Let’s face it - every e-commerce retailer is worried about cart abandonment. Cart abandonment is the term analysts use to describe when a shopper adds items to their cart, but never completes a checkout. If you own an e-commerce store, it’s imperative that you understand why your users are abandoning their carts. Then, you need to take the steps to avoid this behavior. In turn, this should help you optimize conversion rates and increase profits.
1. Unexpected Shipping Costs
No one likes a high shipping fee. In fact, about 49% of online shoppers abandon their cart when they see high shipping fees that don’t meet their expectations. To avoid this, try offering transparent and upfront shipping policies, or even providing free shipping when possible. Another tactic here is to offer promotional shipping discounts - like free shipping on orders above a certain amount. This incentivizes customers to complete their purchases, rather than leave when they see a shipping fee.
2. Complicated Checkout
A complex checkout process is frustrating for shoppers and might cause them to leave your site. If your checkout process involves multiple steps, lengthy forms, or mandatory account creation, customers may feel overwhelmed. Introducing guest checkout might simplify the process here, but it’s better if you reduce all necessary steps. Streamlining the checkout process by providing one-click checkout via providers like Sleek will help customers complete their purchases quickly.
3. Lack of Payment Options
Limited payment options are a barrier when shoppers go to complete their purchases. Offering diverse payment methods such as credit cards, digital wallets, and buy now pay later (BNPL) options, caters to different preferences and ultimately increases the likelihood of checkouts. 7% of shoppers will abandon their carts when their preferred payment method isn’t available. This number may be small, but the impact is quite large. Once you lose these customers - you’re losing any repeat purchases from them.
4. Concerns About Security
Online safely is extremely important for anyone who shops online. If users aren’t sure that their personal and financial information is safe, they might not complete a purchase on a particular website. To avoid this, your website should show trust badges and symbols that show that the checkout is secure. Implementing SSL certificates will also protect user data.
In simple words, you should let your customers know how you keep their information safe and secure. Additionally, making sure your website looks modern or integrating with embedded checkouts may help users stick around.
5. Price Comparison and Research
People who shop nowadays are pretty savvy. They like to check prices and do some research before they complete purchases. Many shoppers will leave their carts just to see if they can find a better deal on other websites.
There are a couple things you can try to stop users from leaving your site. One is to promise them that if they find a better price somewhere else, you'll match it. That's called a price match guarantee. Another method is by implementing loyalty programs that reward shoppers for repeat purchases on your site.
You can also try providing detailed product descriptions - and make sure you include a section for customer reviews! This will let your shoppers make informed decisions without leaving the page. Additionally, make sure you understand the market! You should be pricing your items to be competitive with similar products.
6. Distractions and Unexpected Interruptions
Sometimes customers may be interrupted while they are shopping. You can’t help it if one of your shoppers receives a call or has to run to pick their child up from school. You can, however, implement cart recovery strategies like abandoned cart emails or retargeting ads. This will help remind the customer that they have items they haven’t purchased yet from your store.
Causes of cart abandonment can be hard to pinpoint, so we recommend using data and analytics tools so that you can implement the correct strategies. Once you address these issues - whether it be related to shipping costs, checkout process, payment options, or security concerns, you can create a seamless and satisfying shopping experience for your customers. In turn, you’ll see loyalty, profits, and retention. Interested in learning more about how you can easily offer seamless checkout into your checkout experience? Try Sleek - you can request a demo here.
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