Best Ways to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

Shopping cart abandonment is quite common, and one of the highly annoying parts of an online business. While it leads to a huge loss in sales, it also increases the frustration of online retailers. But, the good news is that there are many effective ways to avoid them. 

In this article, we will dig-in to know the best tips to lower shopping cart abandonment rate. Before that, we will understand what shopping cart abandonment is and what its causes are.

Related: Ecommerce SEO Checklist

What is Shopping Cart Abandonment?

Shopping cart abandonment happens when customers add products in their cart but don’t purchase them.

There are times when interested potential customers add items to their cart. They proceed to checkout but leave without buying. It means products entered in the shopping cart never make through the transaction. As a result, they leave their shopping cart abandoned. Hence, the term “Shopping Cart Abandonment” is used. 

Such an act of customers shows that they had a clear interest in the products in the cart. But, something stopped them, leading to the incomplete checkout process and apparent loss of sale.   

Various supporting statistical reports relating to the issue raise serious concern for online retailers. Let us see what the reports have to say.

Shopping Cart Abandonment Stats

For online retailers, battling shoping cart abandonment has turned out to be an all-time part of their business. At least, the below stats say so.

Consider the report in 2019, where the average cart abandonment rate by country was 77.13%. Similarly, the average cart abandonment rate by the device in the same year was 77.73%.

Now, come to the statistic report for the year 2020. In March, 88.05% of online shopping orders did not convert into a purchase. 

Out of all measured categories, Automotive had the highest cart abandonment rates, i.e., 96.88%.

Indeed, the reports are alarming. It is, therefore, high time to take effective measures to reduce the relevant graph-bars. Before digging out the solution, we must know what triggers shopping cart abandonment.

Related: Top Ecommerce Statistics

Reasons For Shopping Cart Abandonment

With millions of customers shopping every day, it is not easy to understand their reasons for leaving the site without buying. There could be various situations causing only fewer to complete the checkout process. 

Here are the top reasons of shopping cart abandonment:

1 – Unexpected Shipping Cost

Higher or unexpected shipping cost is one of the primary reasons behind it. It mostly happens when shipping cost exceeds the product price

If you do not disclose the shipping cost initially, and the final price goes beyond their budget, customers are most likely to leave.

2 – Pop-up to Create New User Account

Customers avoid creating a new user account. It is due to the longer time required to fill-up the form or the possibility of receiving unwanted promotional emails. 

People, therefore, prefer to exit than shopping when they find they need to create a new account.

3 – Researching to Buy Later

Customers mostly research before buying their desire product. In that process, they go through a lot of shopping sites. 

In many cases, they add items to the cart they like with an intention to buy later. Some customers use the carts to compare the items before purchasing. It is one of many popular reasons for shopping cart abandonment.

4 – Payment Security Concerns

Online shopping always raises a huge concern for its security. User has to ensure the safety of their sensitive information shared with the site. 

For better conversion, the site must put effort to build trust. If you fail, the customer will leave without buying.   

5 – Complex and Lengthy Checkout Process

No one wants a time consuming check out process. Tough to understand instructions or an unnecessary number of pages between the process can be a huge turnoff for customers.

6 – Missing Multiple Payment Options

Many users are comfortable using a particular payment gateway. The unavailability of their payment option can lead them to leave the site.

Now, when we know the reasons for cart abandonment, it is time to find the solutions. Let us check out what we can do about it.

Ways to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

There are various strategies to reduce shopping cart abandonment rates. Using the below-given ideas will minimize the loss of prospects. In this segment, we will understand the solution in detail.    

Here are the top ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment:

1 – Avoid Additional Costs on Payment Page

Users shop with a specific budget. The price of the product should not go beyond their expectations when they reach the funnel. 

But the fact cannot be ignored that the product price is not the only price that the customer has to pay. It also includes additional charges for shipping, surcharge, tax, etc. 

Therefore, it is advisable to display the total cost of the item right at the product page. Including a shipping calculator or an option to enter the zip code to see the delivery charge can be helpful to get an ultimate cart value.

Shopify is one of the very good examples to consider, which offers a cost calculator to help their customer. Shopify is one of the very good example to consider, which offers a cost calculator to help their customer. 

2 – Save and Display the Cart in Clear View

People often fill the cart and save it to buy later on, or leave due to doubt of cost or other factors. However, people might forget what they had in their carts. Another possibility is that they might lose interest in the product when they arrive later than expected. 

Displaying the cart in a clear view when they re-enter the site will help them recall what they left and encourage them to reconsider the items. A small yet noticeable icon at a corner will remind them of the products they didn’t buy before. 

Many leading eCommerce sites are wisely practicing this trick to minimize shopping cart abandonment and gaining sales. One of them is Flipkart.

Related: How To Sell On Flipkart? Complete Guide

 3 – Allow Guest Checkout

Think like a shopper. Would you like to be forced to spend extra time filling up forms before checkout? While it slows down the process, it is also annoying for the user.

Therefore, it is not wise to force users to create an account, especially when they have many options out there. 

If you want to avoid the bounce rate, guest checkout is highly recommended. It gives the user a sense of freedom and a reason to return to your site.  

You can enable the option for guest checkout and offer an option to register after their purchase. If the shopper is satisfied with their experience, you will always have opportunities to collect user data. 

The below-given image is an ideal example of a guest checkout option. 

4 – Provide Strong Call to Action

For users to persist on a site, they have to have a seamless shopping experience. For this, they need to be assisted on every page and at every stage of the purchase. A strong call to action is a way to help them clear the next step.

For example, you can intimate the shoppers that the product they have chosen is successfully added to the cart. They now have an option to check out, edit the cart, or continue shopping. The message can be displayed the product page or on the checkout pages.

Also, it is important to note that the call to action has to be clear and strong. Use strong verbs, like checkout, view cart, view bag, etc. It is also advisable to keep the CTA bold and visible.

Take this image as an example. All instructions, including checkout, view, and edit cart, are bright and bold. Now the user has a clear understanding of their next move.

Many sites do not really support the idea, but on the practical ground, it pays off really well.

5 – Display Checkout Progress Indicator

Whether you are shopping physically or digitally, knowing how far you are from the final step of checkout is helpful. 

While shopping online, the user has to go through several pages asking to fill up information. It is, though not so pleasing yet a necessary process.  

A progress indicator can be useful to help the user. It will let them know where they are and how long it would take to complete the checkout process. Also, it gives a clear and more straightforward understanding of the process.

An important part to note here is that the progress indicator has to have a minimal number of steps. It gives a sense of relief to the user and makes the process look more effortless. 

Take a look at this progress indicator of Amazon.

6 – Display Security Badges 

Making an online transaction is always a matter of concern for shoppers. They need a reason to trust a site before they go for purchasing. 

Displaying security logos can be a good approach to build trust. Some security badges can be displayed in nearby transaction forms. This page gives the greatest opportunity to establish trust.

Visa, VeriSign, McAfee, Mastercard, etc. are some of the popular security logos sites use these days. While using these logos, ensure that they are recognizable and are clearly visible on the page.

7 – Offer Various Payment Options

A limited number of payment options can be a barrier to your business. Today, when there are several payment options available, offering single or fewer payment options is not a wise act.

Different shoppers have different preferences for payments. Therefore, the possibility cannot be denied that the shopper might bounce if he doesn’t find his mode of payment. 

Be open to accept payments in multiple modes. Go for PayPal, mobile payment systems (Apple Pay, Google Wallet, etc.), net banking, and debit cards, other than just credit cards. The more payment options you provide, the more doors you open to your prospects. 

8 – Create Smooth Navigation Between Pages

When you are talking about the ease of the user experience, navigation between the pages takes priority. It decides how easier and effortless their journey would be throughout their purchase process. 

It is true especially in the navigation between the store and the cart. A shopper might decide to add more items to their cart while being in the check out process. If going back to the store removes the cart content, it would lead to shopping cart abandonment. 

To avoid this, you can add a default function to save the page or cart when the user clicks the back button to move to the store again. It will not erase the information and the entered.

Besides, the back button should be fully functional. Ensure that the data entered for searching on the last page is not removed. It is important to minimize the effort of the user.

9 – Use Exit-Intent Popups

The exit-intent pop-up can be the most effective way of minimizing abandoned carts. A simple pop-up with a compelling message has the power to convert a prospect into a customer, and this is what an exit pop-up intent does. 

Right when the user plans to leave, you can attract the user with latest deals and retain them to your site. Moreover, you can do it at any stage as an exit-intent pop-up can be installed on any page, including the shopping cart and checkout pages.

It detects the user’s intentions when they plan to leave and immediately sends a pop-up message. It looks something like this:

10 – Offer Free or Low-Cost Shipping Options

Free shipping is enticing for any shopper and is, therefore, a good strategy to retain customers. 

Online shoppers keep looking for good deals. They would not go for the option where the shipping cost is more than the product itself. On the other hand, free shipping convinces them to buy the product they are looking for, and also encourage them to go for more purchases. 

A Stitch Labs report found that offering free shipping can raise revenue to 10 percent. Offering free shipping may add financial burden to businesses, but there are ways to cover the cost.

For example, retailers can use an e-commerce shipping software like Shiplane that streamlines the shipping process and automatically finds affordable shipping rates. This helps minimize manpower and shipping costs and makes the process much faster and more efficient, saving businesses more time and money.   

However, there are times when it is not possible to offer free delivery for every product. In that scenario, you can go for lower charges or free delivery on certain purchase value.

For example, Amazon offers free delivery exceptionally for his Prime members.

11 – Display Units of the Product Remaining

Shoppers can be influenced by displaying the remaining quantity. The number of items left tells that the product is in high demand and may not be available later. 

It creates a sense of urgency and encourages customers to firm up their buying decision. They will act fast and will end up purchasing the product. 

Next, you can also offer the deal for certain hours, like the one below. Amazon often offers such deals on regular basis. 

12 – Follow-up Abandoners

No matter how hard you try, there will always be a possibility of cart abandonments. It is a fact that you cannot convert them all. However, you give it another try by following up on the abandoners.

You can send them a reminder by follow-up emails. Adding discount coupons or vouchers can work wonder to convert prospective customers. 

Another way to target them is through Facebook ads. These ads are visible and give an instant reminder of what is left in their cart. 

Conclusion

Shopping cart abandonment is a deep concern for retailers. Even a small number of abandonments cause a considerable revenue loss. You must take every possible measure available around to minimize the loss.

The tips mentioned above are proven and highly effective. Using them comprehensively can reduce the causes of cart abandonment. Besides, you can always try any new tactics to reach the abandoners.