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.
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