Cart abandonment is a disheartening problem for e-commerce store owners. It’s crucial to understand and tackle the issues that make customers bail.
Online analytics and insights provide crucial information to any online business owner, but one bit of information is always hard to hear about: cart abandonment. Cart abandonment is when a customer engages with a product, only to leave somewhere in the checkout process. There are many reasons this can happen, so let’s talk about what causes customers to abandon e-commerce carts and what your business can do about it.
Difficult or Confusing Checkouts
An easy way to scare off a customer who otherwise loves your product is to make checkout too tricky or weird. Multiple pop-ups and redirects leave customers wondering how much more they need to do to get this part over with. Forcing customers to input the same information numerous times also frustrates them while creating opportunities for human error.
Test out your checkout process with friends and family, or look to your favorite shops as examples of how to streamline checkout and decrease cart abandonment.
Untrustworthy Payment Options
A crucial aspect of e-commerce is trust. Customers are always wary of small online businesses. Concerns about viruses, information theft, or multiple charges make it increasingly difficult for e-commerce stores to avoid cart abandonment. However, you can rely on the branding efforts of more prominent names to reassure your customers.
Consider payment options that customers recognize, such as Square, PayPal, or Venmo. Provide alternative payments through a third party for guests who aren’t confident putting their card information directly into your site.
It’s also wise to require a customer’s email so that you can send a purchase confirmation or order number.
Losing Faith in the Product
One of the most difficult-to-solve issues that cause customers to abandon e-commerce carts is losing faith in the product throughout checkout. Customers may wonder about images they saw, the product description, and your brand’s reputability. Creeping doubts about your brand’s reliability convince customers to leave the purchase behind.
There are many opportunities to address this that all revolve around improving the digital experience. For example, using many optimized images gives customers more faith and increases site speed. Including social media links on the site shows some credibility while also potentially boosting your marketing efforts.
If you’re starting your business and see a high cart abandonment rate, don’t fret. See this insight as an opportunity to make changes and better understand your audience’s needs. Cart abandonment is always a factor, but it’s still a sign that people are considering your product. That alone is a step in the right direction.
