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Shopping Carts & Online Payments
Shopping Cart Abandonment
Avoid these pitfalls
Online shopping cart abandonment is like finding a shopping cart abandoned in your local store: Someone has placed products in their cart and walked away before completing the purchase process. Like your local store, ecommerce operators know abandoned carts mean lost revenue.
Here’s a list of common pitfalls that encourage abandoned carts:
- FORCED ACCOUNT REGISTRATION Shoppers value their privacy. By placing the decision point for account registration at the end of the purchase process customers become more agreeable to having an account.
- EXCESSIVE, CONFUSING SHIPPING RATES Shipping rates should be equitable to the customer and the business. Charging excessive shipping rates can cause many e-shoppers to leave without completing the purchase process. Live shipping rates from a shipping provider will help reduce shopping cart abandonment.
- LONG CHECKOUT PROCESS Ever notice that when you go to the grocery store or department store you tend to choose the shortest line possible? E-customers tend to appreciate short, speedy checkout processes. Information should be requested in as few steps as possible to successfully complete the order process as possible.
- FEW PAYMENT METHODS Offering as many payment options as possible allows your customers to pay with an option more suitable to their needs. Letting your customers know which payment options are available up-front improves conversion rates and reduces shopping cart abandonment.
- COMPLICATED CHECKOUT PROCESS Your checkout process should be simple and easy to follow. Each step should progressively navigate the customer to a successfully completed order. Keeping in mind the checkout process should be short, many elements can be on the same page such as the shipping and billing information. The credit card request should come after presenting the full charges. Helping your customers through the experience you're building trust and reducing shopping cart abandonment rates.
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Published on Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Comments:
This was very interesting.
Lee, do you have statistics on the difference that it makes asking customers to register at the end of the shopping process rather than the start?
Cheers,
Elizabeth
Posted by: Elizabeth Ball
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Thanks for the great tips. You want a shopping cart experience that is friendly, intuitive, and trustworthy. Security and reliability should also be heavily considered when implementing a shopping cart solution. There are many solutions available on the Net. Some are even free if you help promote their site. Depending on the size of your operations and your goals (what kind of reporting features, customer support features, customization, etc..), you can hire a programmer to implement one for you, or you need to develop in conjuction with your ecommerce site by yourself.
http://ecommerce.objectwareinc.com
Posted by: ecommerce-solution
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Being a big online shopper myself, I think having the registration at the start is better, (less cart abandonment) because if I register first then I am less apt to leave the cart and run from the store....if I have a full cart and then get to the check out and find a big process to signing up etc..then I would run a bail seeing the complicated process is not worth it. I HAVE left carts at stores not because I registered at the beginning but because when I got to the check out part, I found out the site was not secure, and I would not give out my info..so I had to leave the cart and bounce!!!....
Posted by: Sandhya
Saturday, December 29, 2007
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Is there a e-course on setting this up on my website. Thank You. Marty Howington
Posted by: marty howington
Friday, September 28, 2007