Did you know that up to 70% of customers who come to your checkout funnel will abandon their purchase ? Isn't that a bit frustrating?
Having so many customers giving up so close to making a purchase can feel like a stab at e-commerce site owners after all the work they've done to bring visitors in so far. But this is not inevitable !
The 70% figure is just a global average, by optimizing your Shopify checkout you will be able to increase conversions and reduce cart abandonment rate.
In this guide, we'll show you how to create the best buying process to ensure that as many people as possible convert into paying customers.
Reminder on cart abandonment
Before we dive into how to optimize your Shopify checkout process, it's worth a quick recap of the top reasons customers abandon their carts in the first place. The top five reasons, in order, are:
- Postage or shipping terms unclear at checkout.
- People looking for a better price elsewhere
- Need to create an account to checkout
- The preferred payment option was not available
- People just get distracted and forget their shopping cart.
This gives you an idea of how best to structure your checkout process. Essentially, you want to design your checkout in a way that prevents your customers from falling for any of the above reasons. So let's see how you can achieve this.
Get rid of customer accounts
Not being able to checkout as a guest is one of the biggest factors that can lower your conversion rate. Why ? Because the simple fact of asking the question is a source of confusion:
Do you have an account with us or is this your first purchase? Create an account here. Don't remember your account details? Click here to reset your password. Click here to receive your username.
Many users don't know how to answer these questions because they can't remember whether they have an account with you or not.
So the question adds a completely unnecessary step which is just another obstacle to conversion.
If this is the customer's first purchase, you're asking them to decide if they need to go through a whole extra process of opening an account with a username and password that dramatically increases the time and the complexity of your payment process.
For former customers who don't have access to their password, you're asking them to choose between the laborious process of resetting their password or feeling like they're forfeiting additional benefits.
In fact, simply by removing this question, an online merchant can see their sales increase significantly! If you're still not convinced, take a look at the checkout page below to see just how much of a barrier the question is:
A decent amount of reading is required to know which form to fill out and which button to click to continue verification. In short, it adds confusion at a time when you don't want it.
To optimize your order tunnel, it is therefore preferable to keep your checkout interface as simple and uncluttered as possible by not asking the question at all. Instead, you can just use people's email addresses to keep track of purchases they make for loyalty programs or other purposes for which you use customer accounts.
If for some other reason you just need to have the option when placing your order, only present that option if you already know someone has an account. With a bit of programming, you can set up your tunnel to recognize if someone already has an account based on their email address. For new customers, you can then give them the option to create an account after the purchase is complete.
Keep the number of steps to a minimum
Following the same logic as not asking people if they have an account on your Shopify store or not, it's best to keep the number of steps to checkout as small as possible.
The easier and faster it is for people to complete their purchase, the less chance there is for people to give up during the process. The fact is that customers often get distracted and forget to complete their transaction! It's quite surprising but it 's one of the main causes of shopping cart abandonment .
Things you can do to simplify your checkout process include giving customers the option to copy their shipping address to use as their billing address and minimizing the number of payment pages at checkout. Apple, one of the world leaders in marketing and customer experience, is an example of this with its guest checkout.
Remember that the people who are here want to pay! You should do everything to allow them to grant their wish.
You can also provide a visual progress bar showing people how close they are to completing the transaction. This helps create a sense of control over the process for the customer and, if your checkout process is well optimized, it shows how close they are to completing the steps.
Maintain a consistent tunnel experience
Once a customer has decided to make a purchase, you want to make sure their path to completing the transaction is as clear as possible.
Even the smallest changes between your store and the funnel can hurt customers. Whether it's a different color scheme or the use of different fonts, any sense of discontinuity interrupts the customer and risks distracting them or changing their minds.
In the command tunnel, the goal is to minimize the number of queries and reduce uncertainties. They are the ones that kill sales.
There's no reason to give your Shopify checkout a different look, so to maximize your conversions, keep it as consistent as possible.
Always put your customer first
In addition to minimizing the number of steps required to complete a purchase, you also want to ensure that all questions are presented in a customer-focused way.
Even though most Shopify stores do a good job of ensuring that they prioritize the needs and wants of the customer based on their store experience, they are often less effective when it comes to their payment funnels. Whether it's the temptation to finally make a sale, or simply sloppiness, checkouts too often prioritize profit over the customer experience.
One mistake is, for example, asking for a customer's billing information first. Even though it may seem insignificant, asking for other things like the delivery address subconsciously reassures the customer that you are putting their needs first.
Make sure it's easy to checkout
It might seem obvious, but you don't want people abandoning their cart because they find your checkout pages too confusing.
This means that your form fields should be big and clear so people know what information to enter where, checkout buttons contrast with the background to stand out, and people can see an order summary to know exactly what they are ordering. It's also worth giving your customers a way to reach you, whether that's an email address or a phone number, so they can contact you if they have a problem.
In case you haven't figured it out yet, the most important thing you can do to improve your Shopify cart order conversions is to make the process as simple and seamless as possible.
The clearer the ordering process, the more Internet users will trust the site. Out, the trade, it is only confidence!
Don't skimp on the basics
Along with simplifying the checkout process, you also need to make sure you have all the fundamentals of a good Shopify funnel. Going back to the top reasons for shopping cart abandonment, this means:
Offer many payment methods to customers, not just one or two different types of credit cards.
Have a clear and precise call to action on all checkout pages.
Make sure you're using encryption to process orders and following the latest online security standards (Shopify's shopping cart checkout option makes it easy).
There are no additional conditions or fees; make sure full pricing is clear on product pages.
If possible, you also offer free shipping for items in your Shopify store, this way you avoid shipping costs for customers.
It's up to you !
Shopping cart abandonment is frustrating, but by implementing these suggestions and recommendations, you can rest assured that you are actively working to reduce this rate. Even the most optimized tunnel will continue to see people leave in the process. These people are the reason for abandoned emails that remind them of their shopping cart and entice them to complete their purchase.
The goal, however, is to improve your tunnel a little more every week and you will see your sales take off!
