Why do customers invest hours on a website, fill up a shopping cart with items they want to buy, and then abandon the process at some point during the checkout...
Why Do They Change Their Mind?
By Jeev Trika
Imagine yourself in a supermarket. You want to buy a roll of tissue. You scan the signboards indicating where things are kept and you dont find it. You walk around looking for it, feeling slightly exasperated. You ask a staff member where you might find tissue rolls; half feeling like it might be a better idea to get it from another store. You find the aisle that holds tissue but cant find your brand. You scan a bit longer and see it on the back of a high shelf. That's strike two: you decide you should have just gone to the store next door.
You hurry to the checkout counter; you have already spent more time here than you wanted to. To your dismay there is a long line at the only counter that is open. The other counters seem to be closed. After what seems to be an endless wait, it is your turn to pay up. Just then there is another glitch; somehow the computer at the counter has stopped responding.
That's it, you think. Do you really want this roll of tissue that bad?
I'd say many of us have been faced with a similar situation, where buying something simple becomes such a task that you feel you are much better off without buying that product. But looking at it more realistically, consumers will not abandon a product that they are happy with. Instead they will abandon the store that makes them unhappy and seek the same product in the countless other places where this product might be available.
The online shopping experience is not entirely different from traditional shopping. Shopping cart abandonment is an occurrence that site owners have been trying to understand because this means that they have a product that their consumer wants but, for some reason, he or she is not willing to complete the transaction. The fact that there has been a drop in cases of shopping cart abandonment might be because retail site owners are taking this very seriously.
The main thing to do is to figure out what has gone wrong on your site. It is not enough to offer products that a consumer wants. You also need to make the shopping experience worthwhile and trouble free. In addition to that, you also need to make your customer feel like he or she has access to all the information that might be needed to make a good decision. At the same time dont make the shopper feel like time is being wasted in sharing and collecting information that might be useless for the shopper. Now, lining all these features up to fit the consumers preferences is most definitely a difficult task. This is where knowing your customer comes in. Which information is essential for a purchase decision? And how much information is too much information?
The thing is that the way the shopper might perceive how smooth the shopping experience is depends largely on how well the site is designed. The design and functionality of the site is key. 'User friendliness might seem like a word that is overused but it is, indeed, a lifesaver. It is of utter importance that your site is always up and running. Have you stated your payment and return policies in a clear way? Having an unclear policy might lead to shoppers becoming skeptical about making the payment. Ensure that the shopper knows exactly what he or she is paying for and what the post-purchase options are.
Evidently, the drop in rates of shopping cart abandonment has come about because retail site owners are looking into it more seriously. Results from web analytics and market research is being implemented on the retail sites. The thing to keep in mind is that shoppers are spending money on your site and the process should be made as smooth as possible.
Giving consumers options when they are shopping is an excellent way of keeping them happy and making the decision process easier for them. For one thing, not all shoppers might like to pay in the same way. Alternative payment options are extremely attractive to shoppers. There are a number of consumers who prefer to pay later and giving them such an option might keep them at ease. Moreover, maybe not all shoppers would want to pay the whole amount in one go. Perhaps you can arrange so that your shopper can pay in installments, if it is appropriate for your product. If these alternatives are available to your shoppers, they might be more confident about moving ahead with the final transaction.
Privacy issues are of utmost important also. Ensure that your consumers know that their information is going to be kept safe and they do not have to fear of such things as fraud and information theft.
The bottom line is to show your consumer that you are the best they can turn to. It is definitely not enough to offer them only the products that they want. The same products can be purchased from other places. Gaining your customers trust along with giving them a smooth decision-making and purchase journey is what you can do to ensure that you remain in that percentage of retail sites where shopping cart abandonment are dropping.
About the Author:
Jeev Trika is a principal at azentec, Inc., an e-business consulting firm, based out of South Bend, Indiana. He possesses extensive experience in sales methodologies and holds over 9 years of experience in assisting organizations with their online experiences. His professional services have been garnered by organizations like IBM Global Services, Siebel, Jordan Industries, Cayman Islands Government, and more. Jeev holds a Bachelors in Computer Science and an MBA, both from Purdue University.
