Shopping cart abandonment is an ecommerce term used when a high-intent shopper visits an eCommerce website, adds at least one product to the shopping cart, and proceeds to exit the website without completing the purchase. Products that are added to the cart but are not purchased are considered to be “abandoned” by the shopper.
Simple ways to avoid shopping cart abandonment
1. Need for speed!
In this fast-paced era with an element of impatience, where people exit a website if it takes more than a few seconds to load, the key to reducing shopping cart abandonment is to ensure that the website or app interface provides an experience as seamless and painless as possible. This means, using techniques like lazy loading to keep load times as low as possible. Keep testing the speed of the website after each update. This is especially important because shoppers remember the sites that give them a bad experience very well.
2. Go Mobile
Since young shoppers are increasingly using their mobile phones to shop, a streamlined, attractive mobile interface of the website is vital to getting more online sales traction. If the interface is haphazard and not user-friendly, then this, combined with the usual distractions (calls, messages, social media..etc) will lead to increased shopping cart abandonment.
Mobile-friendly websites were great but it is time to upgrade to a mobile-optimized or a responsive website.
3. Keep the checkout short and sweet
With an abundance of eCommerce websites providing shoppers with more choices than ever before, shoppers tend to lean towards the ones with easier checkout flows. The minute they encounter a lot of pop-up windows or multiple confirmations for the same action, they are going to exit to find a website with an easier interface. Same way, if they find a website with an enhanced UX, that brand is going to earn their loyalty.
The cart page must appear uncluttered and present a clear picture of the chosen products. Prominent details on the page must include a breakdown of the price in terms of cost, shipping, and taxes, information on the return/exchange policy, and delivery.
4. Eliminate uncertainty:
One of the major complaints of online shopping is the difference between the real product and its online description or product images. This can be reduced by realistic product photography, incorporating more detailed, catchy product descriptions, and by including videos of the product that show a more realistic image of the product and its attributes. The importance of keeping all descriptions honest and as real as possible cannot be stressed enough. Heavily-edited photos are a big no in an age where shoppers value credibility over everything else.
5. Keep all prices transparent
Most websites show one cost in advertisements or even on the PDP (Product Description Page) and then increase costs in the cart. This makes shoppers wary of the sudden increase in price. The easiest way to avoid shopping cart abandonment is to make sure all costs (including shipping and taxes) are clearly indicated in the product description page. This ensures that people don’t bounce from the checkout page seeing a jump in the total cost. One thing websites can do is to build the tax in within the product cost, and mention the cut-off rate for free shipping and delivery (if it exists) at the home page or the product pages. This will ensure transparency and credibility.
6. Peer Pressure
The best person to convince a shopper is another shopper. A simple message like “3000 shoppers bought the same product this month” can go a long way to reassure shoppers that they have made the right decision. When shoppers feel that they’ve got the best deal for their price, they are positively inclined to go through with the purchase. A website can also assure them of this by including information about savings, shopper ratings, and reviews for each product page which is a great way to foster trust.
7. Returns
One of the greatest advantages of eCommerce is their ability to offer doorstep return/exchange facility. An efficient policy supporting this needs to be clearly placed on the checkout page to offer reassurance to the shopper. Free returns allow shoppers to buy items without any worry and doubt.
8. Style it up!
Another effective element to include in the shopping cart abandonment page is styling recommendations based on the products in the cart. When a shopper sees accessories to complete the look, it inspires her to visualize the outfit and encourages her to add those accessories to her cart or at the very least, purchase the clothes to be styled with similar accessories she already owns. This increases the size of the cart and provides a great experience
9. Multiple Payment Options:
With the abundance of payment options available, retailers need to offer multiple payment gateways including region-specific payment options, and the option to remember their payment details. New payment partners may also offer special deals and cashback schemes enticing the shoppers to complete their purchase.
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