This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
This is a user generated content for MyStory, a YourStory initiative to enable its community to contribute and have their voices heard. The views and writings here reflect that of the author and not of YourStory.
The average level of shopping cart abandonment reaches 50%, which means that no matter how successful your online store is, there are still half as much orders you are unfortunately missing. But do not let this statistics be your final sentence! There are ways to improve your checkout page conversion rates and decrease your personal cart abandonment level. Below, you will find five actionable tips to implement at your online shop.
Tip #1: Step up checkout page layout and design
A great deal of purchasing decision drive roots in the visual appeal of the checkout page or pages. It is vital to design and visualize a clear, intuitive checkout flow that will never leave your customer confused or puzzled. Also, make sure to have the buttons perfectly visible and place them at the checkout page bottom. Moreover, to make a customer feel secure and protected, leave links to your privacy, shipping and return policies at the checkout page. The final advanced checkout method that will greatly improve customer satisfaction and increase the chances a purchase will be complete is to allow users to continue shopping from the checkout page, in case they have forgotten to add something to their cart.
Tip #2: Diversify payment and shipping options
Customers can experience a great deal of confusion and dissatisfaction at the final checkout stages, when they learn that the final price differs significantly from what they expected due to shipping fees or extra taxes. In this case, honesty is the best policy, so come clean with the shipping costs directly at the product page. Also, make sure to provide not a single, but multiple payment and shipping options to cover the needs and preferences of all your potential customers. A great competitive advantage is free shipping, and the ability to provide it will significantly minimize cart abandonment rate.
Tip #3: Leave a pleasant impression after the deal is closed
You may be just one simple “Thank you” away from establishing a bond with a customer that will develop into loyalty. Unfortunately, most retailers ignore this step, considering it quite unnecessary because the money was already paid. And this is your time to shine! If you run your online business with Magento, you can set up a great and say “thank you” with a picture, a video or a discount.
Tip #4: Introduce customer rewards system
To effectively drive a deal to the final closure, offer your customer a small reward that will melt their hearts. The best solution here is to devise a sophisticated loyalty program that will offer discounts depending on customer’s status, order history or money spent at your store. Another way is to hold seasonal or holiday-bases sales - the main challenge here is to determine what holidays your target audience will celebrate and what gifts they will most likely purchase.
Tip #5: Enhance your product details
Last but not least, consider your product descriptions. If a customer is unsure about any aspect of a product they are aiming to buy, there is a high chance they will abandon their prospect purchase. That is why it is crucial to include the exhaustive amount of information at your product page. Apart from the standard product summary, photos and videos, price, in stock, include customer reviews and ratings blocks, because people tend to trust the opinions of their fellow-customers better than descriptions written by the retailer himself. Another great improvement is to enumerate all the available shipping options for the product together with shipping fees.
These were the top 5 advice on how to improve your online store checkout. We hope you find these tips useful and will apply at least some of them on practice. The article belongs to the BelVG ecommerce development company.