Online shoppers don’t settle for subpar. And why should they? If you had thousands of web-based retailers to choose from, would you settle for a lousy service?
Merchants know that they need an online store, but they often fail to make it appealing for their customers. When shoppers encounter problems during the checkout process, they often leave the site without completing their purchase. This is known as shopping cart abandonment, and it can devastate businesses. Experts in the U.K. say that consumers abandon about 67 percent of purchases. If you’re a retailer, do you really want to lose this much business?
If you don’t, you should consider the following solutions. They’ll help you improve your online store and eliminate cart abandonment. Best of all, you’ll build a stronger relationship with online shoppers, which will lead to repeat business and increased revenue.
1. Offer Reviews on Product Pages
Online shoppers are an inquisitive bunch. They want to know as much about a product as possible before they buy it. If you don’t offer them this information, they may leave your site and do their research elsewhere.
Allowing customers to review your products may seem like a risky proposition. You can’t control what they write, so they may offer negative critiques. But if consumers see that other people recommend a product, they’ll be more likely to buy it. Businesses live and die based on the quality of their products. If your stock is effective, you shouldn’t have any problems with customer reviews.
2. Reduce Checkout Steps
Would you rather leave your home, travel to a store and wait in line to buy a product, or simply buy it online and wait for it to come to you? If you chose the latter, you understand the appeal of online shopping.
Unfortunately, many retailers don’t play to the strengths of their online stores. These merchants add too many steps to their checkout processes, require shoppers to register for an account or redirect them to a separate page to complete their purchases. Avoid these mistakes and keep your process as simple as possible. You’ll retain more shoppers and your sales will increase.
3. Make Your Messaging Clear and Informative
Consumers want clear information when they shop online. You can’t hide important information like prices, shipping costs, and dates of arrival. If you do, shoppers will get frustrated and leave in the middle of your checkout process.
You need to make this information apparent as soon as possible. Prominently display standard shipping times before a customer adds a product to their cart. While a package’s overall cost depends on where it’s headed, you can still be transparent before it’s time for the shopper to pay.
4. Optimize Your Store for Mobile Shoppers
In 2016, U.S. consumers spent about $100 billion on goods and services using their smartphones. Did any of that money go into your pocket? If your store wasn’t optimized for mobile browsing, it probably did not.
Businesses thrive on impulse buys. Consumers might find products on their smartphone, but if they can’t complete the transaction on the spot, they probably won’t follow through. You need to accommodate mobile browsers if you want to avoid massive cart abandonment rates.
5. Let Your Shoppers Know about Your Security Measures
Shopping online is riskier than you may think. Businesses that use unsecured e-commerce solutions could expose their customers’ credit card information to cybercriminals. Consumers are wary as a result, and they need assurances that their information will be safe.
That’s why you need to let your customers know about your security measures. When consumers see that a merchant has taken proactive steps to protect their information, they’re more likely to complete a purchase.
