The checkout process is vitally important, for both the customer and the retailer. Will the sale go through or will it be abandoned? Too often it is abandoned, and it’s a costly problem.

UK shoppers abandoned over £1bn of online transactions in 2011 according to research by econsultancy.

We wish we had a magic wand which to make cart abandonment disappear. But we can’t. Cart abandonment is an inevitable part of today’s ecommerce culture. People are prone to abandon checkouts for a number of reasons out of our control, but there are things we can control:

This chart reveals some of the things which deter customers from completing their purchase: 

 

Hidden charges are clearly off putting for customers, as are security concerns. The chart also shows that issues of usability contribute to cart abandonment:

•    The checkout process being too long

•    Technical issues with the site

•    Difficulty in filling in forms

I relate to these findings, I don’t like hidden charges, but I’m also an impatient person and don’t appreciate a slow checkout process. When I’m buying online I want to race through the checkout as fast as possible, and I want my product as soon as possible. If the process is too clunky, I know I’ve abandoned my purchase.

So what can be done to make the process quicker and easier?

Nifty data validation tools can make a big difference to the time spent in the checkout and in particular, filling in forms.

Address validation reduces data capture time by 90%. See our case studies: Faulks & Cox and Ellis Brigham who’ve improved the customer experience with Address Validation .

Address validation makes filling in forms much quicker and easier, minimising negative feelings and the likelihood the customer will flit off to another site for a better experience.