Your eCommerce platform’s checkouts will make or break it. Users are more likely to abandon your checkout if it is too long or contains errors. As a result, around 70% of checkouts are abandoned.
Shopping cart abandonment is a more common term for this form of checkout abandonment. But I hear you ask, “What exactly is shopping cart abandonment?” Shopping cart abandonment refers to when a potential customer begins the checkout process on an eCommerce platform only to abandon it and leave before completing their purchase.
But don’t worry; there are ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment and prevent this from happening to your business.
Using a few simple best-practice eCommerce design concepts can help you increase your checkout conversion rate.
Do not make your checkout a fortress
The checkout area appears to be an ideal site for users to register and establish accounts. Unless you’re a B2B eCommerce platform that requires accounts, customers don’t want to register an account to make a purchase, and if you force them to, they’ll leave your checkout. If you’re a B2C eCommerce site, allow your users to finish their orders using a guest checkout (you can still capture their email address this way), and then give them the option of creating an account and saving their information for future purchases. Users are more likely to perceive your company positively and open an account if you provide them with the opportunity to complete their transaction as painlessly as possible.
Make a big fuss about free shipping and returns
Is it feasible to receive free shipping and returns? If not, at least in certain price ranges, consider it. If you do, make sure to emphasise these policies. Make sure your customers understand they have 14 days to return their items and are aware of any shipping reductions. Even though eCommerce usage is increasing, many customers remain cautious of many eCommerce sites because placing a purchase entails risk. Because your customers cannot see, touch, or feel the item you’re selling, reassuring them with clear return and delivery rules will help. Furthermore, most users do not return items, even if they are aware of your return policies; hence, stressing them will have little effect on return rates but may help increase purchase rates.
Returning to your shipping policies, try to give clients a variety of options. Some customers may want prompt delivery and be willing to pay for it. Others may be willing to wait a few weeks for their item in exchange for a lower shipping fee. Allowing customers to make their own decisions can boost their opinion of your organisation and keep them from abandoning their shopping cart because the shipping fees are too high for them.
At the checkout, offer relevant payment alternatives
Every year, it appears that a new online payment method arises; while it is difficult to determine which ones are more relevant than others, it is critical that consumers can pay using their preferred method. This is especially crucial for B2B eCommerce sites, as payment methods differ from those for B2C eCommerce sites. On most eCommerce platforms, users can pay using credit or debit cards as well as PayPal. However, preferred payment methods differ depending on where your clients live; for example, in Brazil, Boleto accounts for 15% of all online transactions. Know your customers and select a payment method based on that understanding. If the majority of your users are on mobile devices and iOS is the software provider of choice for mobile consumers, adding Apple Pay to your business may benefit you. In contrast, if the majority of your users use Android devices or come from PCs, integrating Apple Pay into your platform may not make sense.
Give special attention to mobile optimisation
While it may seem obvious to some, designing and developing your site with mobile in mind will ensure that it is future-proof. This, of course, includes the checkout. While it’s natural to concentrate on the desktop version of your site because site managers use it the most, your users are increasingly exploring and shopping on mobile devices. By 2020, mobile consumers will represent 70% of total eCommerce traffic and 54% of total revenue. Focusing on mobile first ensures that your checkout is immediately usable. If your checkout works on mobile devices, it will very certainly work on desktop PCs as well. However, the opposite may not always hold true. Furthermore, because many of our eCommerce best practices were created with mobile in mind, following these principles should help you become more mobile-friendly. Users may consider non-responsive websites out of date and untrustworthy. How can customers trust you to keep their payments secure if your site does not run well on their device?
Consider the pathway
Most users despise surprises during the checkout process, so don’t keep them guessing. Visualise the checkout process so users can see where they are and how much time they have left. Do they have to follow two, three, or 10 steps? Without showing them, how will they know? The fewer clicks a user needs to complete during the checkout process, the better. Everything should ideally fit on a single page. However, this is not always feasible, particularly on mobile devices. Numerous studies have shown that requiring fewer clicks to complete a purchase enhances conversion rates. However, if you need to spread out the checkout sequence, showing the steps and the user’s progress will help you maintain consistent conversion rates.
Be frank and honest
Users prefer to view the complete price before committing to lengthy checkout procedures, similar to the first point. Users’ trust in your brand will increase if you display the final price (or an estimate until you can accurately disclose it) and are transparent about the breakdown. This feature is gaining popularity among eCommerce sites to prevent orders from being abandoned due to perceived price increases disguised as handling or tax fees.
We’ve all been in situations where the price has risen due to the addition of multiple hidden fees, and many of us have abandoned those purchases without returning to complete them.
Finally, applying these basic concepts to your B2B or B2C eCommerce site’s checkout will improve your checkout experience, reduce cart abandonment, and increase overall conversion rates.
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