Cart Abandonment happens when your online shoppers add items to their cart and then leaves before checking out. Don’t worry, it’s normal. You have probably done it yourself.
Based on most studies, the cart abandonment rate is approximately between 60% – 69%. That’s a lot!
Online shoppers abandon their carts for a number of reasons. It is important to identify the causes to develop a strategy to recover these sales effectively.
1. Shipping cost
Knowing the most probable causes can be a good start to recover your carts. Here are some ways to take on this common setback:
A lot of customers are turned off by high shipping costs and hidden fees. Some feel cheated whenever they find a good sale only to find out that the shipping will cost more than the product. The best course of action is not only to fully disclose all the costs and fees, but develop a strategy where you can offer reduced or even FREE shipping; setup bundles and minimum spends.
2. User Accounts and Long Checkout Process
This happens to be our pet peeve as well. Sometimes when you are shopping online, you just want to buy something and checkout immediately with little to no fuss. After all, who doesn’t want a quick sale? Aside from offering guest checkout, it is important for your customer to understand the importance of creating an account with you.
3. Poor website experience
The overall usability and user experience of your site has a big impact on whether customers buy or abandon their carts. Poor site navigation will cause your shoppers to get confused and instead move away from the sale. Don’t expect your shoppers to figure out their way around. Make their experience fun and easy.
Persuade customers to purchase
If customers aren’t ready to buy, they just aren’t ready. However, you can try to change this by being persuasive.
The Principles of Persuasion
- Reciprocity – if you get something, you want to give something back
- Scarcity – if there’s less of something to go around, people want it more
- Authority – if you’re a credible expert, people trust you more
- Consistency – when people make a commitment, they like to follow through
- Liking – if people like you or think you’re similar to them, they’re more likely to say yes
- Consensus – being guided by the behavior and actions of others
Understand your shoppers and why they are abandoning their carts, then work on a solution to address their concerns. Add your persuasion skills and expect good returns from your abandoned carts.
