When a customer adds an item to their online shopping cart on your website, this in itself isnt always a guarantee that theyll follow through with their purchase. Shopping cart software reviews may paint a glorious picture of eCommerce features they offer, but these features wont always guarantee purchases. According to a study by Baymard.com, the average abandonment rate for online shopping carts is approximately 65 percent, an overwhelming amount of lost business that even the best shopping cart software solution can't completely overcome.
However, there are steps you can take. How can you help reduce that percentage and ensure customers check out in the end? Here are five ways you can get started on increasing your site's conversion rate.
Provide Free or Flat Shipping
Of the 65 percent of shoppers who abandon their cart, a Forrester study indicates that 44 percent of those instances are because of high shipping costs. Additionally, 22 percent of shoppers abandon the carts because the seller never mentioned shipping costs up front. Due to the overwhelmingly competitive nature of Amazon, many online shoppers now expect free or flat rate shipping as a critical element to their eCommerce experience.
Remove Hidden Charges
In addition to disliking high shipping fees, online shoppers also dislike surprise charges. When charges arent revealed until checkout, this becomes quite disconcerting for buyers and results in abandonment. Regardless of whether these charges are shipping or sales tax, online shoppers want to know about these fees before having entered all of their billing information. The best way to cater to this need is to offer a calculator or estimator within the shopping cart.
Make the Shopping Cart Readily Accessible
Online shoppers quickly lose interest in a purchase when theyre forced to backtrack or navigate to another page to find their existing shopping cart and see what items theyve added prior to purchase. While it may be more simple from a web development standpoint to create a separate page for shopping carts, customers want ready access to the cart regardless of where they are on the website.
To combat this, whenever a customer adds an item, you can create a viewable cart that appears with a list containing the items currently on the shopping cart. This can simply appear when an item is added or it can remain viewable permanently.
Minimize the Checkout Process
Online shoppers want a quick checkout process simply from a convenience standpoint. When theyre forced to fill out multi-page checkouts that are full of forms, questions and products, many shoppers are turned off and leave before finalizing the sale. These details may be completely necessary for your websites purposes, but not all shoppers want to endure page after page of forms.
Instead, consider offering an express checkout option. This allows some shoppers to forgo the obligation of creating an account to purchase goods. By utilizing this option, shoppers can go straight to the checkout screen and enter shipping information and credit card information before submitting their order.
Offer Multiple Payment Options
Sometimes the simple reason shoppers dont complete a purchase is that their credit card wasnt an acceptable form of payment. Youll want to ensure that you can take charges for a variety of credit cards beyond Visa and MasterCard, including even third-party online payment services like PayPal. This allows you to reach customers who wouldnt have bought from you before.
An eCommerce can be a difficult business to run, in part because of the irrational nature of buyers. However, by making a shopping portal that is convenient and that acknowledges the consumers needs, you will find fewer abandoned shopping carts and more completed purchases over the long term.
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