Earlier this month, I wrote an article filled with statistics from research studies about online shopping cart abandonment rates. According to the data, the average documented online shopping cart abandonment rate is 67.89%, but overall, 90% of online shoppers have placed items into their online shopping carts but ultimately, left the site without completing their purchases.
Today, I stumbled on an infographic from Vouchercloud, shown below, that is filled with so much great information you’re doing yourself and your brand a disservice if you don’t take a few minutes to review it and digest the data.
Based on this data, here are 7 mistakes many brand websites make that are causing visitors to click away and abandon their shopping carts. Avoid these ecommerce mistakes or your brand will suffer.
1. Your site is too slow.
According to the data, 57% of online shoppers will abandon your site if they have to wait for something to load for just three seconds, and 80% of those people will never return again. Make sure every page and every element on your website loads quickly.
2. Your site offers too few images and no videos.
For 93% of online shoppers, visuals are the biggest purchase influencer. Offering multiple product views can increase purchases by 58%, and reduce returns by up to 25%.
3. Your site offers no product reviews (or ways to find reviews of your company and brand).
85% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and 79% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Make sure potential customers have a way to read what other consumers think of your products, services, brand, and company.
4. You add charges to shopping carts at checkout or require registration to checkout.
The top two reasons online shoppers abandon their shopping carts are because extra charges are added at checkout (41%) or they’re required to register before they can check out (29%). Make the checkout process as easy and transparent as possible by communicating all fees, shipping times, return policies, and so on before customers reach the checkout page. Also, make sure the checkout process is fast and easy to follow by adding a checkout progress bar. One out of 10 online shoppers (10%) abandon shopping carts because the checkout process is too lengthy.
5. You don’t offer coupons or discounts.
According to the data in the infographic, 57% of online shoppers who made a purchase with a coupon said they would not have purchased the items if they did not have the coupon. Offer discounts as well as an easy way to use those discounts with a simple coupon or discount code redemption process.
6. Your shipping charges are too high.
Nearly one in two online shoppers have abandoned their shopping carts because shipping charges were too high. In fact, many consumers value low shipping charges over fast delivery. However, you should offer a variety of shipping options to meet more consumers’ expectations and needs.
7. You don’t offer the right payment options.
More than half of online shoppers (59%) will abandon their shopping carts if their preferred online payment method isn’t offered during checkout. Offer multiple, secure ways for customers to pay, and your shopping cart abandonment rate should decrease while sales increase.
Check out the infographic with all of the details below.
Infographic via: Vouchercloud
Image: Morgan Akens
Lucy is Editor at Corporate Eye
