30 methods to cut back cart abandonment and improve earnings
Shopping cart exits are big, bad and ubiquitous. The latest statistics from Baymard put the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate at a scary 69%.
This means that out of ten ecommerce customers who add an item to their shopping cart, nearly seven will leave the website without completing their purchase.
Getting out of the shopping cart sucks and it's time to put it down.
The problem seems to be getting worse every year. It's time to take those sales back and cut down on the shopping cart abandonment. But how do you reduce the impact of shopping cart abandonment?
Here are 30 strategies to get those customers back and increase your bottom line.
1. Use email retargeting
If you want to finish the abandonment of the shopping cart, you need to deal with email retargeting. Retargeting uses cookies embedded in e-mail messages to show your advertisements to the user while surfing the Internet.
Retargeting is the perfect way to quickly win customers back after their job.
2. Be clear about additional costs
The main reason customers give for the task is additional cost.
The easiest way to solve this problem? Get rid of these additional costs – or at least be clear about them.
If there is an absolute need to add shipping, taxes, or other charges, be upfront. As soon as possible, give them full information on any additional costs that will be incurred in entering the cart.
3. Provide full shipping details
Shipping costs are another big kibosh for shopping carts.
In the age of Amazon Prime and vacation specials, customers were trained to request free shipping for almost everything. Chances are you have some competitors who win because they have free shipping and you don't.
If you can afford free shipping, great. If you can't afford free shipping, be sure to provide the customer with all shipping costs.
If necessary, provide a built-in calculator to determine the estimated cost based on the weight and quantity of items.
4. Send an email immediately after leaving the customer
When an ecommerce customer exits their shopping cart, you have hours to get them back on track. For example, suppose you are using retargeting technology and email marketing, send an email right away.
According to Rejoiner, the likelihood that a customer will purchase after receiving a reminder is as follows:
Those first hours after giving up are the golden window of opportunity to win back lost customers. Take advantage of it.
5. Remove login barriers
Are you preventing customers from buying with login barriers? Just do not.
Forcing users to create an account may work for some products and services. However, in most cases, all you have to do is prepare for disappointment. A great alternative to the cumbersome login process is to use social login.
6. Complete the check-out process in 3-5 steps
The more complicated your ecommerce checkout process, the less likely it is for users to complete it. Check-out should take between three and five steps. The shorter the better.
If you're trying to shorten the process, make sure you're not using too many fields in a single step.
7. Provide clear progress indicators for the customer
It helps the customer if you can show him how far he is in the process with a progress bar. Users want to have a sense of progress and forward momentum as they reach the goal of purchasing an item.
8. Use simple and prominent calls to action in the shopping cart
Every marketer knows the importance of calls to action. Do you also use CTAs in your shopping cart? You are as important as ever.
Users want to know what to do next and it is up to you to tell them what to do.
Create a heading-style command set for each stage of the ordering process. For example, tell the user, “Where should we send your information? Please enter your address. "
9. Add the "Save for Later" button
Many shoppers give up their carts because they use them as a wish list or as a repository for things they might want to buy later. Make it easy for them to create a wish list with an easy option to purchase later instead of throwing it into a shopping cart.
You benefit from lower abandonment rates and have the advantage of a wish list that can be easily incorporated into a later sale.
10. Speak to the customer during the process
Make the shopping experience chatty and interactive. There is no need to be tough and form driven. Talk to them.
Short and casual messages like "Okay, we're almost done." and "We just need some additional information here." Make the experience more enjoyable. I don't know a lot of people who enjoy filling out forms, but if you can make it less agonizing for the buyer, the more likely you will fill out the form.
11. Do not include any additional links
Avoid placing links that remove the customer from the shopping cart. The customer can voluntarily leave the shopping cart, but it doesn't make it easy for him!
Ecommerce retailers often lose customers trying to upsell related products. Often times, when a customer clicks on these products, they never return to the shopping cart.
12. Create engaging and performing product pages
We are obsessed with the shopping cart abandonment, but we think about what comes before we put something in a cart – the product page.
Take a look at your product page. How dedicated is it really? Russ Henneberry recommends creating “high quality, interactive product images”.
13. Create continuity between the product page and the shopping cart
If possible, view a thumbnail of the image in the cart. The customer wants to make sure that they actually buy the item they have selected. Viewing and viewing the cart items is a great way to keep the customer going through to completion.
14. Create one-click shopping
Amazon likely made billions on its one-click shopping button. It's so easy to just click and buy without thinking about the pros and cons of buying.
You can steal a page from Amazon's playbook by creating your own easy-to-buy cart process. It doesn't work for unregistered customers, of course, but it can work for members.
15. Avoid surprises of any kind
According to the CPC strategy, “one of the most common reasons for shopping cart abandonment is bad surprises.” Don't surprise your customers with whatever you do.
The shopping process can be a nerve-wracking experience for some ecommerce shoppers. The customer's mind is tense. They pull out their credit card. You are a little nervous. What will happen?
Then – BOOM! A confusing popup. A discount code request. An error message". A missing field. Whatever.
The checkout process goes up in flames. You surprised them (or they surprised themselves) and you lost.
When you check out, watch out for "surprises". Make it clear, on purpose, and completely free of popups, unexpected messages, and other factors that might be considered an interruption.
16. Increase the speed of the site
When your website is slow, customers will leave.
The shopping cart is one of the most important places to speed up the website. Site speed and conversions are closely correlated. Faster websites are just better.
17. Get an SSL Certificate
Customers feel safe with SSL certificates. In today's web, SSL is considered a standard part of good design and development. (This is good for your Google ranking too!) If your website, and especially your checkout process, doesn't contain security measures, you will put some customers off.
18. Clearly display business contact information
Another way to improve the trustworthiness of your website is to add contact information. Many online companies display their NAP (name, address, phone number) in the footer of the website. This is just another way to reassure your customers that you are a legitimate and reliable company.
19. On the checkout page, add chat or phone support options
What will a customer do if they have a problem, question, or issue with the checkout process? With no support options, they can just leave.
To prevent this from happening, add 800 number or online chat support to the checkout process.
20. Make the shopping cart easy to edit
Your shopping cart should be easy to change. Deleting items, changing quantities, and adjusting shipping options should be intuitive and easy. Don't make the mistake of creating cryptic buttons that accidentally remove everything in the shopping cart.
21. Display security icons on checkout page
Your checkout page is where security can be stacked up. Obviously, you don't want to clutter the page with too many of them, but a few well-placed badges can put the shy customer at ease.
22. Select your right of return
Have you ever experienced the buyer's remorse? Some buyers do. The buyer's remorse does not appear until after the purchase. The expectation of repentance can sometimes cripple buyers before they buy.
To prevent this from happening, give your customers a clear and simple understanding of your return policy. Just do it. "Don't you like it? Just give it back to us. No questions asked."
23. Limit cross-selling on the checkout page
Trying to sell or sell customers in the 11th hour can only add to the abandonment of the shopping cart, not major purchases. Continue cross-sell on the product page and let the check-out page focus on the conversion.
24. Add testimonials everywhere
Some people only give testimonials on one specific page. I suggest putting them anywhere – including when checking out. A simple callout or sidebar with a customer recommendation or two can keep motivation high as the customer keeps checking out.
25. Review the checkout process in person at least once a month
Have you had firsthand experience with your website's shopping cart? Do you know what customers experience when they walk through the funnel, filling out every form, and filling in every field?
Take the time personally to test your own shopping cart. Continuously testing, refining, and tweaking your shopping cart process can iron out any wrinkles that may add to the task.
26. Be careful with coupon codes
Coupon codes are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they can motivate customers to buy. On the other hand, they could prevent customers from completing the transaction.
For example, if a customer doesn't have a coupon code, they might leave the site to look for one, but never return.
27. Make the delivery times as fast as possible
Many online customers want their order to arrive as soon as possible. Make arrangements for expedited shipping if customers request it.
28. Provide polite and helpful error messages
If a user is frustrated with the order process, they will likely quit. As you streamline your checkout process, create error notifications that are as helpful and direct as possible. There are two angles for this:
- Make it easy for them to find the mistake in the form.
- Make it easy for them to fix the error.
29. Accept any currency
If you are offering international sales, make sure you provide clear information about currency conversion as well as accepting other currencies.
30. Allow multiple payment methods
As e-commerce purchases became more popular, so too have payment methods. Open the gates as wide as you can and allow buyers to use credit cards, PayPal, Amazon, or any other payment method that is common in your niche.
If you need more ideas on how to reduce the amount of time left out of the car, try these three strategies.
Conclusion
The impact of abandoning the shopping cart can affect your bottom line ecommerce.
Let's face it, as eager as you are to reboot users. There is no such thing as a 0% task. Some ecommerce customers are giving up their shopping carts and you have to accept them.
Don't use it as an excuse to stop you from fighting for as many conversions as possible. You will win something back and it will be well worth the effort.
If you're struggling to get traffic to your business, let us help.
How did you reduce the abandonment rate of your shopping cart?