How to Keep Buyers From Abandoning E-commerce Shopping Carts
In 1998 the Gallup Poll stated that 10% of the population planned to make their holiday purchases via e-Commerce stores. In 2013 that number had grown to 53% which shows the huge growth in on-line purchases. However, older buyers - as well as younger ones - will turn away from a merchant when the check-out process becomes too difficult or time consuming. There are so many merchants selling the same items that the disappointed customers can find what they are looking for with just another click of the mouse.
The Baymard Institute recently published a large list of shopping cart providers and their abandonment percentages:
- Fireclick = 62.3%
- Barilliance = 74.0%
- CoreMetrics/IBM = 67.41%
- Triggered Messaging = 60.32%
There are a host of reasons why on-line shopper do not complete their transactions; from payments not being accepted, to lack of inventory, to a complicated check-out process. But whatever reason the retailer lost a sale. Getting a shopper back once they have had a less than positive shopping experience is very difficult. Merchants can please shoppers by paying attention to inherent problems with their shopping carts.
Tips to selecting a good shopping cart for your e-Commerce business
- Fast download - many shoppers get antsy and impatient if your site takes too long to open or to shift pages. See if your anticipated provider can demonstrate how fast their shopping carts upload.
- Easy navigation - sometimes web designers think that being cute and fussy is a sign of creativity. There is the old adage: K.I.S.S. Keep it simple stupid. This saying has been around a long time because it has true meaning.
- Easy checkout - early self-service brick and mortar businesses bult in self-service by having cash registers close for easy purchases. The same should be said for your shopping cart. Close the distance between purchasing and paying. Even though the shopper is only using a mouse instead of walking around a store, a long check out can become tiresome.
- Be clear in your description and pricing - give the customer as much information as needed to close the sale. Do not ever be vague about prices, materials, shipping costs or things like assembly required.
- Inventory - let the customer know immediately if a product is out of stock and if it is on back order. Give the customer a chance to wait for the back order to come in. Do not wait until check-out to disclose this information.
- Warning sign - if it looks like your customer is about to abandon the site, have a built-in warning telling them that they have chosen to leave the site and ask if that was their intention. Some just may have clicked on the wrong icon. Ready to Compare Ecommerce Website Design Price Quotes?