When we hear the word “conversion” we often think of landing pages, category and product page layouts, and overall navigation. Let’s not forget the final point of conversion: The checkout process.
The checkout page(s) is your last chance to seal the deal and complete a sale. The process itself can make or break the transaction. Confused shoppers may contact you for assistance, but they account for a small percentage of people who have difficulties. The majority of shoppers encountering checkout problems will simply abandon shopping carts and look elsewhere. Today, Magesolution will show you Top Ecommerce Checkout Strategies to improve Conversion Rates and make the checkout process easy for even inexperienced shoppers.
Design and Layout
This is where much of the buyer’s decision to buy or not buy will rest – at first. Best shopping cart design practices will factor in here, such as ample use of whitespace, clear delineation of different steps in the order process, and these vital checkout-boosting points:
1. Give users a visual checkout process
while it’s ideal if you can fit everything onto one page, plenty of conversion studies have shown that the fewer clicks to checkout there are, the higher your conversion rate will be. If you need to spread things out across multiple pages, give the shopper a visual indicator of how far they’ve progressed.
One Step Checkout_allows your customers to have all checkout steps in only one step with Multi-languages & Mobile theme support
2. Add checkout buttons to the top and bottom of the page
The less time that customers have to spend looking for them, the sooner they’ll take action
3. Include credit card logos and security seals
Let shoppers know your site is a secure, trusted place to do business. Popular security seals include Verisign and BizRate.
4. Give users the option to continue shopping from the checkout page
They may have forgotten something, and there’s nothing worse than hitting the back button and finding that all your cart details have vanished.
5. Differentiate checkout/continue shopping button colors
If you have these two buttons side by side, consider changing the color of one of them to make it visually separate from the others and lessen the chance that the user will click the wrong one. Add plenty of space between them so there’s no mistaking where the user clicked.
6. Give visitors the option to create an account after checking out
Nothing is more aggravating than being presented with the “Register to Create an Account!” popup before you can complete your order. Removing it caused one online retailer’s sales to increase by $300 million! People will gladly give their contact information in order to track their purchase after the order rather than stopping to fill everything in beforehand.
7. Allow users to print or email their cart contents
In the case of certain purchases, they may be buying for someone else, need their manager or boss to sign off on the purchase, or some other step that forces them to stop the checkout process. Make sure that if there has to be an interruption, you give them the tools necessary to make it as smooth as possible
8. Let buyers save their cart or add to their wishlist
Many people use a shopping cart as a glorified wishlist, to save things for later. Why not give them the opportunity to do just that by letting them save their cart or optionally add products to a wishlist for a future purchase?
9. Exit popups don’t always work
Oftentimes, antivirus or browser software will stop popups in their tracks, preventing you from surveying the customer as to why they left their shopping cart. Instead, use email to follow up and test adding a discount code or dollar value if they complete their order.
10. Don’t forget to include
Links to your privacy policy, shipping details, FAQ and returns policy are within easy reach of the checkout screen. You may also want to consider testing a live chat option on the checkout page in case the customer has any pre-sales questions before placing their order.
Magento Product questions allow customers to ask questions and receive answers on product pages, like or dislike questions and answers. Customers can also search and see all questions and answers on the FAQs page.
11. Review one last time before its final
Give customers one last chance to make sure they ordered and entered everything correctly before they proceed with their order.
Optimizing Product Details
If your design and layout are as seamless as possible, the next aspect of the user’s attention is going to go directly to make sure they’ve ordered the right color/size and combination of items. Here are some other factors to add to make the shopping cart experience as pleasant as possible.
12. Include a product summary
Having just a name and a number might be enough on the vendor’s end, but letting the customer know what size, color, and other customization options are available will help them ensure they’ve made the correct choice for their needs
13. Detail shipping methods on the checkout page
Don’t wait until after they enter their shipping address to let them know which options you accept.
14. Let the user update quantity or remove it from the cart
While they’re still on the checkout page. Here again, the more times they have to hit the back button (or look for the cart icon) to go where they want, the more chances they’ll simply give up and drop the process altogether.
15. Recommend related products before checkout
This is another excellent shopping cart practice that is sorely under-used, particularly in the field of electronics, where shoppers want to be absolutely sure they have everything they need to get the most out of their purchase. No one wants to find out too late that the item didn’t come with an adapter (or that one was recommended in the first place).
16. Include order number and contact info for any questions
Let customers know how they can reach you by phone and email. Not everyone wants to (or knows how to) use live chat functionality, and if for some reason it isn’t staffed, having email and phone contact details on the same page can prevent carts from being abandoned due to unanswered questions.
17. Show the final price before checkout
More and more e-commerce sites are incorporating this feature to help prevent orders from being lost due to the customer’s idea of a perceived price increase in the form of shipping/handling/tax fees.
18. Confirm that the item is in stock/available
No one wants to get all the way to the order page to find out the item is no longer available. Thankfully, most carts have inventory tracking built-in to the ordering process. If an item is on backorder, allow the user to enter their email address to be notified if/when it’s back in stock.
19. Show pre-order availability
If your customer is pre-ordering an item, let them know when it’s expected to be available. Although release dates can and do change often, Amazon takes the uncertainty out of the pre-order process by offering users a credit if the price drops between the time they pre-ordered, and the day the product launches.
20. Include product ratings and testimonials
Nothing helps instill confidence in an order more than customer reviews and ratings about a particular product. Shoppers want to know if the wires break easily, if the item is too long in the sleeves, or if it works exactly as advertised. Don’t let them find out too late!
21. Include gift wrap/message options
This tip is particularly valuable near different holiday shopping seasons, depending on what you’re selling. Any “little things” which can add a personal touch while helping the shopper save time are highly valued and remembered when shopping online.
22. Include product video
Where possible, show the product in use, or ideas on how to use the product for best results. Read this KISSmetrics article to learn how product videos help increase conversion rates. Magento Product Video allows the admin to add video(s) for the products or embed videos from youtube, and other video-sharing sites. When customers click on videos, it will show a nice light box with a slideshow for videos.
Payment and Shipping
This is where most shopping carts are abandoned, and it’s usually because of the aforementioned failure to include shipping, handling, and tax into the final order tally up front. There are also some points that can make this crucial moment even easier for buyers, such as:
23. Provide free shipping
Time and time again, shoppers say that this factor over all others compels them to order. Not all merchants can realistically afford to always do this, as shipping costs can eat into their bottom line. If that fits your current situation, consider…
24. Offer free shipping when the customer spends $X
You can set a dollar amount needed to reach the free shipping threshold, but the fewer requirements you set, the more likely people are to increase their order maximum order volume and come back to purchase again. If you do this, add in a progress bar or a total amount as the customer adds the items to their cart to show them how close they are to qualifying.
25. Provide multiple shipping and payment methods
Let the user decide how quickly they want to receive their order. Likewise, not everyone wants to bother with dragging out their wallet (or purse) to find their credit card. You’ll likely convert more online shoppers by using online payment services like Paypal or Google Checkout.
26. Put the latest promo codes directly on your website
There’s nothing worse than going off-site to a coupon directory to find a code and then returning to the site in question to use it. Keep those shoppers on your site longer by including the promo code right on the checkout page, along with a field to use it.
27. Was $X, Now $Y
Everyone loves a good deal. If you can show the previous price of an item, you’ll encourage them to complete the order while the item is still on sale. Magento Daily Deals with a countdown timer and promotion price for the products that you need.
28. You Saved $X
Like the above, if you can show the shopper how much they’ve saved on their order before the final price is displayed, they’ll feel much more comfortable pressing that Checkout button.
29. Include an Approximate Shipping Date
In exchange for their zip code, and with their shipping method selected, it’s a great idea to include an approximate shipping date (when the item leaves the warehouse) or an arrival date when they can expect to receive it.
30. Make Digital Download Instructions Clear
Most of this article has been devoted to best eCommerce practices for tangible items, but even if you’re selling digital goods, many of these points still apply. At checkout, make it expressly clear how the customer can download their order. If they need special software to open it, show them how to download it. And in the future, if they need to download it again, provide them with instructions on how to do so. Don’t assume everyone knows where and how to get Adobe Reader!
31. If you need specific information, tell them why
Customers are more likely to share information (like date of birth or their phone number) if you tell them why you need it. Just be sure that you truly DO need that information and it isn’t just a “nice to have” piece to bulk up your lead database.
Rewards and Special Offers
Everyone likes to feel rewarded. And getting customers through the checkout process is just the first step. You also have to tailor your checkout page toward future orders – or remarketing to customers who have abandoned their orders. Follow these points to increase shopping cart conversions on future orders.
32. Promote reviews in exchange for coupons or discounts
Encourage customers to review a product in exchange for a discount or coupon by email. More reviews could entitle the user to bigger savings or free samples.
33. Consider a loyalty program
Award customers with points in exchange for reviews, purchases, ratings, or other actions that can help contribute to your website. These points could be redeemed in exchange for samples, a coupon toward a future visit, or other rewards.
34. Give away complimentary samples with each order
Depending on what you sell, this could become a serious factor in getting repeat orders. It works particularly well when bundling, such as including free sampler perfumes with a clothing order, or in the case of the Freeman Beauty sites, a sample travel beauty product with each item added to the cart.
35. Provide 24/7 Customer Service, 365-Day Return Policy
Zappos is the poster child of great service because they make it a part of every factor of their business – including a year-long return policy. Countless studies have shown that the longer the guarantee/return policy is, the less the likelihood of returns or refund requests. And, while not appropriate for every business, it has certainly earned them a loyal following.
36. Promote financing offers for higher-ticket items
Some stores use Paypal’s “Bill me Later” function while others offer payment in installments or a lower price for locking in a year’s worth of service (versus paying month to month). Consider some creative financing options to help move your more expensive merchandise
37. Installation and Setup
Depending on what you sell, you can compel more shoppers to buy if they have some help with installation and setup. This is particularly advantageous for computers and other technical equipment and incredibly valuable to first-time customers.
38. Let customers set up notification alerts
You’ll greatly increase the chance that they’ll return and make a purchase (or another purchase) if you let them create email or text message alerts on your site. For instance, they may ask to be notified when a product is almost out of stock or notified when similar products are added. Let them choose how and when they want to receive alerts, and you can bank on having a customer for life.
39. Upsell with gift cards
This strategy is commonly used over the Christmas holiday season, but there’s no reason it couldn’t work on other types of sales. The option to add a gift card to their cart or get $X off their purchase when they add a card can increase your total sales per customer considerably with no extra effort on your part if the cards are delivered digitally.
Test
Of course, with any list that includes techniques and tips to help increase conversions, you should remember that no matter how certain you are that one idea or the other will work for you – it’s ALWAYS worth testing. Your users may surprise you, and you won’t know how well a particular strategy will work unless you split the test accordingly.
Conclusion
These are all kinds of things we want to share with you some eCommerce Checkout Strategies to improve Conversion Rates. If you meet any difficulties and have questions, please let us know through the contact form. We’re really happy to support you with our eCommerce testing and enhancement service.
