Is your online basket putting off buyers?

Making your customer journey effortless is key to converting browsers into buyers.

And where that matters most is right after browsers have filled their baskets and are ready to check out – at which point many will abandon their cart. Making sure the process is easy, trustworthy, reassuring and doesn’t throw up any surprises is critical to making sure they navigate through and complete the purchase.

Follow our 9 step guide to making sure as many browsers as possible become buyers – and not just once!

1.       Make sure you look good!

Good quality imagery, in the round wherever possible, is a key driver in helping a browser to become a buyer. 360 degree views, zoomable images and colour schemes not only allow the viewer to make an informed viewing choice, it also speaks volumes about your quality standards and ultimately inspires trust.

2.       Ask them to register after they’ve bought.

Almost a third of shoppers actively dislike being made to register to buy. So, again, offer choices – straight to checkout, log in using existing account or register later.

3.        Keep it short

Make your customers jump through too many hoops – or too many pages – and you’re in real danger of losing them. Multiple pages with long forms, questions or too many product suggestions can all be off-putting. Whereas, an express checkout option gives your browser (soon to be buyer) a really attractive option.

4.       Highlight promotions!

Put all your special offers where bargain hunters can find them – they might not be in the market for a product, but most people are always up for a deal. It’s been proven that over 60% of online shoppers actively look for sale sections, coupon codes and stock clearances.

5.       Keep the cart in sight

Don’t make customers back track to check they’ve put everything they want in their basket. You’ll find, as others have, providing easy access to the cart at all times should minimise abandonment. Using a dropdown menu or allowing the cart to appear on screen when a new item is added is useful tools.

6.       Add Value – make delivery FREE

If you can afford too, taking a hit on shipping costs gives a good ROI. Because delivery charges can be a deal breaker, particularly if they’re high or are introduced at a late stage – not the kind of surprise shoppers relish! A study by E-Tailing Group confirms that unconditional free shipping is THE MOST IMPORTANT factor in making customers complete a purchase with 70%+ of those surveyed stating it as critical. It could be even more important to your business as free shipping not only encourages sales, but encourages bigger sales – shoppers are more likely to buy more when free delivery is highlighted throughout the process.  

7.       No nasty surprises

Hidden fees and charges are a big no-no. Think of most budget airlines and you’ll understand the frustration – what starts out as a very attractive fare can often end up being many times more expensive. WebCredible have found that almost half of online shoppers will abandon their purchases when confronted with things like additional sales tax or specialised shipping. If you can’t integrate these into your prices competitively, add a calculator or estimator into the process as early as possible.

8.       Choices Pay...

Think about the ways your customers can pay and try to offer them all where possible – striking the balance between choice and not making the process too confusing, of course!

9.       Send a reminder

There are any number of reasons why a shopper abandons their cart, so a short reminder by email, maybe even suggesting a few alternative items, could be all it takes to complete the sale at a time that is more convenient.  Think about building in options like ‘Save for later’ or ‘wishlists’ – these features help potential buyers easily navigate back to the products that they were most interested in.  

Any or all of these tips will help to streamline your customer journey, make for a better customer journey and ultimately translate into more sales – ask us how we would help you to reduce basket abandonment, and better your bottom line!

Best of luck with your basket conversion rate optimisation!  We’d love to hear how you get on, or to be able to help you on your journey to achieving more online sales, more enquires, more reviews, or more of whatever your Call to Action is!

Contact us today! 

By Paul Haslam