Rarely do you go to the grocery store and see aisles full of abandoned shopping carts. Customers come with a list, browse the aisles and put the items they plan to pay for in their carts. Online shopping is a completely different process because customers can leisurely shop from the comfort of their couch.
You have a customer visiting your clothing boutique website, clicking on the stylish dresses and gorgeous blouses. She adds two dresses to her cart and continues perusing the options. Suddenly, she leaves your site without making a final purchase and you are left scratching your head. What caused her to desert her dresses?
Shipping costs are too expensive
According to Statista, 54% of respondents claimed expensive shipping as a reason why they abandoned their online shopping cart in 2017. Small eCommerce retailers are between a rock and a hard place. Major carriers are increasing shipping costs and mega-retailers, like Amazon, have applied free shipping and inexpensive next-day shipping options. If customers find a similar product on Amazon and can receive free, two-day shipping, then they will make the switch.
Customers are increasingly price loyal, and less brand loyal. To sway people to purchase the products in their shopping cart, not only is expedited shipping a necessity, but customer expectations require it to come at a low price point.
Doing some window shopping
Online shoppers are becoming e-window shoppers. Maybe they want to check out the latest trends, complete comparison shopping, or are scrolling your site out of boredom. Either way, they most likely didn’t come to your site with an intent to purchase.
Thanks to the internet, it’s now easier than ever to compare deals between businesses. Shoppers will create two different carts on two websites with their desired purchases to see which business gives the better price. Immediately, they know which purchase to make and desert one cart for the other.
Grab and keep your customers’ attention by offering personalized product recommendations or by sending gentle reminders about the order that’s waiting for their return.
Hidden return policy
If you own an eCommerce business, you know the importance of reverse logistics. One important piece to incorporate is a clear, easy-to-find return policy. If your customer can’t locate the return policy, or has to scour your website to find it, this is a huge deterrent.
Share your return policy during the checkout process and even include it in the shipped product. Consumers like to feel confident about their purchases and this includes knowing the return policy. Include a link with additional details regarding your return policy that opens up in a new popup instead of directing them away from their shopping cart.
It’s more complicated than convenient
Online shoppers are usually taking the online route to cut down on the amount of time spent shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. They need convenience and immediate results. Twenty-two percent of online shoppers do not complete their purchase when they are required to create a new user account. If a customer has to take extra steps, it’s not worth it. Creating a mobile-friendly website will encourage customers to continue shopping.
If your online store makes them create a new account before finalizing their purchase, this can cause them to abandon their cart. It’s another hassle that they can’t handle in their hectic life. If you don’t offer a guest checkout option, chances are you are missing out on acquiring new customers.
