placing order",
-        description: "Order is being placed, please do not close this page.",
+        title: "Step 1/3: Preparing account",
+        description: "Transferring funds to a new trading account...",
       });
 
       // Generate the new order account before entering the queue — this is
@@ -515,6 +515,11 @@ const OrderMarketForm = () => {
             updatedAddress: updatedTradingAccountAddress,
           } = privateTxSingleResult.data;
 
+          toast({
+            title: "Step 1/3: Transfer broadcast",
+            description: "Waiting for on-chain confirmation...",
+          });
+
           const newZkAccount: ZkAccount = {
             scalar: updatedTradingAccountScalar,
             type: "Coin",
@@ -605,6 +610,11 @@ const OrderMarketForm = () => {
 
       const { newZkAccount } = queueResult;
 
+      toast({
+        title: "Step 2/3: Submitting order",
+        description: "Sending trade order to the relayer...",
+      });
+
       const { success, msg } = await createZkOrder({
         leverage: leverageVal,
         orderType: "MARKET",
@@ -641,6 +651,11 @@ const OrderMarketForm = () => {
 
       console.log(data);
 
+      toast({
+        title: "Step 3/3: Confirming order",
+        description: "Waiting for order confirmation...",
+      });
+
       const transactionHashCondition = (
         txHashResult: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof queryTransactionHashes>>
       ) => {
@@ -672,7 +687,7 @@ const OrderMarketForm = () => {
         queryTransactionHashes,
         30,
         newZkAccount.address,
-        1000,
+        100,
         transactionHashCondition,
         transactionHashFailCondition
       );
diff --git a/lib/helpers.ts b/lib/helpers.ts
index 2025712..7d39a35 100644
--- a/lib/helpers.ts
+++ b/lib/helpers.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ type RetryErrorResponse = {
 
 const sleep = (delay: number) => new Promise((res) => setTimeout(res, delay));
 
+/** Calculate progressive delay: starts at `base`, grows by 1.2x per attempt, caps at `base * 10` */
+function progressiveDelay(base: number, attempt: number): number {
+  const scaled = base * Math.pow(1.2, attempt);
+  return Math.min(scaled, base * 10);
+}
+
 export async function retry<QueryReturn, QueryArgs = void>(
   query: (args: QueryArgs, ...rest: any[]) => QueryReturn,
   retries: number,
@@ -29,12 +35,10 @@ export async function retry<QueryReturn, QueryArgs = void>(
     try {
       tryCount += 1;
 
-      console.log(`retrying ${tryCount} / ${retries}`);
-
       const response = await query(args);
 
       if (!response) {
-        await sleep(delay);
+        await sleep(progressiveDelay(delay, tryCount));
         continue;
       }
 
@@ -58,7 +62,7 @@ export async function retry<QueryReturn, QueryArgs = void>(
         break;
       }
 
-      await sleep(delay);
+      await sleep(progressiveDelay(delay, tryCount));
       continue;
     } catch (err) {
       console.error("retry >> error", err);
diff --git a/lib/utils/waitForUtxoUpdate.ts b/lib/utils/waitForUtxoUpdate.ts
index 3cdf55d..369712f 100644
--- a/lib/utils/waitForUtxoUpdate.ts
+++ b/lib/utils/waitForUtxoUpdate.ts
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@ import { queryUtxoForAddress } from "@/lib/api/zkos";
 import { UtxoData } from "@/lib/types";
 
 const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT_MS = 60_000;
-const DEFAULT_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 1_000;
-/** Minimum wait before returning success. Relayer/chain UTXO availability ~5–6s. */
-const DEFAULT_MIN_WAIT_MS = 5_000;
+const DEFAULT_POLL_INTERVAL_MS = 200;
+/** Minimum wait before returning success. Relayer/chain UTXO availability ~2–6s. */
+const DEFAULT_MIN_WAIT_MS = 1_500;
 
 type WaitResult =
   | { success: true }
diff --git a/lib/zk/account.ts b/lib/zk/account.ts
index 7d6f390..7157af7 100644
--- a/lib/zk/account.ts
+++ b/lib/zk/account.ts
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ async function getCoinOutputFromUtxo(
     const outputResult = await retry<
       ReturnType<typeof queryUtxoForOutput>,
       string
-    >(queryUtxoForOutput, 30, utxoHex, 1000, (outputObj) =>
+    >(queryUtxoForOutput, 30, utxoHex, 100, (outputObj) =>
       Object.hasOwn(outputObj, "out_type")
     );
 
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ async function getUtxoFromAddress(
     const utxoDataResult = await retry<
       ReturnType<typeof queryUtxoForAddress>,
       string
-    >(queryUtxoForAddress, 30, address, 1000, (utxoObj) =>
+    >(queryUtxoForAddress, 30, address, 100, (utxoObj) =>
       Object.hasOwn(utxoObj, "output_index")
     );
 
diff --git a/lib/zk/trade.ts b/lib/zk/trade.ts
index 1fadc24..fa58df1 100644
--- a/lib/zk/trade.ts
+++ b/lib/zk/trade.ts
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ export async function settleOrder(
         queryTransactionHashes,
         30,
         trade.accountAddress,
-        1000,
+        100,
         transactionHashCondition
       );
 
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export async function settleOrder(
         queryTransactionHashes,
         30,
         trade.accountAddress,
-        1000,
+        100,
         transactionHashCondition,
         transactionHashFailCondition
       );
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ export async function settleOrderSltp(
         queryTransactionHashes,
         30,
         trade.accountAddress,
-        1000,
+        100,
         transactionHashCondition
       );