Today is Black Friday! While this is a hugely important day for retailers everywhere, e-retailers are getting prepared for Cyber Monday – the online equivalent of today. Are you looking to maximize your online sales next week? Of course you are! What is the best way to do that? It’s all about ensuring that your customers follow through on their purchases. So what can you do to annihilate cart abandonment?
Build trust with security badges.
Many online shoppers are understandably concerned about the reputation and reliability of the businesses they intend on supporting. Adding security badges to your company website will help you to gain trust from consumers. As Jolissa Skow points out on MonsterInsights.com, 17% of consumers abandoned their carts because they didn’t trust the site with their credit card information.
“That means when your customers shop from your store, they want to know if their credit card information is safe with you,” she writes, “One of the best ways to foster trust on your store is by adding a security badge on your checkout page. Adding a security badge will instil confidence in your customers, and also reduce the cart abandonment rate. According to research by Baymard Institute, the SSL seal from Norton is the most trusted.”
Display a progress indicator.
Even when shopping from the comforts of home, many consumers simply hate the waiting game. For them, the quicker the shopping experience, the better. Even when the checkout process has several steps, it’s best to show your online customers just how many steps there are. With a progress indicator, visitors of your site will know how long it will take to complete their transactions. This can help with the patience issue and allow for more transactions to be completed.
“People hate checkout lines, both digital and physical,” affirms Najam Ahmed on Cloudways.com, “You need a progress indicator on your website that lets an average customer know how long till the transaction is completed. Progress indicators are designed to improve the quality of the checkout process.”
Offer free shipping.
We would argue that this just might be the most impactful way to avoid cart abandonment in your online shop. When consumers see that they will be saving money on shipping costs, it usually is an incentive for them to complete their transactions. As Skow notes, free shipping is everywhere, so your customers will likely expect it on your site as well.
“According to the Baymard Institute, 49 percent of online shoppers who abandon their carts do so because of shipping and handling costs,” she reveals, “Without a doubt, free shipping can reduce cart abandonment...You can set your free shipping threshold just above your average order value of your store. Not only will it help you to reduce shopping cart abandonment, but it also could boost the average order value of your customers.”
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