Basket abandonment rate for eCommerce websites can be frustratingly high. The average rate for abandoned baskets sits around 65%, but for some sectors it can be as high as 80%!
Costly delivery and the customer not being ready to purchase top the list of reasons for basket abandonment. However, website UX design is also a major influence. According to Invesp 11% of abandoned baskets are attributed to a complex checkout or basket process and 24% of shoppers are saving selections and deciding later.
Keep it simple
An over complicated checkout process simply hinders shopping conversions. It’s vital to put the shopper in control and allow them to easily view, amend and update their basket, as well as easily add their details, choose delivery options and pay with ease. A good online basket and checkout area should include:
- good quality product images
- clear price and discount information (if applicable)
- product quantities (which can be easily amended)
- delete button next to each product
- simple and intuitive contact details and address fields – the ability to add a postcode to select their address from a pre-poluated list is a great addition
- easy payment options – try to have more than one payment option such as card, PayPal, ApplePay etc.
The basket and checkout area should put the shopper at ease and allow them to amend their product choices, add relevant details and make payment without frustration.
Don’t forget the Call To Action (CTA)
Once an online shopper has added product(s) to the basket, the process of them committing to complete the purchase has to be straightforward and strong. It may sound obvious, but don’t bury the Call To Action at the bottom of the page. A simple, clear and attractive ‘Checkout’ button is a must.
Baby, come back
The ability to save basket contents is known to aid eCommerce conversions. However, we’d suggest going one step further and ‘auto save’ a shoppers basket for them. If a visitor has gone to the trouble of adding product to their basket, keep it there, so if they revisit the website their selections will be waiting for them. Combining an auto save basket with a strategic remarketing campaign can also be a winning combination.
Encourage ‘guest checkout’
14% of abandoned baskets are linked to the lack of ‘guest checkout’ functionality. There can be a reluctance from businesses to offer a guest checkout option, because they “want to be able to email them” or “want shoppers to be able to log in again”. Valid points perhaps, but website visitors can suffer from account fatigue and simply don’t want to create yet another online account.
If an eCommerce website can not only meet, but exceed visitor expectations (in terms of user experience), customers will want to create an account. Automated email campaigns that invite (and incentivise) guest visitors to register an account can help generate organic customer loyalty.
