5 Effective Ways to Improve Shopping Cart Abandonment Rates

Over the years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of ecommerce stores with the growing demand for online shopping among consumers. However, there are multiple instances when customers choose items that they wish to buy and later leave the site, without completing the purchases.

Thus, shopping cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges faced by ecommerce retailers. It may not be possible to stop completely, but a great ecommerce development agency should be able to eliminate most of these issues and improve the online shopping experience for your customers.

What are the causes of shopping cart abandonment?

 Shopping cart abandonment refers to the term when an online shopper with a buying intent visits an online store and adds items into the shopping cart without completing any purchase.

In short, the items or products which finally do not result into any tangible order result into a nil purchase. Generally, shopping cart abandonment requires an in-depth analysis as to why the shoppers are turning away from the website during the final stages of buying the products.

Here are some of the top reasons why online shoppers abandon an online store purchase:

 1.  Lack of real shopping intent

Most online shoppers prefer browsing sites for gathering information about products and they may not have genuine interest in making a purchase on the same day. They may be drawn to other competitor websites which may have better deals and cheaper prices.

On the other hand, if ecommerce retailers provide a good customer experience, they might be enticed to come back to the site.

2. Preference for mobile shopping

The growing popularity of mobile devices has created more demand for online shopping where push notifications may be able to target potential customers.

On the other hand, ecommerce providers still using the desktop version may lose out a valuable opportunity of attracting their niche customers who find streamlined mobile apps more user friendly and convenient for making a purchase.

3. High shipping costs and prices

Ecommerce retailers may charge exorbitant prices for shipping the products and the additional costs may lead to high bounce rates. Furthermore, shipping costs and taxes may not be included in the product description pages which might cause customers to leave the site.

At the same time, slow speed of the website may distract customers from the checkout page, and they may be distracted from your site.

How online retailers can reduce their shopping cart abandonment rates?

1. Create trust and confidence among customers

Customers prefer to shop from ecommerce stores that offer them with greater convenience and transparency during the checkout process. Generally, they look out for trust seals while sharing their personal or financial information on any website. Thus, ecommerce vendors can provide a safe and secure environment using proper encryption methods such as SSL from best SSL certificate providers that establishes a secure connection between the server and the browser.

Installing SSL certificates can help in keeping customer data secure and thereby protect sensitive business information.

DV SSL certificates are easy to obtain and cost-effective, whereas EV and OV SSL certificates provide industry level encryption standards. However, wildcard SSL certificates are useful in securing main domain and its multiple sub domains on unlimited servers using a single SSL certificate.

2. Offer personalized experience to shoppers!

Online shoppers must be encouraged to make quicker purchase decisions by recommending them with products which might prove useful to them. If you want to reduce your shopping cart abandonment rates, personalization can increase the chances of customers buying your products.

In addition, using technologies such as AI on eCommerce platforms may be useful in keeping track their interest, buying behavior and purchase motives of your online shoppers and induce sales.

3. Provide a smooth navigation experience

Most customers prefer to make quick online purchases while they continue to browse other areas of your site which might be of specific interest to them. By delaying this experience with slow websites with higher loading speeds, they might get frustrated and abandon your site. Thus, your online store must allow them to quickly put the items into the shopping basket and return to the checkout process when they are ready to make purchases.

In addition, providing them with multiple payment options can improve the chances of buying on your site. Overall, if you can reduce the number of clicks and enable them to directly checkout from the product pages, it will encourage your online shopper to make a quick decision to purchase your products.

4. Reinforce reasons for buying products

One of the best ways to reduce shopping card abandonment rates is by motivating your shoppers to make a quick purchase. You can use promotional or discount prices on products for limited time that helps customers to avail them before the offer expires. Countdown timers can be a great addition to your ecommerce site as they can be used for announcing sale dates of your campaign to allow visitors to take advantage of the offers.

By creating a sense of urgency for your offers, you can motivate buyers to make a quick purchase and complete the checkout process as soon as possible.

In addition, you can also provide free shipping to your customers as they would be able to get better deals on products at expected prices.

5. Include a powerful call to action

Checkout pages provide the right platform for using call to action that can encourage prospects to complete their purchase. However, make sure that the message is clear and consistent across all pages to provide a smooth and seamless experience to the online shoppers.

As long as your message is clear, your website visitors will be able to take the appropriate action on your website which can reduce the chances of shopping cart abandonment.

Conclusion

Ecommerce stores need to have a transparent policy while advertising their products online to assist their customers in making a quick decision while buying products.