Cart Abandonment: Causes and Remedies

Are you losing potential customers at the last hurdle? Yastime is here to help. Read on to find out how to overcome and avoid the main reasons for cart abandonment. Most cart abandonments are simply a result of the way consumers tend to navigate e-commerce sites (i.e., without being ready to purchase) and are therefore inevitable. However, there are some reasons for abandonment that recur again and again. The good news is that there are some simple tactics you can use in your online store to overcome these common barriers to purchase. In this article, we'll highlight some of the top reasons for cart abandonment and explain what you can do to start addressing these pain points in your e-commerce store.

Common reasons for cart abandonment:

1) Unexpected commissions

Presenting customers with unexpected costs at checkout could make them hastily abandon their cart. Surprise shipping costs are a particularly big obstacle to purchasing, as are unexpected taxes. This risks customers abandoning their order and losing trust in your brand. The key to reducing abandonment is clearly communicating shipping and transaction fee information before checkout, setting customer expectations upfront. For example, try offering transparent shipping estimates on your product pages to avoid unpleasant surprises at checkout. Alternatively, you could include a shipping calculator so users can calculate how much shipping will cost before reaching the checkout process. Include a clear and comprehensive breakdown of shipping rates in a dedicated shipping policy, easily accessible from the main menu.

2) Your site doesn't offer your preferred payment method

Debit and credit card payments were once the only payment methods available for online purchases. Today, things look a little different: digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay now exist, with instant, real-time payment options enjoying growing popularity. "Buy now, pay later" options are also incredibly popular. Consumers want multiple options. Not offering a variety of payment methods means you risk losing a potential customer at the final hurdle in their purchasing journey. In fact, 7% of customers would abandon a transaction if their preferred payment method wasn't available. The trick is to know your audience, understand how they want to pay, and make sure you offer these options on your checkout page. Displaying logos for each payment method you offer is a quick way for consumers to recognize their preferred one and instill confidence before proceeding with payment.

3) The payment process is too long and complicated

Once a user has a product in their cart and hits the checkout button, they're looking for the most streamlined and efficient payment process possible. If it's too long or confusing, you risk them leaving your site before completing their purchase. Did you know this is the reason behind 18% of cart abandonment? Here are some tips to help you achieve a quick and frictionless checkout experience on your e-commerce store (and reduce cart abandonment along the way): Keep it short—we're talking one page if possible—and simple. If your checkout process spans more than one page, try using a visible progress bar to guide customers. Allow customers to check out as guests. According to Statista research, 37% of users abandoned checkout because they were forced to create an account (the second-most common reason). Show customers only what they really need. Eliminate all unnecessary form fields and avoid anything that might distract them from completing the payment process or cause confusion at this final stage of their journey.

4) Users are reminded to look for a discount code

Often, in a checkout process, users are asked to enter any discounts or promotional codes they have. While this is fine for users who come to a site with a discount code to redeem, some will end up leaving the site to search online for a code. Some of these users won't return, which can lead to problems with cart abandonment. To solve this particular challenge, it's often wise to have a designated landing page that ranks in Google for your brand name + "discount code." This will bring users directly to your site with all the relevant discount codes your brand is currently offering.

5) Users cannot receive the product when they want it

Today, speed has never been more important when it comes to e-commerce fulfillment. We live in an era of instant gratification where fast delivery is expected as standard. Furthermore, your brand is likely competing with other companies that may offer next-day or even same-day delivery in some zip codes. If a user adds an item to their cart and later realizes you can't get it when they want it, they might go elsewhere to find faster shipping. In fact, 19% of people abandon their carts due to slow delivery estimates. Make sure you set consumer fulfillment expectations before they reach the cart, so they are clear much earlier in their journey when they receive their order.

Conclusion

Now that you have a better idea of the most common reasons for cart abandonment, it's time to see if any of them are at play on your e-commerce site. To understand why your customers are exiting the checkout funnel, it's important to identify:

Who are your customers?
What is their purchasing intent?
Why they are visiting your website
What are their purchase frictions?

Of course, even with an optimized checkout flow, there will still be some users who abandon ship before checking out (they might get distracted or simply change their minds). Implementing an abandoned cart email is a great way to remind shoppers what's in their cart and encourage them to "seal the deal."

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