Let Your Customers Know Their Transaction Is Safe
Internet security continues to be a consumer worry. And with good reason. According to one study, it is estimated that by the end of this year, there will be $6.4 billion of credit card fraud in the United States alone for Card-Not-Present transactions. Buying Online isn’t as safe as you think, and it doesn’t take much for a customer to back out of a transaction if they suspect their card number or identity is threatened. How do you combat that suspicion? First things first, you might want to actually make sure that your website actually is secure. If you’re using a platform like Shopify, chances are you’re fine. But, it’s one thing to be secure, it’s another thing to remind your customers of that fact. A great way to ensure online shoppers that their credit card information is safe is to proudly display your security icons on every page, and especially throughout the transaction process.
Don’t Surprise Your Customers With Last-Minute Costs
One of the things customers hate the most about purchasing items online is all the hidden costs they’re dealt with at the very last minute. Unless you indicate “free shipping” all over your website, we might assume there are going to be shipping costs, but if you plan on adding on extra fees, be sure to tell your customer before they add the item to the shopping cart. An appropriate place to inform your customers of extra costs is in the product description itself. And you know what makes spending a few bucks a little more bearable? If you explain why the fees are there. Customers don’t want to feel like you’re pulling a fast one on them. Being upfront and honest from the very beginning means there are no unpleasant surprises.
Make the Purchasing Process as Easy as Possible
One of the perks of shopping Online is that you get to avoid those long lineups at the cash register. So, it makes no sense to force your customers to wait just as long to pay for their merchandise Online. Our advice is to make the process from “Go to Checkout” to “Complete My Order” as seamless and as pleasant as possible. There are a couple of ways to do this:
- Add a progress indicator at the top of the page.
- Customers will know what to expect.
- Include thumbnails of shopping cart items.
- If your customer is spending a lot of time browsing, they may need reminding of what’s in their cart. This allows them to quickly compare your products. It also prevents them from having to press the back button to simply return to the online store.
- Don’t let unnecessary clutter stand in the way.
- The easier you can make it for customers to reach the checkout page, the less chance they have of changing their mind. They should be able to quickly check out right from a product page without having to create an account or fill out a questionnaire first.
Give Your Customers Options
Some of us are too young to remember when cash and cheque were the only two payment options available. The mere existence of Bitcoin reminds us that we’ve come a long way from basic transactions. Which brings us to your payment options. If you run an e-commerce site and the only options you give your customers are Visa, Mastercard, and Amex, you might face shopping cart abandonment. Customers expect and rely on various payment methods like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Giving your customers options at checkout will reduce abandonment by allowing them to choose how they want to pay. And while we’re at it, let them choose their own shipping rate.
Make Them Change Their Mind After They’ve Left
A customer that leaves their shopping cart is not a total lost cause, and if you treat them as such, then you’re doing yourself a major disservice. Don’t despair if a customer up and quits. First of all, accept that customers will leave your site from time to time. It might not have anything to do with your website. But, for customers who just need a little nudge in the right direction, there are certainly ways to draw them back to their shopping cart to help them complete the transaction.
- Use remarketing with Google AdWords and Facebook to deliver high-quality photos of your products to remind your customers why they wanted your product in the first place.
- Use email marketing to target these customers. This is a great way to offer discounts or free shipping.
- Exit-intent pop-ups can be installed on any page and are a clever way to hold on to your customer when it looks like they’re about to exit your page. By adding these pop-ups at the check-out page, you can quickly offer a discount or other piece of information that will encourage them to complete the transaction.
Don’t Let Shopping Cart Abandonment Bring You Down
Shopping cart abandonment is bound to happen from time to time. But, with just a little bit of marketing and website reconfiguration, you’ll be happy to see more completed transactions. Another way to reduce shopping cart abandonment is to build a stellar website that’s easy on the eyes and runs at lightning speed.
