Preventing eCommerce Cart Abandonment
We’ve all added items to our online shopping carts and eventually left without purchasing. As shoppers, we don’t think much of it, but as a retailer, this can be incredibly frustrating. Why do people abandon carts? And what can eCommerce retailers do to reduce abandoned carts and recover sales?
Online retailers have reported cart abandonment rates of up to 85% depending on the shopper’s device. Abandonment rates can vary depending on whether the shopper uses a desktop, tablet, or mobile device.
Why do shoppers abandon carts?
There are many different reasons why someone might abandon their online shopping cart. While a big reason for many shoppers is that they were “just browsing” or “not ready to buy”, there are many more tangible reasons that eCommerce retailers can try to tackle.
1. Unexpected shipping costs & fees
Reduced or free shipping is a huge incentive for shoppers to make a purchase. Furthermore, a quick shipping timeline can seal the deal. Unexpected or unknown shipping costs when it comes time to checkout can be off putting for shoppers and cause them to leave their carts altogether.
2. No guest checkout option
eCommerce sites will often ask shoppers to create an account in order to complete a purchase. This can be burdensome for some shoppers who maybe don’t want to receive promotional emails in the future or just want to make a one time purchase at your store.
3. Complicated checkout process
The checkout process is where shoppers are likely to abandon their carts, so having a seamless checkout experience can help customers easily finish the shopping process. A lack of guest checkout option can be part of checkout annoyances, but any part of the process that doesn’t function seamlessly can add to this.
4. Limited payment options
Customers like to have options. It’s frustrating when a shopper’s preferred payment type isn’t offered and overall makes the checkout process less seamless, thus making it more likely for a shopper to abandon their cart.
5. Website experience
Having a poor website experience can deter shoppers from even getting to the checkout step. Optimizing experience begins far before the shopper reaches checkout, and a seamless shopping experience from start to finish is crucial.
6. Mobile optimization
Mobile shoppers are most likely to abandon their carts. Additionally, shoppers will often start a cart on desktop and finish their shopping and checkout on mobile. An easy mobile shopping experience is important to secure these customers, and to make the overall shopping experience enjoyable in general.
Preventing cart abandonment
So how can we prevent shoppers from abandoning their carts in the first place?
1. Offer free or reduced shipping
This one is pretty self explanatory, but very powerful. Unexpected and/or high shipping costs can prevent customers from completing purchases. Offering free or reduced shipping is a huge incentive for customers to make a timely checkout.
2. Provide multiple payment options
Customers like to have freedom of choice, especially when it comes to payment options. Offer a variety of card options in addition to options like Paypal or Venmo. Many eCommerce websites now offer options like Afterpay so shoppers can pay off their purchase in interest-free installments.
3. Secure payment assurance
Many shoppers can be deterred from providing detailed payment and personal information on a site that doesn’t explicitly state some sort of transaction assurance. Simply adding the logo of the security your website uses, like McAfee Secured or Norton Secure can build trust with customers and eliminate any anxieties when filling out atransaction form.
4. Offer guest checkout
As discussed, shoppers often do not want to create an account for a shop they might only want to purchase at once, or just do not want an extra step in the checkout process. Offering guest checkout both tackles this issue and in general makes the checkout process easier and quicker.
5. Checkout progress bar
A checkout progress bar is an easy way to help shoppers visualize the checkout process and can make the process seem less daunting and lengthy. As a shopper, it’s nice to see the steps you have left to complete and overall makes the checkout process easier.
6. Easy transition from shopping to checkout
An easy transition from shopping to checkout adds to website seamlessness and ease of checkout. Adding multiple places for shoppers to immediately get to their carts speeds up the entire shopping/checkout process. Checkout options can be offered after someone adds an item to their cart, and when a shopper goes to quick view their cart. This takes them directly to the next step in checkout. It’s all about making the process as easy and enjoyable as possible for the customer.
eCommerce cart abandonment can be extremely frustrating as a retailer. With these best practices and tips, you can prevent cart abandonment and prevent lost sales! You might be wondering, how can I recover abandoned carts after the shopper leaves? We have some tips for that too.
