The checkout and payment process is the final step for the customer and it can be the most difficult for eCommerce merchants.
The customer journey begins from the start of their search for a product, whether they are browsing or searching for a specific term or product. You have passed every part of the journey — the customer has entered your website from a search result, looked for the product they want or browsed products available, added items to their cart and now are going to complete the purchase. This is where things can sometimes become tiresome for customers.
According to the Baymard Institute, nearly 70 percent of shoppers abandon their carts, not reaching the final step of the customer journey. Of those shoppers, 28 percent abandon their cart because of a long or complicated checkout process.
Other reasons for customers abandoning their cart at checkout are additional fees like shipping and taxes, being prompted to create an account to proceed to checkout, website errors, limited payment methods and more.
Having a smooth and easy to use checkout process that gets customers across the finish line is very important.
There are programs that eCommerce merchants can use to better accommodate customers. You want to make it easy for international customers to make a purchase. You want customers to feel like they can trust the program when going through checkout.
With that in mind, here are some tactics you can try to get customers to checkout and to finish the purchase.
Email – Getting an email address from customers early in the process can help make things a lot easier. Have the customer enter their email and choose whether they want to create an account or check out as a guest. This can help the customer see if they have a previous account that can be used or if proceeding as a guest is better. By getting the customer’s email, even if they do abandon their cart, you can follow up and extend an offer to entice them to complete their purchase later.
Remove Distractions – Once the customer has reached the checkout process, the main focus should shift to getting them to complete the process. You can eliminate elements like the header and footer that can distract from moving forward and make sure to add links for delivery information, reviews and a notification of a secure payment gateway that can help advance customers through checkout.
Make Checkout Quick and Simple – When it comes to filling out the form in checkout and viewing your cart, keep everything simple and easy. Remove the unnecessary elements that can distract customers and keep your call to action clear. Remember, your goal is to have customers finish the checkout process.
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