Converting Ecommerce Sales Using a Better Checkout

Your checkout is vital to your conversion rate; just like in an ordinary supermarket where a bad checkout experience colours your perception of the business as a whole, a bad checkout online can have visitors dropping the contents of their cart like hot cakes.

We’ve all stood too long in a queue, gradually losing patience with the lack of assistants and it’s only a matter of time before you drop your basket and walk away. Ecommerce is no different and you need to maximise the performance of your checkout in order to maximise sales.

There are of course reasons beyond your control behind the dropped cart rates which all ecommerce businesses notice; some shoppers change their minds or were just window shopping…meaning to come back later for the goods. Other however have been put off checking out for a variety of reasons which are in your control…you can lower your dropped cart rates by making some basic changes.

Some of the easiest to alter problems are rooted in distractions; don’t have clickable links around the checkout…it’s too easy to catch the shopper’s attention and draw them away from making their purchase. The page needs to be clean and simple to view; a closed checkout removes the things which distract and keeps the customer’s mind on the job at hand…that of buying goods!

Make viewing the contents of the cart easy
In your main navigation point should be a clear link which will let visitors see items in their cart; relying on a view cart button in product pages simply isn’t enough. As visitors travel around your site, they may be visiting different categories which don’t have a link to their cart…this is why a “view cart” link in the main navigation is a good idea.

Make sure customers can alter their choices
It’s often the case that customers change their minds about quantity, size or colours of their items when they’re ready to checkout. Ensure that this is as easy as possible by adding the options for them to remove items or to change the details.

Let shoppers see that their details are safe
Underline the security which your site features and make sure that shoppers can see that you won’t keep hold of their details. Having trust in a store is a huge draw and visitors who feel that their banking details are safe, will return again.

Make sure shipping costs are well displayed
Your delivery charges should be clear and easy to find; many shoppers will not carry through with a purchase until they have seen what delivery will cost…they want to know before they enter their credit or debit card details.

Don’t make shoppers create an account
There needs to be some choice regarding this; shoppers hate being made to fill in lengthy forms before being allowed to purchase your items. Give this as an option and ensure that if a shopper chooses not to create an account, that their shopping experience is simple and easy regardless.

Lastly, look to your own online shopping experiences as a guideline to what you should offer in your own store…what features do you like? Which do you hate? Above all, keep things simple, easy to understand and spell out the facts.

We hope this guide has been of some value. If you would like a new checkout or ecommerce website content please call us on 01538 750 538