Cart abandonment is an issue faced by every e-commerce merchant. The FEVAD estimates that in France this rate is around 70%. Of course, this varies from one sector to another, but regardless of the sector, it remains quite high. However, there are more or less sophisticated tips to implement in order to reduce cart abandonment and encourage your visitors to complete their purchase process.
- Reduce shipping costs: one of the simplest tips to implement. Shipping cost is the number one reason for cart abandonment. Sometimes it's better to slightly reduce your margin and make a sale than to sell nothing at all.
- Indicate shipping costs as early as possible: this allows the user to know what to expect and not be surprised by a hefty bill when confirming their order.
- Make the cart contents visible throughout navigation: this enhances the shopping experience and helps users keep track of their shopping progress.
- Allow cart saving: this feature is sometimes called a wishlist, popularized by Amazon, allowing users to create a cart of products to order later.
- Extend the cart retention period: when the user returns to the site, they won't need to browse your catalog again; their cart will still be there, ready to order.
- Offer different payment methods: PayPal, credit card, check, bank transfer. Each customer has their preference.
- Offer different delivery options: every customer is different; some prefer a slower, cheaper option, while others want a fast solution, regardless of the price.
- Include testimonials: the main success factor in e-commerce is trust. What better way to show the trust your customers have in you?
- Highlight ways to contact you: an excellent way to build trust.
- Simplify account creation by limiting the number of mandatory fields: there's no need to make the date of birth field mandatory, for example, unless you're in a sensitive sector.
- Allow "guest" checkout: enabling purchases without an account makes the process quicker and gives a sense of freedom.
- Ask users to create an account after the order, not before: once the order is placed, it's easier to propose account creation as the benefits are clear: order tracking, access to invoices, etc.
- Display delivery times: always with transparency in mind, make sure to provide delivery timelines.
- Clarify your product return policy: it reassures consumers to know that returning a product won't be a hassle. Moreover, it's mandatory for e-commerce businesses to comply with the law on this matter.
- Once in the conversion funnel, avoid distractions: when the customer is on a product page, don't give them too many opportunities to stray; in other words, paradoxically, limit similar product suggestions.
- Offer a responsive design site: this seems obvious today, given the share of mobile traffic. Also, Google favors mobile-optimized sites in search rankings.
- Use readable call-to-action buttons: buttons like "Add to cart" or "Sign up" for the newsletter should be visible to encourage clicks.
- Use larger typography: this contributes to user comfort.
- Test new colors: this can be done with a simple CSS change and sometimes unlocks conversion rates. Don't underestimate the role of color in e-commerce.
- Refine error messages: an error message often generates frustration; use it to add some originality to these messages.
- Clearly indicate the steps in the order process: at this stage, you need to balance speed and clarity.
- Offer to share a "wishlist": if your visitor can create a wishlist, allow them to share it on social networks; this could bring you new customers and thus new carts.
- Follow up on abandoned carts: sending an automatic follow-up email, if well-structured, can convert 15% of abandoned carts into completed orders.
- Offer a discount during follow-ups: this adds a real benefit for the recipient, which might be the trigger they need.
- Ask why the cart was abandoned during follow-ups: if you're going to communicate with your visitors, you might as well ask them why they abandoned their carts; even if only 5% respond, it's still valuable information!
- Use form pre-filling: shipping/billing: this saves time on a tedious task.
- If possible, customize payment pages with your branding: if the customer chooses to pay via PayPal, don't forget to add your logo to the PayPal page. This builds trust.
- Conduct A/B testing: testing two versions of the same page often helps identify improvement levers. For example, you can simply test two different colors or even two different page layouts.
- Conduct a focus group: select a group of people to test the site and then gather their impressions.
- Track your visitors' journey with crazyegg: crazy egg allows you to set up heat maps on your site pages, showing where your visitors click, which is often very insightful.
Now it's your turn!