You might have the best showcase of your categories and products in the world. However, if the customer experience deteriorates during the checkout process, there is a high probability that the purchase will not be completed.
The Baymard Research Institute has published research results indicating that the average online shopping cart abandonment rate for online sellers is 70%, meaning that only three out of 10 customers who add an item to their cart will actually complete the purchase.
Is your cart optimised to retain customers during the checkout process?
To begin with, what is cart optimisation?
Cart optimisation (or checkout optimisation) is a strategy that merchants employ to enhance the conversion rate in their online stores. The goal is to minimise disruptions and strengthen trust during the checkout process, guiding each customer towards a purchase confirmation email (and away from abandoning their cart).
Facilitate Purchase without Registration
E-commerce sellers require a lot of information from first-time customers. While saving this data to an online account expedites the checkout process for future purchases, forcing customers to open an account results in 34% cart abandonments.
Allowing guest checkout or login via email/social media enables customers to complete their purchases without entering unnecessary details such as their date of birth or password.
Offer Multiple Payment and Delivery Options
People want multiple options when shopping online - so much so that 7% will abandon a purchase if the seller doesn't offer their preferred payment method.
Additionally, customers seek flexibility in delivery. Offer them a range of delivery methods on your website, such as:
- Standard delivery
- Same-day delivery
- In-store pickup (Click & Collect)
- Parcel locker delivery
In addition to increasing payment and delivery options, it's essential to consider that the overall user experience significantly impacts how the delivery process will occur after placing an order. Many factors can affect delivery delays, but how merchants address this issue makes the difference between a positive or negative customer experience. You can find ways to address the most common delivery issues here.
Implement Cross-sell and Up-sell Techniques
Checkout process optimisation isn't just about reducing cart abandonment rates. You can increase the amount people spend in your online store, and therefore revenue, through cross-selling or upselling. One way to implement these techniques is through a Pop-Up window that appears when the customer is in the cart.
Cross-selling works for you when you recommend an item that complements what is already in the cart. For example, if you're selling shirts, cross-sell matching pants or jewellery to increase the average order value.
Upselling, on the other hand, promotes a higher-priced product similar to the one the customer has already added to their cart. An example is a better phone model compared to the one selected or a more expensive service package.
Closing
Cart abandonment is one of the biggest sources of loss for online sellers today. In addition to the mentioned methods, there are many other options: mobile-friendly design, reducing the number of fields in the checkout form, offering support through live chat, displaying the entire payment process flow, and setting up authentication and payment security confirmations...
So, what steps will you take to improve the user experience in your cart?
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
