Six Ways to Keep Shopping Carts from Being Deserted Decrease abandoned carts and increase sales Shopping cart abandonment is a major problem in ecommerce. According to Baymard Institute, 68.07% of shopping carts are abandoned. A study by Forrestor found that $18 billion in revenue is lost annually due to shopping cart abandonment. So what can you do to keep this from happening to your ecommerce company? Fixing some of the most common causes of shopping cart abandonment could decrease your ecommerce site’s cart abandonment rate and increase your company’s revenue and number of customers. Make the Checkout Process Easy One of the primary reasons that a shopping cart is abandoned is having to deal with a confusing or long checkout process. If a customer feels like you are asking for too much information or if the process is taking a long time to complete, the customer is more likely to quit checking out and will just leave your ecommerce site. By only requiring the essential information and having as few steps as possible, you are making the checkout process simpler for your customers which makes it easier for them to buy from your ecommerce business. Competitive Pricing It is always a good idea to keep your prices competitive. Unlike at a brick and mortar store, online shoppers can quickly check your prices against those of other ecommerce websites. If your price is higher than other sites, chances are that customers will abandon their shopping cart on your ecommerce site in order to buy the item on another site where it is being sold for less. Don’t Make Them Register Registration adds to the time it takes for a customer to check out which is never a good thing. Also, some customers may be wary about giving out their personal information. By allowing your customers to use guest checkout and register at a different time if they want to, you are making the decision to buy easier. If buying from your ecommerce site is a positive experience the first time, they are more likely to return to your ecommerce site and buy from your company again. Offer Free Shipping and Returns According to the 2014 VWO ecommerce Survey, unexpected shipping costs are the biggest reason for an increased shopping cart abandonment rate. By offering free shipping and returns, you can guarantee that this won’t be the reason your customers abandon carts on your ecommerce site. Knowing that shipping is free may also encourage shoppers to purchase more items from you. Also, if a customer isn’t sure whether an item is the right size or color, they will feel less hesitant about buying it if they are able to return it for free. If you are unable to offer free shipping, be clear about the shipping costs from the start. Make sure that the shipping prices are easily found on your website and are shown throughout the checkout process. Ratings and Reviews If you aren’t a well known company, many shoppers will do their research before buying products from your site. If they find multiple negative reviews and your company or your products, chances are that they will abandon their shopping cart and choose not to purchase from you. To avoid this issues make sure that you are selling quality products and have excellent customer service. When you do come across negative reviews, try to respond to them professionally on the site that they are posted. Having numerous positive reviews will usually outweigh the few negative ones. Save Their Carts for Later Sometimes shoppers just get busy or distracted, and sometimes they may forget completely about the items that they were about to buy. When this happens, don’t delete their cart right away. Shoppers do return to their carts occasionally, especially when the ecommerce site contacts them by email to remind them. According to VWO ecommerce Survey, 54% of buyers that abandoned their carts will buy the products in their carts if they are offered at a discounted price. Just because a cart may be abandoned doesn’t mean you should give up all hope of the sale. Clarity Can Help Having an intuitive checkout process saves time for your customers and decreases your shopping cart abandon rate. Clarity has done numerous projects for our clients helping them improve their checkout processes and shopping carts. To find out more about how Clarity can help your ecommerce company reduce shopping cart abandonment and make your checkout process easier, call or click to contact us today!