Abandoned Shopping Cart?
The reality of running an online business is that you work hard to get people to your site, then you work even harder to move them through the pages to purchase something. After tomorrow, Boxing Day in Canada means millions will be shopping online so entrepreneurs selling products online need to be as ready as possible in order to maximize sales and profit.
Unfortunately almost 70% of online shopping carts get “abandoned” when it comes time to check out. With a full basket of goodies, customers just leave. So how can you avoid the abandonment of online shopping carts? Here are some key snafus that cause customers to “walk away” from the checkout on a daily basis.
“10-14 business days to receive your product? No thanks!”
Businesses need to be clear on their shipping times, and offer options to deliver on an expedited basis — especially during the holidays. This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you were about to swipe your credit card at the grocery store, and the cashier said you’re not going to get your groceries for another week, you probably wouldn’t be very pleased.
“6 steps to checkout? Seriously?”
If you have to ask questions ask the questions post-purchase. That way the customer is satisfied with purchasing their items and will be more open to answering a few questions. You’re about to checkout and you get hit with a 2-page questionnaire. A few questions aren’t an issue, but 2 pages is intolerable.
“Why do I have to check my email before I buy this?”
Requiring an email-verification before accepting payment is just another reason to close the checkout page and go elsewhere. A person’s email inbox is full of distractions, including emails from your competitors. Don’t send them there while they’re in the middle of your checkout process!
“If I use my Mastercard, I have to pay extra? Forget it”
Your website should accept multiple forms of payment, and have clear notices about the ones you don’t accept as early as possible to avoid abandoning of the shopping cart at the finish. Many websites have limits to their payment options, but if your customer is in the final stage of the checkout process and then are told that the card they would like to use isn’t allowed without additional fees, they’ll abandon their cart and will also feel annoyed and frustrated, which will discourage them from returning to your site in the future as well. Not good!
If your online store is suffering from shopping cart abandonment, you should perform an assessment of your checkout process. With an improved checkout process, your business will have more time to focus its attention on the things that keep your customers coming back. Decrease complications and anything that may frustrate or cause a distraction to your customer. The best checkout processes are quick and painless.
Be sure to visit the Bullfrog Blog often for more tips on small business insurance, marketing, sales and risk mitigation.