In today’s world, the internet has practically replaced the shopping mall as the number one go-to destination for all shopping needs. The pandemic has made sure of that. Although online shopping has long been very popular, protocols that request people to stay at home have made it so that the Amazons and Etsys of the world are all the rage.
Does your company website enable its visitors to make direct purchases? If so, you may have some experience running into a particular problem. Cart abandonment is when an online store’s visitors are about a step or two away from completing the purchasing process – but don’t. What can you do to ensure your online sales are completed?
Here are three keys to preventing online shopping cart abandonment:
1. For goodness sake, make the checkout process easy!
The more steps you force your customers to take, the less they’re going to want to take them. Ideally, once an online shopper’s cart is full of the items he/she wants, it should only take another click or two for the purchase to be complete. If your checkout process requires several pages and therefore, several more minutes to finish off, you’re bound to have people say “ah, forget this!” and move on to another website.
“Shoppers want to cross the finish line as quickly and easily as possible,” alerts Robirt Kong on BigCommerce.com, “A complicated checkout process with many steps and multiple form fills can create friction and slow your shoppers down. Not only does this take away from the current checkout experience on your site, it can also permanently deter them from ever purchasing on your site again.”
2. Offer guarantees.
The word “guarantee” is a very favourable one to the average shopper. Can you guarantee your delivery dates? Do you offer warranties? Is there a money-back guarantee on defective merchandise? If customers know the answer is “yes” to these questions, they will be a lot more likely to follow through on their buying decisions.
According to Corey Morris of Voltage on Forbes.com, “the peace of mind in offering guarantees helps reduce the temptation to navigate away to competitor sites or back to Google. You can close the deal quicker with strong assurances.”
3. Be upfront about shipping costs.
The last thing you want to do is surprise your online shoppers with hidden charges near the end of the shopping experience. Make clear all of your shipping charges. As well, be sure there are no hidden fees associated with buying from your site. You may wish to consider free shipping options. Offsetting the cost of shipping by slightly increasing prices on items is actually more alluring than the prospect of added costs.
“The shock of unexpected costs usually occurs after a shopper has entered their shipping information, only to find out they’ve incurred additional charges they didn’t anticipate,” says Kong, “Customers may re-evaluate their purchase once they see those fees, then abandon their cart if they feel their expectations aren’t being met.”
Is your company in need of a safe and secure e-commerce solution? Unity Payments can help you take advantage of this ever-growing trend. We’ve made selling online easier than ever! Please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca to learn more.
