With just over a couple of weeks left before Christmas gets here, you can bet that online shopping is taking place in record numbers all over Canada. If you are smart enough to have invested in an e-commerce solution for your business, you are likely taking full advantage of the holiday shopping season right now.
It’s important to note, however, that simply having an online store isn’t enough to guarantee big holiday sales numbers. Dan Shewan of WordStream has revealed that retail marketing firm, Listrak conducted a study that found that 81% of consumers abandon their online shopping carts before purchases.
What can you do to put an end to cart abandonment in your online store?
Make it easy for shoppers to return to their carts.
Not everyone who visits your online store will make a purchase during their first visits. Just like when they shop in malls, consumers wish to look around, browse and return once they’ve made their decisions. When visitors return to your site, ensure that they don’t have to start the shopping process from scratch. Have it so that their carts will be there waiting with all of their selected items.
“Saving a shopping cart should be as easy as clicking a single button,” insists Shewan, “With so many potential distractions (both in “real life” and online), you should almost expect disruption in the checkout process, which is why it’s crucial to allow shoppers to return to their carts later to complete their purchase at a time that’s convenient for them.”
Don’t insist on having your customers create accounts.
It needs to be reiterated that shoppers enjoy efficiency. The quicker a shopping experience, the better it is, for most people. If your online store requests that all visitors set up accounts before making their purchases, you may not get the majority of them to even place items in their carts.
According to RetailWire.com, one “reason shoppers forego signing up for a user account is the time involved, with 22 percent saying the process takes too long. Additionally, another 13 percent of respondents say they don’t sign up for a user account because they are not planning on buying from the store again.”
Have a progress indicator during the checkout process.
Shoppers like knowing how long the entire checkout process is going to take. Remember that most people don’t have a lot of patience. A progress indicator is a great way to show your online shoppers that their transactions won’t take all that long.
“By clearly showing customers where they are in the checkout process, you’re eliminating the potential worry that actually buying something from you is going to take more time than the prospect is willing to commit,” says Shewan.
Are you taking advantage of the popularity of online shopping this holiday season?
At Divvia, we offer a secure e-commerce solution that enables you to easily and securely accept and process all credit cards from your website. To learn all about it, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-877-748-2884. You can also send us a message on our Contact Us page!
