The cart abandonment rate across all sectors is 75.6%; you are losing more than 7 out of 10 customers who enter your eCommerce store.
And when it comes to cart abandonment rates per device, it's 85.65% for mobile devices and a lower 73.07% for desktop devices.
But why do customers abandon their carts?
Baymard confirmed that most customers abandoned their carts because they were browsing, not purchasing. However, aside from those, what were the other reasons behind cart abandonment?
- 48% said it was because of the high extra fees (shipping, taxes, etc.)
- 24% said it was because the site required them to make an account
- 22% said it was because of the long shipping duration
- 18% said it was because they didn't trust the site with their credit card information
- 17% said it was because of the too long and complicated checkout process
- 16% said it was because they couldn't see or calculate the order cost upfront
- 13% said it was because the website crashed
- 12% said it was because the return policy wasn't satisfactory
- 9% said it was because there weren't enough payment methods
- 4% said it was because their credit card got declined
So here are 8 tips you can do to increase your checkout rate and decrease cart abandonment.
1- Optimize your checkout forms
No one is willing to fill tens of information boxes so keep it tight to the information you need.
Apply auto-fill if you already have the customer's information to reduce checkout time and typing mistakes.
2- Apply guest checkout
Which is more essential for you, a successful checkout or a full abandoned cart? Probably a successful checkout, then why make it difficult for your customers to complete their purchase by making them create an account?
Applying a guest checkout option will increase your checkout success rate, and it will also enhance the checkout experience for your customers. When your customers leave your eCommerce site happy, they're more likely to return to it!
3- Avoid hidden costs
There's nothing worse than thinking that you are buying something for a specific price and seeing a different number on the checkout page!
If additional costs apply to all your products, then perhaps reconsider your pricing to include these fees; otherwise, you need to state that additional charges will apply and clarify the costs to your customers; this way, there's no surprise.
4- Showcase order preview with options to edit the order without returning to the product page
Sometimes and especially during sales, your customers might want to add more of the same item they chose in different colors or the same color but different sizes, etc.
Making them go back to the product page is just wasting their time, and they might end up canceling the purchase altogether or just going with what they have in the cart, and either of these choices isn't the best for your business.
Giving your customers the option to add and change items from the checkout page will make it easier to do so without leaving the checkout page.
5- Have free shipping, returns, and secure payment options
Free shipping is no longer a perk. It's becoming the norm as more and more eCommerce sites embrace it to increase their checkout success rate. Who can deny the power of free shipping?
Free returns are also a significant perk to enlist; purchasing online takes some guesswork on how the product will be or fit in real life. Thus, having an easy and free returns policy will make your customers more inclined to purchase from your store.
6- Secure payment options
securing the payments is a must. Without it, your customers won't trust your site, and they will abandon their carts before you can say credit!
From securing the site itself with SSL certificates to having an HTTPS site and including antimalware and anti-theft software installed will help you gain the trust of your customers, thus increasing your checkout rate.
7- Add trust building icons
Whether the reviews are on your brand or your products, honest reviews are a great way to earn the trust of your customers.
Security badges are also another thing you can do to make your customers feel safer about paying with their credit cards.
The 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer indicates that a staggering 70% feel that trusting a brand is more important than ever and is a primary determinant of purchasing behavior. This is especially true in the age of social commerce, where opinions and traction are everything.
8- A/B test different checkout pages
You always want to go from good to great, so even if your conversion rate is high, you can get it higher; that's why A/B testing is here to help you test two different checkout pages and see which one converts better.
You can always use this method to test your current page's performance against the variations you want to add, so you never risk dropping your conversion rate.
Here at Road9 Media, we are always keen on designing and building the best eCommerce stores for our clients, using advanced technologies and best practices to ensure that you have a converting store. If you need a consultation on the do's and don'ts when it comes to eCommerce, you can easily book a consultation with our experts.
