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Nov 9, 2021
Don’t you just hate it when you see shoppers leaving your e-commerce store with nothing but an abandoned cart? Frustrating, isn’t it?
It’s not only you. All online retailers have experienced that…. and many still are.
About seven of every 10 online shoppers bail out at the checkout despite having some items in their carts. Why’s that? Well, there are various reasons, with extra costs as being the number one factor.
Others leave because they don’t like the idea of having to create an account, while 57% of shoppers will exit the checkout page if it takes more than three seconds to load. Then, some will decide not to complete the purchase at the last minute because a discount code doesn’t work.
The good news is, you can always do something to lower shopping cart abandonment rates and increase conversions.
Having worked with numerous online businesses for years, our Fort Lauderdale SEO company definitely knows what it takes to create a friction-free customer experience. And, guess what? We’ll be more than delighted to share with you some of the best ways to get more of your customers to hit the “purchase” button!
That being said, here are eight must-use tips to reduce shopping cart abandonment:
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With hidden charges as the top reason for cart abandonment, it’s incredibly crucial to be transparent about your prices. Shoppers who are caught off guard with additional fees more than often end up leaving - and we don’t blame them.
There’s nothing more annoying than expecting to pay one price, only to find out that there’s an array of extra costs and surcharges waiting for you at the checkout page. If you were the customer, we’re pretty sure you’d automatically think twice. We would!
Seeing outrageous shipping charges would be the final straw for most shoppers. It’s their cue to look for another online store, particularly one that reveals all costs upfront.
Always include the shipping costs, what taxes apply, and other fees on your product pages to make it easier for your customers to decide. Also, since delivery charges vary according to location, you can display a shipping calculator on these pages, so shoppers will know how much they’re paying by entering a zip code.
Again, some shoppers cannot complete their purchase because they feel like it’s too much of a hassle to register and set up an account.
That’s why you should consider providing the guest checkout option. It’s a surefire way to avoid this specific barrier to purchase.
Don’t worry, though, if you’re still keen on collecting your customers’ emails and other contact details for promotional reasons. You can prompt them to save their checkout info at the confirmation page step or even after making their purchase.
Offering more payment options is another way to give your customers a seamless and satisfying shopping experience. It minimizes or even eliminates the possibility of cart abandonment.
Especially now that there are tons of available online payment options, it’s becoming more and more important to give your shoppers the freedom to pick how they prefer to pay.
For instance, if paying via credit and debit card is their only choice, then you’re certainly going to be seeing unfinished transactions regularly. While card payment is a no-brainer, today’s shoppers have access to more alternatives, including direct bank transfers, digital wallets, and online payment systems like PayPal and Google Pay.
However, you must ensure that your payment methods are ideal for your target audience. Suppose you’re catering to millennials and Gen Z’ers. If that’s the case, adding Google Wallet and Apple Pay would be a wise move, since both are becoming increasingly popular among younger demographics.
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As a Fort Lauderdale SEO company, one of the many things we learned from our clients in the e-commerce industry is that not all shoppers abandon their carts forever.
Some clients would actually come back, particularly those who need time to consider their options and those who wish to seek advice from friends or family first. Others fail to complete their purchase due to distractions or interruptions.
In such cases, saving cart details for later should be your best bet. You’ll spare your customers the trouble of selecting items over again, directing them straight to checkout. Talk about a pleasant shopping experience!
Shoppers want nothing more than to add items quickly to their cart and return to browsing the rest of your store in the easiest way possible. In other words, the more tasks you require them to perform, the less likely they’ll check out.
Providing a streamlined experience is the solution here. By making it easier for your customers to move between their carts and your store, you encourage them to actually complete the checkout process.
Be sure to offer logical, intuitive navigation options between your product and checkout pages so your customers won’t have difficulty figuring out what to do or where to go next. Otherwise, they’ll go someplace else, and by someplace, we mean a competitor of yours.
Whether it’s your homepage, product page, or checkout page, anything on your website that has a slow loading time will likely drive customers away – because, let’s face it, people are just impatient these days.
For your potential customers to stay on your website long enough to browse your offerings, you need to get them to their desired content as fast as possible.
The trick is to set up an ongoing page load speed testing process to determine which pages should be optimized for fast response. Once you’ve identified them, have your IT and creative teams work together to achieve faster loading pages.
It would also be good to display a visual representation, such as a progress indicator or loading bar, whenever there’s an inevitable delay during the payment processing. That way, your customers will know if they were able to place their order successfully or not.
Having lightning-fast pages not only fulfills your customers’ demands for a speedy browsing and checkout experience, but it will also get them in the mood to buy additional products since they don’t have to wait long anymore.
A refund and return policy is vital for just about any e-commerce store out there. It’s basically what helps remove the fear consumers have regarding an order they’re about to place.
Considering that it’s not possible for online shoppers to touch and feel any item nor try on apparel, it only makes sense that they want the reassurance that they’re spending their money properly.
To ensure that your return policy isn’t causing your customers to abandon their carts, review it carefully. Check if it’s easy to understand, and more importantly, if it’s something shoppers stand with.
According to a 2016 UPS study, prospects want to see these elements in a return policy:
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An e-commerce website without a single trust seal tends to shoo prospective buyers away.
With the number of hackers growing every day, along with new strategies to steal private information online, it’s not surprising that customers have become more vigilant than ever.
Many now have this habit of looking for safety signals first before browsing an online store. Displaying PCS-DSS compliance, SSL certificate, and other trust symbols can guarantee shoppers that no one will be able to access all the confidential details they provided, including their credit card number and shipping address.
Think the tips above are too much for you to handle? Well then, allow us to handle them for you!
Digital Resource isn’t just your typical Fort Lauderdale SEO company; we’re the Fort Lauderdale SEO company everyone’s been buzzing about.
From streamlining your checkout process and optimizing your web pages for speed to creating content that will surely get prospects hooked, you can count on us to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions.
We’d even love to advertise your website on social media and get it to rank high in Google and other major search engines!
Excited to take your business to the next level as much as we are? Contact us now!
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