Shopping cart abandonment is a problem that continues to plague e-commerce sites. It's certainly a topic we've discussed at SmallBusinessNewz in the past.
How do you keep people from leaving without buying? Tell us about your strategy.
There are certainly things you can do to optimize your online buying experience in efforts to reduce shopping cart abandonment, but it will likely never be enough to keep abandonment from happening at all.
Forrester Research recently put out a report looking at shopping cart abandonment. The firm says:
Despite improvements in site design and increased consumer comfort with online purchasing, 88% of Web buyers say that they have abandoned an online shopping cart without completing a transaction. This is the same percentage as five years ago, suggesting that retailers have yet to address the primary drivers of cart abandonment: frustration with the amount of shipping costs, unpreparedness to make a purchase, and a desire to comparison-shop for a lower price. Cart abandonment highlights the opportunity for retailers to recover lost sales by clearing the path to purchase, clarifying shipping prices and delivery times up front, as well as testing various checkout scenarios.
SeeWhy Founder Charles Nicholls offered us some commentary on the subject (elaborated on in his blog post). "As website visitors gain online experience, even more visitors will abandon their shopping carts, and online comparison shopping will become ever more commonplace," he says.
"We already know that highly-educated, experienced and wealthy shoppers are more likely to use voucher codes or look for them online," says Nicholls. "Forrester found that web buyers who abandon shopping carts spend more online than those who don’t. What this tells us is that visitors who abandoned shopping carts are very valuable: higher income customers that are more tech savvy and use this knowledge to comparison shop and get better deals online."
Among the stats he references specifically are:
- More than two-thirds of shopping cart abandoners say they like to shop around before making a purchase.
- Nearly one-half of shopping cart abandoners say that they plan to conduct more online research before purchasing in order to get the best price.
"Despite optimization of shopping cart processes, shopping cart abandonment is here to stay," Nicholls concludes. "This is in part because the top causes of shopping cart abandonment are not addressed by shopping cart optimization, because they are behavioral issues: website visitors not yet ready to buy, looking for a better deal, or concerned about the cost of shipping and handling, etc."
What would you suggest to beyond the typical optimization processes to keep buyers from abandoning shopping carts?
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Comments
It's all about information prior to the sale...
The shopping carts I've abandoned have all been due to the fact that I couldn't get all the informaton I needed to make my decision until I went to the shopping cart...and once I got there, I found it wasn't the best deal. If e-commerce sites could put everything the consumer needs prior to the cart, you'd have less abandonment...but you'd also have less folks going to the cart in the first place.
Probably...
As web site owner of safety and security products, I don't really think you're going to fix this problem. It can probably be managed to some degree but it won't go away all together. Thanks, Chris.
Doubtful
Having spent the last 8 months at ProGarment & ProGarmentUSA I've seen first hand several customers load up a cart with quality merchandise and then totally abandon the whole thing. I believe cart abandonment will stay around as long as the number of online stores continue to expand. So now my best suggestion would be to build up your company brand through good SEO practices and advertising. Its obvious that a consumer will buy more from a name that is familar and trustworthy.
It's Not Rocket Science
As we know the fundamental to every sales transaction flows from awareness, building desire, establishing trust and delivering - as Seth Godin says turning Strangers into Top Fans
So much effort (= time and money) is spent getting people to a website but then failing to deliver an engaging online experience, ie many websites are like walking into a badly laid out retail store with no customer service.
The St George Illawarra Dragons (an Australian National Rugby League Club) have used their much loved retired player (and Club Ambassador ) Wendell Sailor to meet and greet their website visitors and promote membership through to merchandise (see Reebok range launch).
To address shopping cart abandonment a CLIVEvideo (Customer Live Internet Video Experience) of Wendell was also created right at the highest exit point - their online shopping cart register. (click on item then go to check out).
Sales naturally increased and abandonment decreased.
It's not rocket science.
Hiding Information
I have to admitt that I abandon shopping carts quite often because the company are not given enough information about the purchase before you are in the cart. Mostly is it because they hide the price and you have to go to the cart to find it out. I don't think on those companies as honest and loose all my trust with them.
The second reason is lack of information about the product in the decission moment in the cart.
The third reason is that they ask for information that is none of their business. I don't give out my living addres if I buy something that is downloadable. If I buy I fill the form fields with "xyx.." and other made up information.
This is my five cents of input and I have been an web developer since 1995.
Shipping Fees
As web site owner of Android Tablet products, i think the reason of shopping cart abondon is due to high shipping fees and comparsion shopping. also the trustworthy of the website.
Shipping Fees
Agreed. However, shipping cost is something that is completly out of our hands. USPS has recently increased their shipping fees again. However in order to compensate for this...we at Americasprice.Com offer "FREE RETURN SHIPPING" Hopefully, this will make it a bit more painless for our customers knowing that if something should go wrong they don't pay a cent to return their purchase. Now that has to count for something..
www.americasprice.com
Shopping Cart Abandonment
Let me illustrate shopping cart abandonment using a traditional department store. Imagine walking into your local department store to pick up a gift for a friend’s wedding.
Cart abandonment
Well not only are we sellers at Americasprice.Com but also consumers. One thing is certain, when shopping online you want the best shopping experience possible. That should include everything being laid out in plain view for the consumer to view including the cost of the item, shipping cost, etc. Also, the one thing we hate most of all is being forced into having to register with a site. If a site requires registration in order for us to buy from them...we simply move on.
www.americasprice.com
Often, in my experience
Often, in my experience, potential consumers leave the shopping cart when they find they cannot process with their current credit card or banking method. Many continue to use PAYPAL, yet this system is not always supported by online businesses.
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