BEST WAYS OF RECOVERING SHOPPING CARTS
Can you imagine the chaos if every second shopper at your local grocery store abandoned their full cart at the checkout counter. But that’s exactly what’s happening in the online retail environment.
Various studies have been done which show that the percentage of online shopping sessions that are abandoned is anything from twenty to seventy five per cent. The reasons for abandonment are many and varied, but unless online retailers address the issues, they will continue to lose out on a fortune of potential sales.
The solution is two-fold.Online retailers firstly need to ascertain the reasons for the high rate of abandonment and then plan a way forward to deal with the problems.Sounds simple, but it’s not.It’s a complex process with customer needs ever-changing and technology evolving rapidly.It’s important that your web design company keeps abreast of any changing e-commerce technology and processes.
Some of the main reasons for shopping cart abandonment are :
* Comparison shopping
* Indecision and confusion
• Insufficient funds
* HIgh shipping costs
* Products unavailable at checkout
• Lengthy and complicated checkout process
* Not keen to disclose any personal information
* Perception that customer support isn’t satisfactory
* Concerns about security
To increase the rate of conversion, the site should be looked at from the client’s side.what often happens is that e-commerce sites are designed the wrong way around – from the inside out, not outside in.The same rule that the customer is king applies in the real world and the virtual world.
Dale Carter, MD of Perth web design company, GTP iCommerce, has some guidelines for sealing the deal. “The ecommerce interface has to be consistent with the design of the homepage, otherwise it will undermine the site’s credibility.Streamline and simplify the whole process whilst also taking away the need for unnecessary collection of data.Buyer frustration is directly linked to the speed of the transaction, so it is vital to get that right.According to studies, around 41% of shoppers will abandon their cart because check-out is taking too long, and that an average shopper will only wait 10 seconds to download a site.It’s important not to have any hidden costs, and to be totally upfront with the cost of shipping etc. as well avoid banner ads or other distractions.
“Ensure you’ve got the basics of web design covered.The basic elements of design such as colour, layout, navigation and links are in fact, often undervalued.It’s important to have a site that can be navigated quickly and easily, with customer support that is easily accessible and visible security protection.Online retailers should consider inserting a currency converter too.”
Some of the problems and solutions can be worked on, is there a way to recover carts that have already been abandoned ?”No doubt,” says Carter.”Customer data such as email addresses and telephone numbers should be collected during the initial order stages.An immediate, automated response can then be sent to the shopper if they abandon their cart so as to enourage them to return.”
Professional web design combined with careful e-commerce processes will help close the deal and clear the mounting piles of abandoned shopping carts.