Preventing Shopping Cart Abandonment

The conversion funnel for an online retail store is not as complicated as you think. Once a user gets to your site via any of your marketing channels (search engine, banner campaigns, paid advertising and more) they become a visitor. The next step is to get them to take a look at the products you have on offer and have them click your call to action (the Buy Now button). They then head on to the last part of the conversion funnel -- once your customer is in the shopping cart, you are only a few clicks away from making a sale.

If you've never looked at your entire sales conversion funnel before, then it would surprise you to know that the biggest exits or bounces off your website is in your shopping cart. The average conversion ratio in this part of the funnel is about 2.5% of the total site visitors.

The rule for increasing your site conversions is simple: the less friction you have, the better chances of having the customer complete that sale. Getting potential buyers through to the shopping cart is a big effort in itself. So when they start putting items in there and seem like they have all the intent in the world to make a purchase, you may begin to wonder why they suddenly decide to abandon their shopping.

So, let's look at the things that you can do to avoid your guests from abandoning your shopping cart:

• Security is a top concern for today's shoppers so have an SSL certificate protect your cart. Customers need to feel at ease that their information is safe when they buy from you.
•  Give them a way to contact you, even in the final stages of shopping. A chat support link or your 800 number on the header would give them the feeling of security that they can get in touch with you anytime if they have questions.
•  Keep the checkout process as short and as simple as possible. If there is no need to pre-register for an account to make a purchase, then don't ask them to do it.
•  Display trust seals and security badges. VeriSign, BBB Online and other recognizable seals have proven to offer higher conversion in sites that have them versus those that don't.
• If you offer discount codes, don't let it be the cause of shopping cart abandonment. Users who see that space asking for a code would automatically think of discounts and may become distracted from their buying activity in a need to search for one online. Either you offer them a link in your own site where they can find a code (this link should open in another window) or you automatically suggest that they use a specific code you're currently offering.
•  Don't use automatic session time-outs. Let the customer think about his or her buying decision by keeping the window open for as long as it takes him to decide. Refreshing the cart or timing the session out is like pressuring a shopper to finish the sale before they are ready.
• If they do decide to leave, it wouldn't hurt to ask why. This is a trick I've seen some merchants do. You try to close the shopping cart window and a small pop-up asks if he or she is sure and gives a link to Live Chat for any questions or concerns. It will make your shopper think twice about abandoning your shopping cart.

Happy Selling!

 

 

Comments

[Samir]

Those are some great tips for reducing shopping cart abandonment! Here are three more:

1. Design
2. Retargeting
3. Follow up

Check this out:
http://www.retargeter.com/3-tactics-to-battle-shopping-cart-abandonment
for more in depth information.

:)

[Elizabeth Ball]

Instead of using the phrase "coupon code", I use "gift certificate code". If someone has a coupon code they can enter it there but it does not scream "discount" and it also alerts shoppers that I sell gift certificates.