If you successfully draw in customers to your e-commerce site to where they’re interested enough to consider making a purchase, it can be frustrating to see them abandon their shopping carts. One way to ensure that customers finish their transaction is to streamline your site’s checkout process to create a better user experience that encourages them to finish it. Here are some strategies to think about when it comes time to improve your e-commerce website’s checkout experience. If you want expert help, find an ecommerce marketing company- of course we recommend Blueswitch!
Plot Out Workflow
Have you ever really taken the time to go through your site’s checkout process step by step? If you have, you might surprise yourself by experiencing your checkout process as your customers do. Perhaps, you’ll find that you have too many steps or that some aspect of the process is confusing. The best e-commerce websites make it exceptionally easy for customers to spend money. Think about Amazon’s process. You find an item, and you’re presented with an option. Do you want to put the item in your cart or buy it now with one click ordering? Perhaps, you don’t need to make your checkout process quite that easy, but you can probably tell how simple Amazon’s checkout experience is and how that promotes buying.
Quick View
Another feature that successful e-commerce websites use in the checkout process is a “quick view,” where customers can see an item and add it to their shopping carts without leaving the search results. While some customers want to read detailed descriptions that open in a new page, others just want to confirm that they’re buying the right item. This can make it easier for customers who want to add more than one item from the search results to their carts.
Checkout from Any Page
Try to make it possible to reach the checkout screen from any page. If your customer doesn’t have time to waste, they want the process to be as quick as possible. If it takes too long, they may decide to make the purchase later and not come back. To avoid this, it’s a good idea to make checkout possible from any page.
Save Cart Items
Some customers will accidentally click off your site. Others will add items they want to their cart and then think about the purchase before paying for it. If your website can save items into the shopping cart, then your customer will more likely follow through on impulse purchases that they might have been on the fence about.
Accept All Payment Options
For most online retailers, the goal is simple. They want customers to buy their products or services so they can make reliable money. If a customer wants to pay with a certain credit card or payment option, it’s in your best interest to let them. If they see that their preferred payment method isn’t available, they may choose to not order from you. Without a brick and mortar presence, your checkout experience represents a significant portion of your customer’s experience with your company. A cluttered and confusing checkout experience can be frustrating for customers. A streamlined experience promotes sales. An e-commerce marketing company will help ensure your overall process is running smoothly.
