Understanding the Cart Abandonment Problem
You know that feeling of putting together a bag bursting with stuff online, only to bail at the checkout because suddenly, it all seems like too much effort. Weâre all guilty. Sometimes the shop wants your phone number, or asks you to log in for a âloyaltyâ bonus you canât be bothered to care about. Sometimes itâs so clunky you just give up halfway through.
This is whatâs called cart abandonment in the e-commerce world - and weâve all been there. According to some stats by Baymard Institute, nearly 70 per cent of carts are abandoned on average. That means more often than not, people are saying no thanks at the final stage of their buying process. And while there are plenty of reasons for this - from changing your mind, getting distracted by something else, or seeing that surprise âshippingâ fee at checkout - store owners often overlook what is actually responsible for causing people to walk away.
I think a big reason why this happens is because e-commerce platforms sometimes make things complicated. Newer stores want to look legit, so they ask you for more information than necessary and sometimes even request registration before you check out. But this is a bad idea.
Long checkout forms scare people off and registering isnât always an option if people are comparatively buying gifts or shopping for someone else. Sort of. A better way to move forward is reportedly to keep things simple - and fast. Offer customers guest checkout options, try enabling express checkouts by activating digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay, and keep forms short.
The easier it is for someone to complete their purchase, the more likely they are to finish their checkout process without abandoning the cart.
Streamlining the Checkout Process
I think we can all agree that the checkout process in any online store is never quite as seamless as it should be. Youâve added what you want to your cart and youâre ready to pay, but then youâre taken through a seemingly endless series of forms asking you to enter information you may not have or may not even want to enter at the time. More often than not, people abandon their carts at this stage, losing you a sale. The way to get around this is by streamlining the process so that customers donât have too many distractions or too much to think about when theyâre checking out.
One way that you can do this is by offering autofill options for things like addresses and contact information, or even having the option to save all of this information if theyâre returning customers. If customers are rarely not able to check out as a guest, ensure that registration fields are kept to a minimum and donât ask for more than absolutely necessary. Another great way to make the checkout process quicker is by reducing the number of screens a customer has to move through before they check out.
Having everything on one page can increase conversions and reduce drop-off points at each stage. Itâs also important that there is complete transparency and that all costs are displayed upfront, with no hidden costs showing up only at the end of the process. The end goal here is for customers to not second-guess their purchases and feel like checking out is going to be quick and easy.
This makes your website more appealing because it makes buying things an easier process than it might be with your competitors who havenât invested in a simpler checkout process. Sort of.
Enhancing Payment Options for Convenience
Imagine this - youâve picked out a stylish shirt, breezy cotton shorts, and even found a nice hat for summer. The digital shopping trolley is full, youâre ready to make the purchase, and then boom. No Apple Pay or Google Pay options - just generic card payments that make you groan as you fish for your card, then spend five minutes typing out the numbers carefully.
Itâs frustrating. Itâs also what causes most people to leave their carts without completing the purchase. Thereâs more to payment options than just cards, though.
Some people like using Buy Now, Pay Later services that let them budget better and spend more responsibly. Some people want international payment options. And others donât trust any brand with their card details - so they prefer using UPI payment methods or e-wallets.
Providing all these options helps your customers feel more in control - which means theyâre more likely to convert at checkout. I think itâs always worth setting up as many payment options as you can - especially with tools that centralise payments and make it easier to sort your books at the end of every month. Since different people have different preferences when it comes to payment options, letting them choose works in your favour more often than not.
But then, thereâs so many payment services out there - where does one even start. Well, I think itâs better to pick a few that are fairly commonly used in your region and set those up first. As your customer base expands and you see demand for other methods rise, add those too.
Building Trust with Security Features
Ever felt a twinge of doubt right before clicking âplace orderâ. Itâs happened to even the savviest shoppers, usually thanks to half-baked web design or a missing padlock in the address bar. Weâve all seen those checkout pages that look like they were coded on a stolen phone in a dodgy alleyway and thought better of pressing ahead with our purchase. And itâs not even just about looks â consumers are out for blood now, even the hint of something fishy has them running in the other direction.
Lending people your trust is never easy, especially when it feels like youâre asking people to trust you with their most vulnerable information over the internet. More or less. Which is why people rely so heavily on visual cues â a user sees logos of reputable payment systems and SSL certificates, theyâre more likely to make a purchase. It makes sense too, thereâs millions being spent in cryptocurrency fraud and online scamming every single year.
But security features go beyond just installing an SSL certificate and calling it a day. Many online businesses have invested heavily into anti-fraud measures and buyer protection â both things that need to be communicated clearly throughout the buying journey if you want someone to buy from you. It helps with returning customers too because knowing all your protections worked as expected keeps anxiety at bay. Itâs becoming more apparent that privacy concerns are at their highest ever â government access to personal data and tracking pixels have caused many shoppers to turn away altogether.
Communicating clearly what data youâre collecting and how it will be used also matters a whole lot now â shoppers want clear cookies policies (like those little pop-ups) and privacy policies displayed everywhere they go to establish transparency. Remember that building up trust isnât about telling people something is safe, itâs about showing them exactly what makes it safe.
Utilizing Exit-Intent Popups Effectively
We all know how it feels when the cartâs loaded with stuff we want and need, but for some reason - probably a distraction or second guessing our choices - we decide to close the tab. I Suspect perhaps you think that item can wait, or maybe thereâs an unsettling feeling knowing youâre spending more money than youâd like. With well-timed pop-ups, it can help consumers reconsider that.
In e-commerce, exit-intent pop-ups can convince shoppers to stay on your site and make their purchases. It works by tracking the cursor speed and direction of your visitors, which can seldom help determine when theyâre about to leave the site. These pop-ups then flash a message reminding shoppers of their abandoned cart and persuading them to complete their purchase. The most effective way to get shoppers to stay is with personalised messaging.
A simple âDid you forget something. â may not work as effectively anymore. Try offering your prospective customers free delivery for orders over a certain amount or encouraging them to make larger purchases with the inclusion of a discount code. I realise it can feel like an invasion of privacy for shoppers when you start including pop-ups as part of your e-commerce web design strategy, but it seems like itâs worked for several sites over the years in reducing their cart abandonment rates.
Following Up with Abandoned Cart Emails
You know what itâs like â theyâve clicked through the site, found their dream fit, scrolled through reviews, and even gone so far as to add that trendy number to their cart. It seems like the excitement is there, so is the intent. But then itâs suddenly radio silence from them.
Maybe they got caught up with something else and lost track of time or just werenât quite sure about pulling the trigger on another purchase that day. Either way, someone who was this close to a purchase slipping through the cracks is disappointing at best and frustrating at worst. If youâve been in the game for a while, youâd know that dealing with abandoned carts isnât as simple as making your website more user-friendly or throwing in an extra discount code during checkout. Sometimes, it goes much deeper than that.
Itâs about maintaining the relationship and continuing to engage them through different means. Thatâs where abandoned cart emails come in â theyâre a powerful tool to not only nurture potential buyers but also nudge them back into action. A carefully crafted email can do wonders â it could serve as a gentle reminder and act as an added incentive when paired with free shipping or an additional discount code for the items in their cart.
And if you want to get even more creative, you could add dynamic content and recommend complementary products based on what was already in their cart. Sort of. It lets them know youâre paying attention and are seemingly here to help make their shopping journey easier.
At the end of the day though, it really does come down to timing â youâll want to find that sweet spot where theyâve had enough time away from your site but not long enough where they forget all about your brand entirely.