Avoiding Cart Abandonment

As more consumers across the world are taking their shopping spree to the web, research shows that over 70 percent of these shoppers are actually leaving their carts behind.

Cart abandonment, one of the top challenges for online businesses, is when a potential customer starts the checkout process but drops out before completing their purchase.

Why is this happening?

Shoppers may simply be browsing, comparing prices with other businesses, or may be frustrated with a complex checkout process, forcing them to leave.

So how can businesses reduce cart abandonment?

Simplify the checkout process. Shoppers don’t always want to go through the process of creating an account. They prefer to checkout as a “guest’, so having that option is a great way to speed up the process.

When creating your checkout process, make sure to build a form with fewer fields.

Think about what information you truly want to collect and keep it simple. Another great idea is to have a progress indicator, so the shopper knows where they’re at in the checkout process and what to expect.

Making sure your website performs quickly and doesn’t have glitches can also keep the consumer happy and continue shopping on your site. Having a user-friendly shopping experience can increase sales.

This also means making sure your site is mobile-friendly.

Promoting offers and incentives can also push the customer to make their purchase quicker. Create a sense of urgency with time-sensitive discounts to get the shopper to make their purchase.

Many consumers may also be hesitant to make a purchase if the return policy is complicated. Make sure to provide clear communication about your return and exchange policies. Customers are more likely to buy something if they know they can easily return the item.

In the end, if the consumer has abandoned their cart, you want to make sure to remind them of their cart.

Sending personalized emails with reminders and links can help bring them back to the site to finalize their purchase. Remember to keep the email casual and friendly!

By executing these strategies and improving the shopping experience for your customers, you may start to see less people abandoning their carts and spending more time on your website in the future.