The shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.57% and the loss is expected to be 4 trillion next year. It is undoubtedly the biggest headache in the online retail industry and continues to cause a lot of confusion and frustration among marketers today.

To effectively reduce the cart abandonment rate , retailers must improve the browsing experience and the checkout process, convey confidence and peace of mind, and increase the level of security that the user perceives. Let's see how!

Next, I will talk about the 13 most effective techniques to improve the performance of the shopping cart and greatly increase the number of sales.

Don't miss # 11, our favorite method of tackling this problem.

Shopping cart abandonment

It is estimated that 7 out of 10 online customers add items to the cart and leave the page without completing the purchase process, which represents large losses in merchandise sales for online stores. This estimate amounts to 85% when it comes to users who use mobile devices .

Abandonment occurs when customers add an item to their shopping cart with the intention of purchasing it, but, at the last minute, they decide to close the page and, therefore, fail to buy the product.

If we look at this churn rate in recent years, we realize that it has remained constant.

Skymarketing offers wonderful space propelled lodgings and a powerful social scene at awe inspiring territories like blue world city Islamabad .

Luckily, there is the possibility of turning these abandonments into purchases . It is estimated that 25% of customers never return to the page, while 75% leave it with the intention of returning later. While it is true that some customers inevitably abandon the cart without any intention of purchasing the product, having a better design can increase conversions by 35%.

Timing is also essential. The chance of converting cart abandonments into leads is greater if you send the appropriate emails immediately. The ideal time to do this is 30 min to 1 hr.

Most common reasons why shopping carts are abandoned

Let's take a look at some percentages to better understand why immediate action is so important. The results of a study conducted by Baymard in 2020 revealed that 58.6% of online customers in the US abandoned the cart simply because they were not serious about buying. They decided to set aside this set of buyers and asked the rest to specify the reasons why they had decided to leave items in the cart.

• 50% said that the additional costs, such as shipping costs, were too high.
• 28% did not want to create an account.
• 21% found the checkout process too long.
• 17% said they did not feel safe when entering their payment information.
• 10% did not agree with the return policy.

Bottom of Form

1. Offer free shipping and returns (whenever possible)

It is well known that shipping costs are the main reason why users decide to abandon the cart ; many of them fail to complete the process and make purchasing decisions based on a couple of euros. Studies have shown that up to 63% of customers abandon the cart if they consider that the shipping costs are excessive.

In this sense, there is not much more to add, other than that, where possible and applicable, you should offer free shipping and returns . A very common solution is to perform a cost analysis to determine if it is possible to increase the price of products to include shipping costs.

If this is not possible, you should consider saving money on shipping the products, for example:

• Taking advantage of the volume discounts offered by some courier companies, such as SEUR, MRW, UPS, DHL, etc.
• Offering discounts on shipping for buying more than one item.

Make sure your customers can return the items without problems . Display your return policy details in a place that's easy to access. 49% of online shoppers stated that, before making a purchase, they read the store's return policy. It makes sense that approximately 30% of online purchases are returned, because the photos may not live up to expectations. Having a transparent policy encourages brand loyalty.

2. Simplify the shopping experience and allow you to purchase products as a guest

For many customers, the thought of creating an account, confirming an email address, and the other steps required to complete the purchase process is time consuming, annoying, and only slows down the entire process.

By providing the ability to purchase as a guest , you will give customers the option to choose whether or not they want to register on your website, make a single purchase, or simply avoid unnecessary steps.

You can also allow buyers to log in with their social media accounts . Most likely, users are already signed in and their account details are saved on their devices. You should bear in mind that clicking one or two buttons is much more practical than having to create a new account from scratch.

3. Build trust by showing your customers' opinions

When deciding whether to buy your product or not, customers often seek opinions from other buyers to learn about their experience with the item, as well as other aspects of the buying process.

Having seller ratings and customer reviews is essential because 90% of them say that reviews influence their buying decisions and 80% find online reviews as useful as personal recommendations. Therefore, you must include honest and real reviews.

You can show them in different ways, for example, in the form of testimonials or by adding the widget of a page where the majority of opinions are found. This will convey to customers that you are a reliable brand and that they should not hesitate to proceed to complete the purchase process.

It can also be beneficial to show positive reviews about the customer experience when returning one of your items. Yes, they may have been unhappy with the purchase, but fixing mistakes can have a profound effect on long-term customer loyalty. You can include these opinions on the return policy page. +

4. Offer more than one payment method

Your main goal should always be to make the customer experience simple, fast and uncomplicated ; And this entails offering the buyer several payment methods to choose from.

In addition to allowing you to pay with credit or debit cards, it is advisable to give the possibility of using electronic wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal. The buyer can use the card details that are already stored on their device to make purchases without problems.

Amazon has even enabled the "1-Click" feature, which allows customers to complete the purchase without going through the cart page.

 

5. Send reminders and offers by email or SMS

Even in those cases where the customer abandons the shopping cart, steps can be taken to obtain information on the reasons why they made that decision and even get them to return to the page and purchase the product.

On those occasions, email and mobile device notifications (via app) are great ways to reach out to those users who abandon the shopping cart. Open rates remain high and, since 2016, have remained around 43%.

You can achieve real wonders by sending non-intrusive but thoughtful emails or text messages, small surveys to ask the customer why they have abandoned the shopping cart, offering discounts on the products they wanted to buy or even using a sense of humor with phrases like: «Hey, Monica! Are you our champion? ».

6. Create a simplified checkout process and display a progress indicator

Online shoppers are often irritated by lengthy checkout processes. By displaying a progress indicator in the purchase process, the customer will be able to know how many steps are left to complete to purchase the item.

The fewer steps, the greater the customer's desire to complete the purchase. In this sense, the Puma brand has done an excellent job of designing a clear, simple and very useful indicator.

Here is another example, in this case from Amazon:

Psychology concepts are hidden behind the success of the progress bars. People like to clearly visualize their goal and what they need to do to achieve it . In this case, the goal is to make the purchase successfully. This same concept is often used in videos and computer games, for example, when showing the percentage of completion of a level, the objectives achieved and what remains to be done.

 

7. Offer help via live chat

It is common for customers to have doubts, questions, requests or need any other type of help when choosing and paying for products online.

By including a live chat on the shopping cart page , you will give the customer the ability to ask questions to help them decide if they want to buy your product or not. And if your team can't help every customer online, you can use a chatbot that responds to frequently asked questions interactively.

 

In this way, you will have the opportunity to influence the decisions of your customers when they are about to buy a product, which can increase the conversion rate of the shopping cart, as well as customer satisfaction.

8. Mobile optimization is essential

Mobile devices remain an integral part of online shopping. Since 2017, approximately 50% of online purchases worldwide have been made through a mobile device . The mobile experience for users should be as simple as the desktop. Optimize and organize both the app and the mobile site well so they are clear and easy to navigate. In this way, you focus the attention on the products and the customers will not give up due to frustration.

A major factor influencing mobile cart abandonment is screen size. While it is impossible to decide what size of mobile you want your customers to have, you can test your application and website on mobile devices of different dimensions to ensure that they are as easy to use as possible.

As can be seen in the graphs, both desktop platforms and mobile platforms have suffered from shopping cart abandonment. However, only 15% of mobile customers completed the purchase, which is an 85% churn rate, compared to 74% for the desktop churn rate.

If you want to improve mobile use in your shopping campaigns, you are in the right place. We have compiled five techniques (beginner to advanced) for you to discover how to use mobile devices in Google Shopping campaigns .

9. Show thumbnails of the products in the checkout process

We must bear in mind that, as humans, images have a great influence on us and that when it comes to the shopping cart experience, it is no exception.

It is not bad to only show the text or the name of the product in the purchase process, but if you include a small image of the item throughout this process , you will ensure that customers receive a strong visual signal and feel confident that they are purchasing. the product they really want.

Including product thumbnails on the cart page links the browsing experience with the payment experience and acts as a confirmation that the chosen item has been added to the cart.

As can be seen in the example, only one of the retailers has included the thumbnails of the products in the checkout process and, as a result, has managed to close the gap between the browsing experience and the payment experience.
Recommended practices:

• Include product thumbnails on cart page, order page, and email confirmation page.
• The thumbnail should be a resized version of the original image, in order not to confuse the customer.
• Use different thumbnails for each of the product variants .

10. Offer a safe shopping experience

According to the results of a survey conducted by the independent web usability research institute, Baymard, 18% of customers abandoned items during the checkout process because they did not trust to enter their credit card details in the Online store.

To reinforce a sense of security during the checkout process, merchants can take the following steps:

• Strengthen the fields on the payment page.
• Include the SSL seal to build greater trust.
• Add visuals during the process that increase confidence.
• And even perform A / B testing with these in different locations.

11. Start your retargeting strategies

As we've already mentioned, 75% of prospects abandon the shopping cart with the full intention of coming back later. You can turn these customers into sales by showing them some kind of friendly reminder.

Use a Facebook pixel to create a personalized audience, which includes those users who abandon the shopping cart. Re-showing products to undecided customers has proven extremely effective, with a response rate of 400% ; much higher than advertising not directed at a specific audience.

With the help of platforms like Adroll, you can re-show your articles to visitors via Instagram, Facebook, Google, mobile apps and other networks. If you want to know more about retargeting strategies, Adroll has compiled two extensive guides with the most innovative tactics, called The Performance Marketer's Guide to Retargeting .

12. Provides facilities to store products in the cart

When a customer enters a physical store to buy a certain product, the process is usually simple and straightforward.

However, online shopping works differently, as there can be several reasons why a customer likes one of your products and wants to buy it, but ultimately decides to save it in the shopping cart for later. For example, you may not have your credit card handy or even want to come back the next day to check for any discounts.

Something you should keep in mind is that people hate having to search for a product that they have already chosen , either because they do not have time or because they are lazy. This is a great opportunity to help and make your customers happy. You can add a simple button that says: "Save to cart."

You can also go one step further and consider adding a pop-up window that offers the option to "Go to cart" or "Continue shopping." This helps customers keep track of their cart status by showing the total number of items at the top of the page and even the amount. If, for example, you offer free shipping from a certain price, you can display messages like: "You only need € 15 to get free shipping!".

All these options will serve to remind customers to continue with the purchase process and you will be closer to making another sale.

13. Be transparent about shipping and other costs

Something that often frustrates online customers and greatly influences their purchasing decisions, as well as their brand and product loyalty, is when they expect to pay a certain price for shipping and discover that there are hidden costs and ridiculous shipping costs. .

It is very frustrating for customers that some couriers display most, if not all, of the costs for each type of shipment; in fact, this is the main reason why they decide to abandon the carts.

Ultimately, we know that customers hate surprise expenses, even more than having to pay for shipping. What can you do about it?

Be very direct, clear, specific and honest  about shipping costs, additional taxes, possible changes and other factors that customers must take into account until the product arrives at their door. In this way, you will give them peace of mind and they will feel that they can trust you.

Also, sending them a confirmation email as soon as they complete the purchase can increase their trust and loyalty, as well as get them to buy your products again in the future. Provide them with information so they can track shipments and a summary of what they have purchased.

It takes a lot of effort and time to build lasting customer relationships and only a couple of mistakes to lose their loyalty. It is a complicated road and the only way to survive it is to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies that improve the customer shopping experience.

Despite the constant growth and change of e-commerce, in recent years the conversion rates of the shopping cart have remained constant, so it may be more related to the habits of the users. Putting yourself in the shoes of your customers and thinking about what gives them the best experience allows you to deal with these statistics .

We know that this is a challenge and the only way to overcome it is to be aware of new trends and technologies to improve the customer shopping experience.

Would you like to share with me any other recommendations to reduce the cart abandonment rate of an ecommerce? I read you in the comment section!

How to combat shopping cart abandonment: 13 proven tactics

The shopping cart abandonment rate is 69.57% and the loss is expected to be 4 trillion next year. It is undoubtedly the biggest headache in the online retail industry and continues to cause a lot of confusion and frustration among marketers today.

To effectively reduce the cart abandonment rate , retailers must improve the browsing experience and the checkout process, convey confidence and peace of mind, and increase the level of security that the user perceives. Let's see how!

Next, I will talk about the 13 most effective techniques to improve the performance of the shopping cart and greatly increase the number of sales.

Don't miss # 11, our favorite method of tackling this problem.

Shopping cart abandonment

It is estimated that 7 out of 10 online customers add items to the cart and leave the page without completing the purchase process, which represents large losses in merchandise sales for online stores. This estimate amounts to 85% when it comes to users who use mobile devices .

Abandonment occurs when customers add an item to their shopping cart with the intention of purchasing it, but, at the last minute, they decide to close the page and, therefore, fail to buy the product.

If we look at this churn rate in recent years, we realize that it has remained constant.

Skymarketing offers wonderful space propelled lodgings and a powerful social scene at awe inspiring territories like blue world city Islamabad .

Luckily, there is the possibility of turning these abandonments into purchases . It is estimated that 25% of customers never return to the page, while 75% leave it with the intention of returning later. While it is true that some customers inevitably abandon the cart without any intention of purchasing the product, having a better design can increase conversions by 35%.

Timing is also essential. The chance of converting cart abandonments into leads is greater if you send the appropriate emails immediately. The ideal time to do this is 30 min to 1 hr.

Most common reasons why shopping carts are abandoned

Let's take a look at some percentages to better understand why immediate action is so important. The results of a study conducted by Baymard in 2020 revealed that 58.6% of online customers in the US abandoned the cart simply because they were not serious about buying. They decided to set aside this set of buyers and asked the rest to specify the reasons why they had decided to leave items in the cart.

• 50% said that the additional costs, such as shipping costs, were too high.
• 28% did not want to create an account.
• 21% found the checkout process too long.
• 17% said they did not feel safe when entering their payment information.
• 10% did not agree with the return policy.

Bottom of Form

1. Offer free shipping and returns (whenever possible)

It is well known that shipping costs are the main reason why users decide to abandon the cart ; many of them fail to complete the process and make purchasing decisions based on a couple of euros. Studies have shown that up to 63% of customers abandon the cart if they consider that the shipping costs are excessive.

In this sense, there is not much more to add, other than that, where possible and applicable, you should offer free shipping and returns . A very common solution is to perform a cost analysis to determine if it is possible to increase the price of products to include shipping costs.

If this is not possible, you should consider saving money on shipping the products, for example:

• Taking advantage of the volume discounts offered by some courier companies, such as SEUR, MRW, UPS, DHL, etc.
• Offering discounts on shipping for buying more than one item.

Make sure your customers can return the items without problems . Display your return policy details in a place that's easy to access. 49% of online shoppers stated that, before making a purchase, they read the store's return policy. It makes sense that approximately 30% of online purchases are returned, because the photos may not live up to expectations. Having a transparent policy encourages brand loyalty.

2. Simplify the shopping experience and allow you to purchase products as a guest

For many customers, the thought of creating an account, confirming an email address, and the other steps required to complete the purchase process is time consuming, annoying, and only slows down the entire process.

By providing the ability to purchase as a guest , you will give customers the option to choose whether or not they want to register on your website, make a single purchase, or simply avoid unnecessary steps.

You can also allow buyers to log in with their social media accounts . Most likely, users are already signed in and their account details are saved on their devices. You should bear in mind that clicking one or two buttons is much more practical than having to create a new account from scratch.

3. Build trust by showing your customers' opinions

When deciding whether to buy your product or not, customers often seek opinions from other buyers to learn about their experience with the item, as well as other aspects of the buying process.

Having seller ratings and customer reviews is essential because 90% of them say that reviews influence their buying decisions and 80% find online reviews as useful as personal recommendations. Therefore, you must include honest and real reviews.

You can show them in different ways, for example, in the form of testimonials or by adding the widget of a page where the majority of opinions are found. This will convey to customers that you are a reliable brand and that they should not hesitate to proceed to complete the purchase process.

It can also be beneficial to show positive reviews about the customer experience when returning one of your items. Yes, they may have been unhappy with the purchase, but fixing mistakes can have a profound effect on long-term customer loyalty. You can include these opinions on the return policy page. +

4. Offer more than one payment method

Your main goal should always be to make the customer experience simple, fast and uncomplicated ; And this entails offering the buyer several payment methods to choose from.

In addition to allowing you to pay with credit or debit cards, it is advisable to give the possibility of using electronic wallets such as Google Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal. The buyer can use the card details that are already stored on their device to make purchases without problems.

Amazon has even enabled the "1-Click" feature, which allows customers to complete the purchase without going through the cart page.

 

5. Send reminders and offers by email or SMS

Even in those cases where the customer abandons the shopping cart, steps can be taken to obtain information on the reasons why they made that decision and even get them to return to the page and purchase the product.

On those occasions, email and mobile device notifications (via app) are great ways to reach out to those users who abandon the shopping cart. Open rates remain high and, since 2016, have remained around 43%.

You can achieve real wonders by sending non-intrusive but thoughtful emails or text messages, small surveys to ask the customer why they have abandoned the shopping cart, offering discounts on the products they wanted to buy or even using a sense of humor with phrases like: «Hey, Monica! Are you our champion? ».

6. Create a simplified checkout process and display a progress indicator

Online shoppers are often irritated by lengthy checkout processes. By displaying a progress indicator in the purchase process, the customer will be able to know how many steps are left to complete to purchase the item.

The fewer steps, the greater the customer's desire to complete the purchase. In this sense, the Puma brand has done an excellent job of designing a clear, simple and very useful indicator.

Here is another example, in this case from Amazon:

Psychology concepts are hidden behind the success of the progress bars. People like to clearly visualize their goal and what they need to do to achieve it . In this case, the goal is to make the purchase successfully. This same concept is often used in videos and computer games, for example, when showing the percentage of completion of a level, the objectives achieved and what remains to be done.

 

7. Offer help via live chat

It is common for customers to have doubts, questions, requests or need any other type of help when choosing and paying for products online.

By including a live chat on the shopping cart page , you will give the customer the ability to ask questions to help them decide if they want to buy your product or not. And if your team can't help every customer online, you can use a chatbot that responds to frequently asked questions interactively.

 

In this way, you will have the opportunity to influence the decisions of your customers when they are about to buy a product, which can increase the conversion rate of the shopping cart, as well as customer satisfaction.

8. Mobile optimization is essential

Mobile devices remain an integral part of online shopping. Since 2017, approximately 50% of online purchases worldwide have been made through a mobile device . The mobile experience for users should be as simple as the desktop. Optimize and organize both the app and the mobile site well so they are clear and easy to navigate. In this way, you focus the attention on the products and the customers will not give up due to frustration.

A major factor influencing mobile cart abandonment is screen size. While it is impossible to decide what size of mobile you want your customers to have, you can test your application and website on mobile devices of different dimensions to ensure that they are as easy to use as possible.

As can be seen in the graphs, both desktop platforms and mobile platforms have suffered from shopping cart abandonment. However, only 15% of mobile customers completed the purchase, which is an 85% churn rate, compared to 74% for the desktop churn rate.

If you want to improve mobile use in your shopping campaigns, you are in the right place. We have compiled five techniques (beginner to advanced) for you to discover how to use mobile devices in Google Shopping campaigns .

9. Show thumbnails of the products in the checkout process

We must bear in mind that, as humans, images have a great influence on us and that when it comes to the shopping cart experience, it is no exception.

It is not bad to only show the text or the name of the product in the purchase process, but if you include a small image of the item throughout this process , you will ensure that customers receive a strong visual signal and feel confident that they are purchasing. the product they really want.

Including product thumbnails on the cart page links the browsing experience with the payment experience and acts as a confirmation that the chosen item has been added to the cart.

As can be seen in the example, only one of the retailers has included the thumbnails of the products in the checkout process and, as a result, has managed to close the gap between the browsing experience and the payment experience.
Recommended practices:

• Include product thumbnails on cart page, order page, and email confirmation page.
• The thumbnail should be a resized version of the original image, in order not to confuse the customer.
• Use different thumbnails for each of the product variants .

10. Offer a safe shopping experience

According to the results of a survey conducted by the independent web usability research institute, Baymard, 18% of customers abandoned items during the checkout process because they did not trust to enter their credit card details in the Online store.

To reinforce a sense of security during the checkout process, merchants can take the following steps:

• Strengthen the fields on the payment page.
• Include the SSL seal to build greater trust.
• Add visuals during the process that increase confidence.
• And even perform A / B testing with these in different locations.

11. Start your retargeting strategies

As we've already mentioned, 75% of prospects abandon the shopping cart with the full intention of coming back later. You can turn these customers into sales by showing them some kind of friendly reminder.

Use a Facebook pixel to create a personalized audience, which includes those users who abandon the shopping cart. Re-showing products to undecided customers has proven extremely effective, with a response rate of 400% ; much higher than advertising not directed at a specific audience.

With the help of platforms like Adroll, you can re-show your articles to visitors via Instagram, Facebook, Google, mobile apps and other networks. If you want to know more about retargeting strategies, Adroll has compiled two extensive guides with the most innovative tactics, called The Performance Marketer's Guide to Retargeting .

12. Provides facilities to store products in the cart

When a customer enters a physical store to buy a certain product, the process is usually simple and straightforward.

However, online shopping works differently, as there can be several reasons why a customer likes one of your products and wants to buy it, but ultimately decides to save it in the shopping cart for later. For example, you may not have your credit card handy or even want to come back the next day to check for any discounts.

Something you should keep in mind is that people hate having to search for a product that they have already chosen , either because they do not have time or because they are lazy. This is a great opportunity to help and make your customers happy. You can add a simple button that says: "Save to cart."

You can also go one step further and consider adding a pop-up window that offers the option to "Go to cart" or "Continue shopping." This helps customers keep track of their cart status by showing the total number of items at the top of the page and even the amount. If, for example, you offer free shipping from a certain price, you can display messages like: "You only need € 15 to get free shipping!".

All these options will serve to remind customers to continue with the purchase process and you will be closer to making another sale.

13. Be transparent about shipping and other costs

Something that often frustrates online customers and greatly influences their purchasing decisions, as well as their brand and product loyalty, is when they expect to pay a certain price for shipping and discover that there are hidden costs and ridiculous shipping costs. .

It is very frustrating for customers that some couriers display most, if not all, of the costs for each type of shipment; in fact, this is the main reason why they decide to abandon the carts.

Ultimately, we know that customers hate surprise expenses, even more than having to pay for shipping. What can you do about it?

Be very direct, clear, specific and honest  about shipping costs, additional taxes, possible changes and other factors that customers must take into account until the product arrives at their door. In this way, you will give them peace of mind and they will feel that they can trust you.

Also, sending them a confirmation email as soon as they complete the purchase can increase their trust and loyalty, as well as get them to buy your products again in the future. Provide them with information so they can track shipments and a summary of what they have purchased.

It takes a lot of effort and time to build lasting customer relationships and only a couple of mistakes to lose their loyalty. It is a complicated road and the only way to survive it is to stay up to date with the latest trends and technologies that improve the customer shopping experience.

Despite the constant growth and change of e-commerce, in recent years the conversion rates of the shopping cart have remained constant, so it may be more related to the habits of the users. Putting yourself in the shoes of your customers and thinking about what gives them the best experience allows you to deal with these statistics .

We know that this is a challenge and the only way to overcome it is to be aware of new trends and technologies to improve the customer shopping experience.

Would you like to share with me any other recommendations to reduce the cart abandonment rate of an ecommerce? I read you in the comment section!