5 Top Tips to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment
Shopping cart abandonment is a major headache for all e-commerce site owners. In fact, Experian have calculated that over £1bn worth of shopping transactions were abandoned by UK consumers in 2011.
So what steps can be taken in this on-going battle to reduce abandonments?
Keep it Simple
Optimise your checkout process so it’s simple to navigate. Ensure all instructions are easy to follow and your customers are left with no doubt what to do next. Equally, make sure the pages are clear and limit eye catching images or links that could distract your customers from completing the transaction.
Don’t Require Registration
Research shows almost a quarter of shoppers will exit the checkout process when presented with registration requirements. Consider removing any registration forms, so your visitors can purchase without creating an account or signing up.
Be Clear about Delivery
Research indicates that almost one in four online shoppers have abandoned their cart because a delivery date wasn’t provided. While 57% of shoppers said they have started the checkout process to find out more about delivery charges, with no intention of buying. These hurdles are easily over come by including dispatch information and delivery charges during the product selection process.
Welcome Customers Back
One of the most common reasons for cart abandonment is that visitors are simply not ready to commit to purchase. Make it easy for shoppers to return at a later date and complete their purchase by storing the contents of their cart, ready for their next visit. Why not be positive? If you’ve gained an email address from the prospective purchaser; consider sending them an email with a discount code or other incentive to continue with their purchase.
Communicate
Purchase anxiety is real and must be anticipated and alleviated. Placing a Live Chat button on your checkout pages gives visitors the option to have their concerns addressed in real-time by your knowledgeable sales staff. Statistics have shown that three quarters of website visitors are willing to chat before abandoning a shopping cart. You can even be proactive, and present an invitation asking your visitor to chat when a credit card payment fails or an error occurs. For more information on this type of technology, and how it can be implemented on your website, check out more information right here on our site.
