There are certain shared experiences that few people realize until someone happens to mention it. Putting items into your shopping cart at line, you become distracted, and leave your computer. Hours, days, or even weeks later, you return to your shopping cart, only to delete the page without purchasing an item. Why does this happen? What can we do to stop cart abandonment? Lets take a look.
Some Must Know Facts
Would you be surprised to know that over 22 separate studies, it was found that 68% of shoppers abandon their online carts? The majority of cart abandonment occurs between 8 to 9pm, and oddly enough it peaks on Thursdays.
Why Would Someone Leave Their Cart Instead of Buying?
This can happen for a number of reasons. One popular theory is that people want to compare and contrast different online retail outlets to see what the best price is for a number of different purchases. Lets take for example clothing stores. If you want to buy socks, pants, and a suit and you want them all from the same site, then people will create separate carts, only to abandon all of them except for the one they want.
In addition, people abandon carts because they sometimes use their cart as a wish list of items they want. When websites do not offer a wish list option, people are more likely to use their carts as a place for their wish list instead.
What Can You Do to Decrease Cart Abandonment?
Do not have unexpected costs. These can drive customers away. Instead, focus on making all costs transparent at the go. This is why some retail sites have shipping and handling estimates when you first buy an item.
With purchases over a certain amount of money, provide free shipping. This is especially helpful if shipping would otherwise be very expensive.
Make your website easier to navigate. In particular, emphasize an interface during check out that is not confusing, and is as straight forward as possible. The easier it is for people to effectively purchase things, the more people will buy.
Security is a very big issue for online shoppers. Be sure to earn and display security badges that help ensure customers that their information is confidential. However, be wary. If you have to many security checks, many people will give up trying to purchase something if the process is to difficult.
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