Running an e-commerce website can be quite challenging.
Faster than ever, people are shopping through the power of the internet, in quick and at times impulse-driven intervals.
This can lead to some e-commerce businesses striving and growing in scale, while others are left in the dust behind the competition.
So, what is the reason that some websites succeed while others fail?
One of the leading factors that come into play is shopping cart abandonment.
You can have a beautiful website that is set up in an easy to understand and use way, filled with loads of eye-catching products and sales & coupons, but at the end of the day have low or no sales.
Why do people abandon shopping cards then, what steers them away from a website, and how can you improve your website, so this does not happen?
- Lack of security
To buy from a website, the user first needs to trust that website, and that their information, when entered on the site, is safe and will not be leaked to hackers.
Security is one of the main things; shoppers consider when shopping online. Most people are still scared of online shopping and having to share their credit card information with a website they have never used before.
To gain their trust, you need to have an SSL Certificate, or preferably, a Comodo EV SSL Certificate for the highest authentication and security standards.
This SSL certificate can help you with the transaction process, ensuring that any transaction made on your e-commerce website is safe by implementing a strong level of encryption.
This certificate offers the highest possible level of security for the shoppers.
- Difficult Checkout
Another reason most shoppers abandon the shopping carts is the checkout process itself, as it sometimes can be quite challenging to get around.
People want to click on checkout, enter some information, and finally pay and as such, keeping things short is essential.
If your website prompts them to enter unnecessary information, or if the process is too long, they might leave.
- Mandatory account creation
A huge turn-off for most shoppers is also the account creation process.
While having the option to make an account is convenient for keeping track of purchases and getting product recommendations and sales coupons. Most people want to get the process over with and do not feel comfortable sharing their email information.
Enabling an option for them to make a single purchase without the need to create an account can go a long into convincing people to shop.
- Hidden costs
On some websites, the cost of shipping is not specified until after the choices are made and finally placed in a shopping card, leading to a surprising reaction from a potential customer when they realize how expensive it might be for the product to arrive at their designated location.
Enabling a shipping estimate within the product description itself can help you avoid this situation altogether, and gain trust and confidence from the shoppers.
- Too much information
Aggressive advertising can also cause problems.
Most e-commerce websites are flooded with advertisements.
Almost every page is filled with products from all angles, both related and unrelated to your search criteria, usually themed in some event or advertising campaign set by the website.
On certain websites, there is a trend when you place a particular product; they recommend other similar products, or products commonly bought alongside the product you have chosen exceptionally aggressively.
As a result, shoppers might want to close the website due to being over flooded with information and images.
- Other options
Always keep in mind that your online store is not the only one on the internet.
Keeping track of competitors is essential for a multitude of reasons.
For one, you need to know what kind of products they are selling, and at what price.
Second, you need to follow what kind of sales and bulk actions they are advertising to their shoppers. Also, how they are trying to win them over and ultimately make their website a new home for shoppers.
People will always strive to get quality products, at a lower price, and most people, before purchasing a product usually check what other options are out there and where they can find the product they desire for the lowest price.
Most companies and websites use this to their advantage and lower prices of certain products accordingly within trends and time frames to lure new shoppers within their system.
- Unstable or slow website
Waiting can be annoying, especially when you want to buy something.
Imagine going to a store, picking up everything you want to purchase, and having to wait at a long line before you can be processed, pay and check out.
The convenience of online shopping is in the fact that you do not have to wait in long lines but can purchase a product from the comfort of your home and having it delivered to you.
Having an unstable and slow website feels precisely as if waiting at a long line before checkout, and many shoppers might feel turned off by this.
A website can also crash or go offline mid-transactions and having to re-enter numbers and addresses can be quite the hassle.
Finally, online retailers can be in better position to server their customer by identifying issues and thereby making strategies to solve them. It is said that 75% abandonment rate has been recorded since 2015. The above reasons should be considered seriously, and online retailers should take steps to overcome this issue so that, they can satisfy their customers in a proper way.
