Jennifer Eager

Everyone Should Know These 6 Tips to Avoid Cart Abandonment One of the most common problems in the world of eCommerce is cart abandonment; that is, a customer has browsed your site, even placed items into their shopping cart--and then, mysteriously, clicks away before the crucial checkout moment. However, there are ways to avoid this problem. What can you do to ensure that customers actually purchase your products? 1. Keep it Simple Your site should be visually appealing, clear and concise. The more steps the customer has to go through, the more likely they will be to abandon the cart and go elsewhere. If you ask for a lot of personal information, your website is clunky and slow, and there are too many forms to click through, your customers will get frustrated. Slowing down the process is not your friend, so only ask for information you actually need. 2. Customer Accounts Simplify the Process If your customers can register for an account that will make checkout fast and easy the next time they shop, they can usually see the benefit to spending a little time now. If you offer an incentive to register, such as free shipping or a discount on their purchase, most will eagerly fill out the form. Amazon is a great example of a site that allows registered accounts to make "one click purchases," which lets the buyer know their package will be ordered in a matter of seconds. 3. Joint Sessions Across Different Devices Does your site allow a customer to pick up their shopping where they left off? Be willing to see things from your customers' point of view. Some people will only make purchases from their desktop, but browse on their phone. Sometimes life gets in the way and they have to end a shopping session, but will come back later on another device. Imagine the frustration of having to begin all over--but if the cart they had on their phone contains the same items on their iPad, it increases your chance of a sale. 4. Safety Concerns are Real In the world of eCommerce, customers have real fears of data breaches and identity theft. Making your site secure is one of the best things you can do to make sure customers feel safe shopping with you. A third party security seal shows consumers that your site uses secure payment methods and that you are a verified business that is interested in your customers' privacy and security. PayPal, Google, MasterCard and Visa have trust seals, as do Norton, McAfee and Trustwave. A link on your site to detailed information about consumer safety also goes a long way. 5. More Payment Options Having a range of payment options can only help your business. Accepting all major credit cards, PayPal and e-wallets, such as Google Pay, increase customer satisfaction. You can also consider a "try before you buy" option. As eCommerce grows, customers enjoy trying things on in the comfort of their home rather than braving the dressing room. They may order multiple colors and sizes to see which choice is best, but if they must pay for the merchandise and wait till a return is processed to get it back, some will go elsewhere. Third Love is a lingerie company made famous by the fact that you can order a box and send back anything that doesn't fit before payment is processed, and Amazon makes returns hassle free, refunding your card upon scanning at the post office. These companies gain loyal customers because of their consideration for finances. 6. Add a Progress Indicator to Checkout If you've ever shopped on a site where the checkout process is tortuously long, you might see why a progress indicator could be the difference between completing the purchase and deciding it isn't worth the trouble. This is as simple as a graphic at the bottom showing the customer where they are in the buying process: think Shipping----> Payment----> Review & Place Order. It eliminates any question of how many forms he actually must fill out before being able to get on with the rest of his day, making him more willing to stay the course of the order. In the ideal eCommerce world, customers will browse, place products in their cart and check out, all during a certain span of time. Cart abandonment is frustrating to the business owner that needs each and every sale to be successful. If you follow all the tips above, you will see completed sales increase and cart abandonment will become a less frequent event in your store.