8 Tried-and-Tested Ways to Combat Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges an e-commerce store owner will face and overcome. When your customer abandons their cart, it means they've browsed your site, added products to their cart, but ended up leaving your website before completing the transaction, thus leaving the items in their cart. Cart abandonment is a reality and a natural consequence of online shoppers' browsing habits: many shoppers browse, explore, and compare prices. Some of them are adding items to their carts for later because they're not yet ready to make a purchase. In this article, we'll discuss some proven methods to improve your site's ability to generate sales and prevent abandoned carts.

Reasons behind cart abandonment

Every customer who visits your e-commerce site and abandons a cart has different intentions. Therefore, the reason for abandonment also varies. Here are some of the most common reasons why a potential customer navigates away from your site and abandons their purchase:

Unexpected shipping costs or taxes.
Some customers may compare prices with your competitors.
Some customers may question the legitimacy and security of your site.
Your site has a lengthy checkout process.

Understanding the reason for cart abandonment is the crucial first step before optimizing your online store for cart abandonment. Only by understanding the reasons why customers are abandoning their carts can we begin to take the necessary measures to reduce abandonment. Now, let's explore our top ways to reduce cart abandonment rates on your e-commerce site:

1) Don't cause surprises

One of the main culprits that causes customers to freeze and abandon their carts is unexpected taxes and shipping costs. This issue is an example of something you can definitely change and control. You'll need to clarify things with your customers before they add anything to their cart. One way to do this is to include a shipping rate calculator on your e-commerce website so your customers can know in advance. If you plan to offer free shipping with a minimum purchase, let your customers know in advance, too! Additionally, if you have additional costs, such as customization, let customers know all the details on the product page so they aren't surprised by a fee increase once their items are in their cart.

2) Provide guest checkout

You'll experience fewer cart abandonment issues if you streamline the checkout process for your customers. This means you shouldn't force anyone to create an account just to make a purchase. Requiring an account will make checking out an item feel like a longer ordeal than it should, so offer guest checkout along with the option to open an account with you. You can always offer your customers the option to create an account again after they make a purchase and become your paying customers.

3) Implement one-click payment

Most online stores offer PayPal as a payment option, and PayPal's One Touch payment option is an excellent way to simplify the checkout process for your customers. These types of payment methods allow your customers to make a purchase directly with one click, especially if they already have an account with your store and have saved their email, address, and credit details. This process is effective because instead of having to manually enter their billing and shipping information, the customer can use one click to purchase one or more items. In addition to PayPal One Touch, there's also Apple Pay, and there are also a number of other options from the Shopify App Store for quick checkout.

4) Get in touch easily

One of the downsides of shopping online is when you have questions about a product you're looking at and there's no sales staff available to assist you and answer your questions. It's important to note that your online customers will sometimes have questions about your products and will likely not make a purchase until their questions are answered. So, one way to reduce cart abandonment is to offer customers a way to contact you via email and live chat.

5) Exploit the “scarcity” of the product

Nothing gets people moving like scarcity, because scarcity is directly linked to urgency, causing your customers to act and buy quickly before they miss the opportunity entirely! There are several ways to create urgency through scarcity. One way is to display the remaining product quantity and the option to also display out-of-stock items. Many online stores also favor the use of limited-time special promotions with the help of a countdown timer, which ticks off the hours and seconds remaining for the special promotion that your customers will miss out on if they don't purchase now.

6) View security badges

Cybersecurity is a major concern for online shoppers today, due to credit card fraud. Therefore, you need to reassure your customers that their data is safe with you. But how can you show your customers that you're trustworthy? One way is to display your store's security badges prominently. Shopify has its own security badge that you can display on your online store to establish trust with your customers. Alternatively, you can go to the Shopify App Store and install apps and display security badges, such as McAfee Secure or Norton Secured, to protect your customers and reassure them that your site is safe and reliable.

7) Use cart abandonment emails

When all else fails and your customer leaves your site entirely without completing the purchase, don't despair, there are still ways to bring your customers back to the checkout page. One strategy to overcome this problem is to remind your customers that there's something left in their cart with an email. Show them what items are left and encourage them to complete their purchase with a call to action. It's also a good idea to let customers know when something in their cart has gone on sale.

8) Use retargeting ads

In addition to cart abandonment emails, you can also use retargeting ads. Remarketing ads are likely to have a higher click-through rate than traditional ads because you'll be showing something your potential customer has already shown interest in.

Conclusion

In this article, we've provided you with 8 proven methods to help you combat cart abandonment. By understanding some of the reasons behind most abandoned carts, you can begin developing better strategies to optimize your site using the methods mentioned above. While there is no way to completely eliminate cart abandonment, statistics have shown that optimizing the checkout process and implementing the right strategies can increase conversion rates and reduce the incidence of cart abandonment in your e-commerce store. We hope you enjoyed our article and gained some useful ideas for building a better e-commerce business.

Contact us

Are you trying to decide which strategies to implement to minimize cart abandonment in your store? Choosing the right strategies and tools is one of the most important decisions that can impact the overall performance of your online business. If you have any questions about this article and the best strategies for your website, don't hesitate to contact Yastime today. We'd love to discuss future plans for your online business ventures and share practical solutions to help you achieve your e-commerce and dropshipping goals. Contact us anytime!

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