One of the biggest problems for online business owners is shopping cart abandonment. This happens when online visitors add items to a cart, but then leave the cart without making a purchase. It represents lost revenues that negatively impact the bottom line of a company.
In this article, you will learn how to reduce shopping cart abandonment, which will improve conversion rate and profitability.
Things you should do to avoid Shopping Cart Abandonment
1. Make it Easy to Check Out
One of the main reasons Amazon is the leader in online commerce is the simple checkout process it has implemented. You can decrease cart abandonment by making it easier for your customers to make a purchase from the site.
Consider offering multiple payment options, such as Google Checkout and PayPal. Also, you should make it easy for your customers to add and remove items in their digital cart. Consider limiting the checkout to three or even fewer steps. The checkout process should be optimized for the convenience of customers, and not your own. Considering what is best for the customers, and then modifying the process accordingly, is how you reduce shopping cart abandonment.
2. Allow Customers to Purchase as Guest
Another important step in how to reduce shopping cart abandonment is allowing customers to purchase as guests. According to Jared Spool, the author of the article “The $300 Million Button”, one company had increased the sales by $300 million in a year simply by allowing guest customers to make a purchase.
While registration can make things easy for a business, many people find it highly inconvenient. Allowing people to make a purchase as guests will make the checkout process easier for them. Although you can’t market to those customers, a one-time sale is better than no sale at all.
3. Optimize the Website for Mobile
Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have become the main mode of accessing the net. Most individuals spend about 15 hours a week on the net using their smartphone. This presents a great opportunity for a company to increase their sales. Optimizing the website and especially the checkout process for mobile is important to ensure that mobile users are able to make a purchase. This is essential if you want to learn how to reduce shopping cart abandonment and increase sales.
4. Offer Live Chat Support
You should have a live chat popup during the checkout phase. The live chat agent can ask the customer if they have any concerns regarding the purchase. Proactively offering help during the checkout phase can also reduce the rate of online shopping cart abandonment.
5. Provide Discounts on Shipping
An effective method of learning how to reduce shopping cart abandonment is to offer shipping discounts to users. Shipping charges add to the purchase price, which some customers might not have accounted for. A price that looks like a bargain may not look so attractive when shipping charges are factored in.
Offering discounts on shipping will make the product more affordable. Plus, discounts on shipping can turn out to be a competitive advantage, making customers prefer your products over those of your competitors.
