Checkout Abandonment - Why Checkout Optimisation Matter

There are many reasons why customers abandon a checkout process, and ensuring you don’t fall down at the final hurdle can make a big difference.

Let’s unpack what this all means:

Hidden Charges: Its always tempting to pull customers in with a competitive advertised price but extra costs risk undoing all the hard work. A whopping 48% of consumers list extra costs as a reason they abandon the process and being open and upfront early is key to success.

Account Creation: Its natural that you want shoppers to sign up, but is deterring 24% of the audience a price worth paying? There are smart ways of signing up people who intend to return, and every key stroke at checkout impacts the speed and conversion of sale.

Delivery & Fulfilment Options: We live in an impatient world and people like choices. Some want fast delivery and returns, some are prepared to pay for that, others want sustainable options, so think it through and make sure your options resonate with your audience.

Trust: Handing over payment details requires a lot of trust. There are hundreds of options and choosing the right ones has a huge impact. However people choose to pay, trust is key so be clear, be secure, and make sure your payment suppliers are 100% compliant in the regions you sell in.

Too long: Speed matters and removing any unnecessary friction is a must. There are many ways to enhance the flow without compromising on security or data capture. Never assume your customer has the time, patience or desire to share more than they need to. Guest checkout is preferable and the customer journey doesn’t end here so less is always more.

Visibility – tying back into hidden charges, transparency is key and having and hiding it away until the final stage is never a good look. Be open, be transparent, and help your audience to assess the full cost of sale.

Website errors: Ensuring your site is optimised wherever your audience is shopping is key. Any coding errors need to be snuffed out and it is critical that all plug ins are seamless. Nothing kills trust more than a site crashing mid payment, and expect calls, chargebacks and complaints if this happens.

Returns: Whatever the item on sale we all know there could be reasons for return or refund. With 12% of shopper highlighting this, and many more likely to look into it, having a solid and visible policy is critical.

Not enough payment methods: 9% of shoppers site this as a deal breaker at the point of sale, and our research shows us that at least 20% more will have checked this out before even browsing. You don’t need every payment under the sun, but you do need to optimise in line with your audience and their regions. Credit card adoption is high in some countries, low in others. A wallet that everyone loves in the US may have low adoption in ASIA so payment optimisation is a must.

Payment declined: In this research the stats relate to credit cards, and this could be for many reasons. If they are new to shopping in this region, or the site looks suspicious, the card issuer or scheme may decline the payment. Advising customers on the reason, offering alternative options in the moment, and saving baskets whilst they check with their bank are all simple ways to mitigate this problem. Understanding declines and the associated code will help you to ensure a smooth and problem free experience.

For a free consultation please contact us and we can provide with a checkout optimisation audit.

This is fast, efficient and low cost way to make sure your checkout delivers. Reports and scoring cover a range of criteria, highlight areas of friction along with a detailed report so you can benchmark, remove friction, reduce abandonment and increase sales.