Syed Balkhi July 13, 2021 Are you losing more potential customers than you would like on your checkout page? If so, you’re not alone. The average cart abandonment rate in early 2020 was 88.05%, which means for every 100 people that add an item to their shopping cart, 88 leave without paying.
Business owners and marketing teams know the key to increasing profits is to get people who add items to their cart to follow through with their orders. When you consider that checkout pages have the highest eCommerce cart abandonment rate, optimizing this vital part of your website makes sense. You don’t want to lose sales on the last step of the transaction, right?
Today, we will show you several effective strategies you can use to get more conversions on your checkout page.
Let’s get started!
Simplify the Sales Process
We’ve all tried to shop with an online retailer that had a complicated or clunky checkout page. After a negative experience with one of these sites, there’s a chance you may have left without completing your order. Websites that are poorly designed and lack accessible features tend to drive people away.
You never want users to feel frustrated when trying to complete their orders. We suggest taking some time to simplify your ordering process. You could include an “always-on” shopping cart that people can see across all pages on your site. Visitors can quickly see their total, which reduces the chance that they will leave when the grand total pops up on their screen.
It’s also important to think about adjusting your payment page to allow features like autofill. When consumers return for repeat visits, they are more likely to complete their order if their information is already filled in.
You’ll also want to make sure consumers can shop on your site across all devices. Specifically, a mobile responsive website is a must. Globally, over 5.16 billion people own mobile devices. If someone lands on your website from their smartphone and can’t interact with your checkout page because it isn’t mobile-responsive, they will likely leave and not return.
Use Social Proof to Build Trust
Odds are, you wouldn’t buy a product from a brand you don’t trust. If consumers feel like they don’t have enough information about your business to know if you’re reputable, they may decide to leave at the last minute.
One way you can resolve this issue is by showing more social proof on your website. Social proof in marketing is the tendency of consumers to take action after they see an endorsement from another person or reputable brand.
For instance, when visitors see a McAfee seal on your payment form, they know that your business is trusted by one of the most reputable internet security companies on the planet.
Your existing customers can also help you build social proof for your business. On each of your products, include a page for shoppers to leave reviews. After you gather plenty of reviews, add a few highlights on your checkout page. When a potential customer is on the verge of checking out, seeing someone else’s positive experience with your brand could influence them to complete their order.
Real-time sales notifications are another excellent way to build social proof. When a customer makes a purchase, everyone on your website gets a notification in the corner of their screen. The notifications can include their first name, last initial, and the product they purchased. Research shows that using these types of notifications can boost your sales by an impressive 15%.
Create a Sense of Urgency
Creating a sense of urgency can help you dramatically improve your checkout page conversions. If you want a massive example, look no further than Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Both days are essentially based on the idea of urgency and limited stock. People line up in front of stores before sunrise, refresh eCommerce homepages, and much more just to get a chance at getting their hands on a limited-time deal.
Marketing that uses urgency is called FOMO marketing. FOMO stands for fear of missing out, and it’s based on the idea that consumers are more likely to make a split-second decision on a purchase if the offer has a time limit or stock is low.
Believe it or not, 60% of online shoppers report buying a product due to FOMO marketing. You’ll be glad to know that there are several ways you can implement this strategy on your site.
The easiest way to create a sense of urgency is with a limited-time sale, much like Black Friday. You could have a weekend special where all of your prices are cut by 30%. Once you decide on an offer, reach out to your email subscribers and social media followers to let them know about the event.
Don’t forget to include a countdown timer on your checkout page that shows visitors how long they have to take advantage of your deals.
Make it Easy to Ask for Help
Finally, we have to stress the importance of making it easy for visitors to ask for help. If you’ve ever needed assistance with an online order, you know how valuable it is to have a robust support system in place. When visitors get their questions answered, there’s a much better chance that they will go through with their purchase.
We suggest using a mix of live chat agents and chatbots to help your customers. Chatbot technology is excellent for helping users that have common questions or concerns. Live agents, on the other hand, can help visitors with specific problems and one-off questions. This human touch in your customer service plan is vital to converting people on your checkout page.
Your team should understand the goals and pain points of your customers. When someone is on the verge of completing their purchase, they likely have very specific goals or questions. If you have a strong team in place that knows how to overcome objections and help soon-to-be customers, you’ll likely see a boost in your conversions.
Final Thoughts
You’ll find that your checkout page will change over time. As you learn more about your customers and their needs, you can make adjustments that lead to more people staying and submitting their orders. The tips offered today will help you get started.
Don’t get discouraged if you have an abnormally high abandonment rate. With practice, you’ll learn to keep more people on your site, which will lead to more engagement, sales, and repeat customers.
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