In the life of an eCommerce retailer, shopping cart abandonment is a nightmare. In 2020, over 88% of online orders got dropped due to many reasons. Moreover, the automotive industry faced the most significant setback, with over 96% cart abandonment.
Looking at cart abandonment rates, it is a significant threat to online shopping and is only getting worse. Imagine going into a supermarket, filling the cart, but coming back empty-handed. It is unlikely to happen in real life, but it is a common occurrence in the eCommerce world.
There are many reasons for an unattended cart and canceled transactions. Here we will discuss what some of those problems may be and how to counter them.
What is Cart Abandonment?
To pinpoint and counter a problem, first, you have to understand what it is. Cart abandonment means a customer left the shopping cart before completing the transaction. It is a common problem in online shopping, and the increased abandonment rate backs it up.
How Does it Affect your e-commerce site?
Although cart abandonment issues are easy to counter, they hurt badly in the long run.
Some of the effects of cart abandonment are as follows:
- You lose a potential customer
- You lost money of advertising
- It disturbs your inventory
- It affects the sales report
Reasons for Cart Abandonment
Before we jump into reasons, understand that these may not be the case for you but are essential to consider. Some of the reasons are as follows:
- High pricing
- Complex checkout procedure
- Too many lags and bugs
- Window shoppers
5 Brilliant Shopping Cart Abandonment Solutions
Now, we have understood what cart abandonment is, how it affects and what triggers it. So, what to do about it?. A question that confuses many, but the answer is simple. Often the customers who reach the checkout phase have a strong desire to buy the product. They have done most, or all the shopping and are now ready to complete the process. At this point, only a massive issue can cause that customer to leave. Following is a list of solutions to possible cart abandonment reasons.
Offer Free Shipping
Often, a buyer withdraws from completing the transaction because of high shipping costs.
To avoid the end of the deal on some shipping charges, consider adding a few options. These options are:
Free shipping (if you can find your way around it)
Fixed shipping (based upon region or country), and
Free shipping at a specific price point.
No matter what option you choose, make it bold and clear not to be shocked at the final pricing.
Provide Discount Options
Often, the customers may get the feeling of an overpriced product or any hidden charges. Although this might not be the case, the customer is always right.
To save the sale, consider offering discounted coupons or vouchers. This will not only bring back the customer for completion but also create a perfect call to action. Some examples are:
Get an extra discount with the next sale, or
Get % discount over certain price point, and
Buy some and get some free.
Doing so will help in building strong customer relations and make them keep coming back.
Send Reminders or Incomplete Orders
Sometimes, the customer loses track of their cart or basket. The customer’s browsing becomes lengthy, and they never complete the transaction.
At this point, giving a heads up may save the day for you. Including a reminder of an unattended cart can also create a sense of urgency and hasten the process. You can also send abandoned cart emails which can help in retargeting the audience.
To avoid losing a sale, you can also add the cart content’s images next to checkout. Using this, you can restrict the customer on the checkout page until the transaction.
Optional Save Purchases for Future
Another reason for a lost sale is not having access to save or guest options. The customer may run into some trouble, like lousy connectivity, and lose the whole cart.
To avoid ruining a sale because of technical issues, including saving options for ease. You can also offer the customer to sign up with your website to save their progress and make the following process easy.
Many people try to avoid signing up and looking for an easy way to buy the product. Adding more options may increase the workload, but a potential sale is worth the extra effort.
Easy Contact Methods
At the final checkout phase, the customer may run into any problem or issue and need help.
This hurdle is somewhat easy to overcome. Many companies add a chatbot feature that can answer some of the common questions. For further queries, a separate contact page is always available.
To avoid losing a customer, try to meet their needs in any way possible. The different contacting options are email, phone, fax, and live or bot chat. These can make the customer feel comfortable and in caring hands.
Conclusion
An abandoned cart is one of the biggest problems that retailers face. Overcoming these issues may be easy but need a few tweaks and tricks. If you cannot find the problem even after research and analysis, don’t worry. Workarounds are available in the form of service providers who can help you in this matter. A veteran name, Out Origin, has been consistent in satisfying their clients. They address the client’s needs and use appropriate tools to meet their demands.
No matter the choice, cart abandonment is a serious issue. It would be best if you deal with it immediately.
