You run a website selling clothes, makeup, and beauty products. Now you are generating visitors. They start browsing your products. And when they finally found what they were looking for, they added the items to their cart. Suddenly, they leave without buying anything. So, you’re left wondering what went wrong.
Cart abandonment is very common among websites. As its name implies, shopping cart abandonment happens when your website visitor adds your product to their e-shopping cart but eventually doesn’t carry on with their purchases. The formula used here to measure shopping cart abandonment is:
Cart Abandonment Rate = (Transactions Initiated – Transactions Completed)/ Transaction Initiated
Since the onset of online shopping, has this always been like this? Yes. Cart abandonment, in fact, has been a thing the moment eCommerce made its way into the buying public. To understand more why this happens, below are the common reasons why your potential buyers abandon their cart, along with the solution you may want to consider.
Shipping Cost. The very reason why your potential buyers refuse to complete their online purchases is because of the shipping cost. In fact, more than half of the shopping carts are simply abandoned because of the added cost, usually the shipping cost. Other additional costs, like fees and taxes, also cause cart abandonment. While currencies differ from all across the globe, the bottom line here is that customers don’t like hidden costs.
To avoid this, state your costs from the outset. Most online shoppers don’t see the shipping costs, not until the end of their buying journey. If possible, be 100% transparent. Consumers will highly appreciate it, and this is critical to the success of your shop. Eliminate the surprise.
No Guest Checkout. Your buyer already did their research, browsed your online shop, and finally decided that they will buy. They add to their carts all that they want to purchase, and at this point, they’re ready to shell out their hard-earned savings. All of a sudden, you’re asking for their home address and personal details instead of their money?
Of course, profiling your buyers is very critical for your marketing moves. But try not to prioritize obtaining their personal data over a purchase. You can ask for added information right after their checkout process.
To avoid this, enable guest checkout. Unless your shop is a members-only club, there’s no reason why you won’t offer your shop to non-members. Imagine a flower shop. You don’t have to be a member to buy a bouquet from your local flower shop, right? While being a member gives your customers more benefits, this is not mandatory at all. So keep your guest checkout enabled if you can.
Complex Checkout Process. This is somehow similar to the lack of guest checkout choice for your buyers. In this case, though, your checkout process is taking a lot of time than it actually should. The form field you ask may be an obstacle to your buyer from start to finish. If there is one key information you should obtain from your clients, it should be their email. At this stage, prioritizing other things, like your client’s personal information, is just a bad idea.
Cart abandonment can be avoided. Understand the many things you can do so your shop won’t end up with a lot of abandoned items.
