January 20, 2022 by Stonewave team

Increased shopping cart abandonment rates constitute one of the most important issues online businesses are called to face nowadays since they can lead to more than 75% loss in total sales. In the sections that follow, we will analyze the main reasons for this phenomenon along with a series of simple and effective solutions for tackling this problem:

One of the main reasons a customer is negatively inclined towards completing a purchase is the shipping cost. More specifically, in most cases, shipping costs are vague and are not factored in the total cost of the cart from the beginning, thus leading the customer to abandon the eshop. In addition, there may be “hidden” costs such as taxes or other types of charges. All of these parameters have a negative impact on the overall user experience.

• This can be solved by presenting to the user all of the shipping costs’ details in an explanatory and clear manner. There are a lot of businesses that do in fact offer free shipping. It is an important parameter when it comes to completing online purchases.

Another deterring factor is the obligatory account creation for customers. The ability to buy products online with as little clicks as possible is what drives consumers. By forcing users to create an account in order to complete a purchase is what drives them to abandoning their cart. Users are unwilling to create new accounts because it is a time-consuming process, they do not trust the vendor and they do not want to end up with loads of newsletters and spam emails.

• By offering optional account creation, you show your users that they have the freedom to navigate through your eshop and complete purchases without any restrictions. Another option for easy access is to offer users login via existing social media accounts. Of course, this requires caution in terms of data processing when it comes to orders from guest users and inactive social media account emails.

Lack of security during payment and absence of valid security certificates play a significant role when it comes to shopping cart abandonment.

• Throught he use of an SSL certificate, users can acknowledge that a secure connection has been established with the eshop by noticing the distinct “https” prefix on their browser. Another way to incite a sense of security is through the use of dynamic logos on your website. 

Prompt delivery and availability of information white in transit are two of the main reasons a user will complete a purchase.Delivery time can become a deterring factor when it comes to online shopping. Users who wish to purchase a birthday gift or an anniversary present will abandon their shopping cart if the estimated delivery date does not coincide with a prior, if not the same, date they want to receive it. 

• Estimated delivery time must be made clear based on the availability of the product. The user needs to know if the particular product is in stock or not and how long delivery will take in each case. If the user purchases items with different availability, the eshop can offer separate delivery dates as well as same-day-delivery for specific items with a small additional cost.

Complicated payment processes as well as long information forms can cause frustration to users. 

• Information forms need to include only essential categories. The less fields users need to fill out, the easier it will be for them to complete their order. 

Errors, crashes and increased loading time constitute important factors that can lead consumers to abandoning their cart and seeking out a better online shop to continue their shopping.

• The worst case scenario is for the Checkout to crash. There is no golden rule in how to prevent this from happening. The only solution is for the eshop administrator and the support team to be proactive and constantly ensure that the checkout process is working properly.

Imposing strict rules on product return policies can also lead to users abandoning their shopping cart.

• Legally, consumers have the right to return any item within 14 days. However, in industries like fashion, by offering users the ability to return a non-defective item (intact, with its price tag still on etc) you offer a sense of security, thus encouraging the completion of a purchase.

All users are different and each of them wishes to be able to pay with whichever method makes them feel comfortable. Offering few and specific payment methods increases the likelihood of users abandoning their cart.

• The basic payment methods are: Payment on delivery, Credit/Debit card and Bank transfer. Some additional payment methods are Paypal and Apple Pay. It is important to outline that payment on delivery is usually an indication of lack of trust towards the eshop.

Finally, lack of customer support during and after an online purchase can cause overall sales to plummet.

• In cases where customers belong to an older age-group, or require some sort of clarification with regards to their order or a specific product, they will most likely try to contact the shop via phone. If their issue is not properly addressed, or even worse, the Call Center does not answer, the eshop is faced with a vital problem that can be solved through proper staff training or hiring additional members for the support team.

Conclusion:
Even though there are many parameters that can lead users to abandoning their carts, all issues can be solved as long as eshop administrators and their teams monitor key performance indices, analyze user feedback and test possible solutions that will optimize their processes and the overall user experience.