The average shopping cart abandonment rate is a staggering 67% (based on a study averaging results from providers such as Comscore, Forrester Research, Coremetrics and MarketingSherpa). This means that even after e-tailers have battled the competition to get customers to their site and effectively marketed their products to get customers to “add to cart”, the biggest challenge lies in actually converting visitors at this last stage of the purchase process. Even a well designed site can suffer from high rates of shopping cart abandonment, if the right tactics are not in place. Here, we take a look at they “why” factor and provide some great tips for how to overcome this nasty e-commerce issue. To better understand shopping cart abandonment, we first need to look at the cause. There are a number of reasons that customers could leave the cart without making a purchase.- Shipping too high – Try to offer multiple shipping options, if possible. Many times, customers will feel better about making a purchase when they have the option to choose their preference (e.g. ground, 2-3 day, overnight). If free or discounted shipping is an option, offer it to customers who purchase above a certain dollar amount.
- Shipping costs a “surprise” – Call it sticker shock, but customers actually feel better when shipping costs are listed earlier in the buying process. If you wait until the last minute to inform them, it could cost you the sale.
- Not interested in registering – If you are looking to collect customer information during the check-out process, that’s a good thing for re-marketing, but you have to get the sale first. Many customers like to have the option to “proceed as guest” as opposed to committing to receive additional communications.
- Not enough payment options – The bottom line is: customers like options, especially when it comes to submitting payment. Some sites address this concern by offering options like Paypal, e-check or “Bill Me Later” for added customer convenience.
- Not enough security/trust in the site – In order for any customer to provide their personal and payment information, they have to trust the site they are on. Adding elements like e-verify and BBB seals can help customers feel at ease. Also, make sure your T&Cs are up-to-date, and provide an additional level of reassurance by letting customers know they you don’t sell or share their information.
- The desire to shop around – With most customers browsing before they buy, and platforms like Google offering sort by lowest to highest price, cost is a huge purchase factor. If your business happens to hang it’s hat on the lowest priced products in the industry, then be sure that’s clearly conveyed to customers in your product description/price.
- The ability to wait for a sale – Many large e-tailers offer email promotions and seasonal sales, so if the purchase isn’t a rush, customers will often opt to come back when the item is cheaper. You can increase the likelihood of a sale by marketing to customers with personalized campaigns for their birthday or frequent customer appreciation programs.
Additional tips for creating the best shopping cart checkout process:
- Use an indicator toolbar. Customers appreciate seeing where they are in the checkout process and how much more they have to do.
- Offer a save option. Anytime you can save your customer’s time is a good thing. Provide the option for users to save their cart and come back later. Not only will you be able to collect their information, but more importantly, you increase the chance of them completing the transaction.
- Communicate your return policy clearly. Include all the information that customer’s need to know about returns, exchanges, shipping and customer service. An FAQ section can also be helpful.
- Offer an incentive. Some e-commerce stores have found success in marketing to would-be customers as they are about to leave or have just left the shopping cart with pop-up promotions, or email reminders.
Whatever type of product you are selling, shopping cart abandonment is bound to occur, but by implementing the best practices above, and by understanding your customers’ behavior as much as possible, your store has a better chance of converting browsers to buyers, and bringing back those that just left.