Opening an eCommerce shop on your website is an incredibly powerful way to ensure your sales stay constant. Without the need to head to the high street, people will happily pay for a delivery fee, as long as the product or service warrants the purchase. However, it isn’t a low-standard of items that prevent digital companies from making a profit.
One of the biggest reasons online businesses fail is down to cart abandonment. Shoppers who ditch their baskets before they checkout leave a gaping hole that’s hard to plug. And, if you think it’s not that problematic, you should know that the average rate is 68%. To put it into perspective, this equates to 680 shoppers out of every 1,000 not following through with their interest.
Ouch.
As you can see, you must limit the bleeding if your eCommerce store is going to survive and prosper. For those you don’t know where to start, you should continue reading.
Boost Trust
Internet sales represent almost 20% of all the total retail sales, with the value of the industry ranked at more than £580 billion. To look at these stats, you’d be forgiven for assuming that trust is at an all-time high. Yet, the internet provides unparalleled risks for customers, and there is always a nagging thought in the back of shoppers’ minds.
Of course, security is at the top of the list, which is why changing from an ‘Http’ protocol to an ‘Https’ is an easy-yet-effective tweak. However, consumers are wary of paying for delivery and having to return their package because it doesn’t reflect the web images. Therefore, it’s smart to invest in professional business photographers as experts know how to capture beautiful pictures and ensure they are highly defined. An advanced zoom function is also essential as it allows people to browse as if they were in-store.
These techniques will build trust and give people fewer excuses to proceed to the checkout rather than abandon their carts.
Be Price Transparent
To generalise and say that most shoppers decide to bounce because they don’t want to spend money is wrong. Some people are sceptical from the outset, but the majority of customers are interested in what you have to offer. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have landed on your site initially.
No, what turns them off is surprising charges. Consumers are happy to accept delivery fees, as long as they aren’t extortionate. Also, ‘service’ and credit card charges are enough for people to leave out of spite. They’d rather shop around for the same products and choose a less expensive eCommerce platform.
The cost is an issue. However, typically, it’s the lack of transparency that annoys people as it makes it appear as if you’re trying to pull a fast one. So, it’s crucial to outline the expenses in advance and make sure they aren’t caught out at the final hurdle.
Offer Guest Accounts
Sometimes, shoppers don’t have time to fill out lengthy registration forms. Other times, they don’t like the idea of providing a strange business with data that everybody now understands is essential. As such, forcing customers to sign-up to a full account and input a phone number, home, and email address is a turn-off.
Thankfully, there’s a straightforward solution – a guest account. By signing up as a guest, the consumer can checkout quickly and securely, while you collect the most basic information. After they analyse the experience and realise it’s trustworthy and consistent, they’ll be happy to upgrade.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with sending out follow-up emails to remind people of the benefits of registering for a full account
Reach Out
Whether it’s a cart abandonment email or a phone call from a member of the customer service team, reaching out goes a long way. To many, it’s a sign that you’re willing to go the extra mile, even if it doesn’t change their mind in the short-term. Plus, it plugs holes that you didn’t know existed.
For example, after speaking to a customer who didn’t checkout, you may recognise that there’s an issue with the promo code feature on the website. Once you have the information, two things happen. Firstly, you stop the shopper from bouncing by solving the problem over the phone or via email. Secondly, you prevent more abandonments as a result of incorrect code.
Reaching out is a small gesture that has massive implications in the short, medium and long-term.
Do any of the above apply to your eCommerce shop? How will you fix the issue?
