How to Reduce the Cart Abandonment Rate on Your E-Commerce Site

Cart abandonment costs the global economy $18 billion. On average, seven out of ten visitors to your site will abandon items in their cart.

This massive loss of clients is something that businesses can ill afford. That is why we will go over the reasons why your potential customers abandon carts and what you can do to stop it.

 

Why People Abandon Their Carts

 

Understanding why people abandon their carts in the first place is key to solving the issue. Here are the most common reasons for people abandoning their carts.

They Are Just Browsing

In this case, people did not come to the site with the intention to buy immediately. They might add items to their carts to save them for later. In this instance, the cart performs the same function as a wish list. They might have every intention of coming back once they have compared prices on other sites.

Sticker Shock with Additional Fees

Some businesses list their prices on the low end of the scale to attract more clients. They then add extra shipping or handling fees on at the end. That is a losing proposition. The initial low price might encourage shoppers, but as soon as they go to checkout, they will realize that they have been duped. It is better to be upfront about extra costs like shipping, taxes, and similar.

Shoppers Do Not Want to Create an Account to Buy

We understand that you are desperate to get as much information about your customers as possible. It can help you better understand their needs and create targeted advertising for them. Unfortunately, today’s consumers are aware of that. 

They do not necessarily want to provide you with information that you can use to pester them later. They do not want to be inundated with marketing requests.

Privacy concerns are another reason that prospects might be reluctant to give out details. They do not quite know what you are going to do with the information they provide. For all they know, you are collecting data and selling it on.

When selling online, give clients the option of checking out as guests. They will need to provide some details, naturally, but keep the details pertinent to their order. If they are downloading an e-book, it is reasonable to ask for an email address. However, asking for their full names, date of birth, and home address will spark instant suspicion.

Proven Ways to Reduce Cart Abandonment Rate 

Additional costs that are only mentioned during checkout may come as a shock to clients. Therefore, be clear about any additional costs related to shipping in the product description. If shipping costs vary, you can embed a simple calculator like the WooCommerce shipping calculator on your site. That gives prospects a rough idea of what shipping will cost.

Make the Cart Visible on Each Page

This helps those prospects who are using the cart as a wish list. It provides a visual reminder that there is an incomplete purchase.  

Enable Guest Checkout

WooCommerce and Shopify make this simple for you. Customers may still opt to register an account. If they want to skip this step, they have the option.

Make Sure the Checkout Process Is as Fast as Possible

Streamlining your checkout process is essential. Every time your prospects have to submit information and then move to the next page, they have a moment to reconsider their purchase. Where possible, enable one-click checkout. If that is not possible, consider redesigning your checkout page so that the purchase moves along fast.  

Enable Customers to Find Answers to Questions

What if your customers are finding the checkout process confusing? If you do not provide quick answers for them, they will move to another vendor. Do provide a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page and also the opportunity for clients to reach out to you.

Live chat options are ideal because they can be managed automatically by a chatbot that can answer simple questions. This gives customers the answers that they want straight away and also saves your office staff from a barrage of questions.

 

Final Notes

When it comes to cart abandonment, the best defense is to be prepared. Follow the tips above to help reduce the number of abandoned carts. Then get creative and see what other ideas you can come up with.