Proven Ways to Optimize Your Checkout Process for More Sales
According to a 2020 survey, 88 percent of online orders were abandoned before checkout. Industry leaders have found that making the checkout process as simple and quick as possible leads to an increase in sales! Read on to learn a few actionable tips you can implement today to optimize your checkout and eCommerce store’s payment process and increase sales!
Minimize Surprise Costs
Additional fees like taxes and shipping included near the time of payment cause customers to reconsider their purchase. This is why free shipping is a popular offer because it helps to usher buyers along to complete a purchase. Customers commonly have a budget in mind and including additional fees just before checking out can put them over the top and cause them to abandon their cart.
Another way to minimize surprise costs if free shipping is off the table is to offer flat-rate shipping and promote this offer at the top of your home page. This way visitors can mentally include this cost into their cart ahead of time and not have any surprises during checkout! If you would prefer to exclude shipping promotions altogether, brands like Old Navy and the GAP will include the running tally of all costs near the shopping cart icon. This is particularly useful when the user has an existing account, and the calculations are made using their previous shipping information.
Don’t Require Accounts
This might go against conventional wisdom but does not require buyers to create an account to make a purchase. The goal when a visitor lands on an eCommerce website is generally to capture their information via email. However, requiring users to register for an account on your website serves as an additional obstacle the guest must endure before making a purchase. Many top retailers understand this and have secondary checkout options like “Guest Checkout”.
Once the purchase is secured, some brands will then offer the option to create an account in order to take advantage of an additional offer, like tracking shipping and taking part in a loyalty program. Consider including this functionality in your eCommerce store so buyers do not feel forced into registering and only your most interested and loyal buyers create an account.
Address Website Performance Errors
Time is a precious thing and customers are looking to make their purchases quickly, securely, and confidently. It is a well-known fact that 40% of website visitors will bounce within the first 3 seconds a website loads too slowly. A slow-loading site also is considered a hurdle customers must make to buy from your website.
Be sure to test your website’s check-out process from start or finish on both mobile and PC. You will be able to quickly identify areas that load too slowly as well as ideas for improvement!
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