Tips for an optimal e-commerce checkout.
In order to increase the conversion rate of e-commerce, it is important to improve the check-out phase, as this is the stage that turns website visitors into real customers.According to various researches, almost 70% of e-commerce users abandon the shopping cart before placing their order because the check-out is too long, with complicated or unnecessary intermediate steps.To avoid wasting the marketing efforts that brought potential customers to the site, it is best to optimise the check-out experience by following these simple rules:Make the creation of an account optional: a wise choice could be to include the possibility of a guest check-out or to give the opportunity to register after the order has been placed, so as to speed up future purchases.Optimise check-out for mobile devices: various statistics show that people surf the internet far more from smartphones than from desktops and the tendency to buy from them is increasing (from 52.4% to 72.9%), so it is good to optimise check-out for mobile devices, removing potential barriers in the user's path to purchase.Improve copy and microcopy: buttons, forms and welcome messages, the menu, the 404 page, etc. are elements to consider in order to encourage and reassure users.Offer different payment methods: Stripe and PayPal are just two of the possible methods that accept almost all credit cards, but other payment methods such as the classic cash on delivery should not be taken for granted. The important thing is that customers can find their preferred method of payment.Inform customers about the costs they will incur: the e-commerce check-out page must include all costs that customers will incur (shipping costs, taxes), to be clear and transparent and avoid unpleasant surprises.Reassure customers about the security of transactions: HTTPS protocol, security badges from known anti-malware software and logos from brands that guarantee payment security ensure that users can trust to enter their payment card details and complete their order.Showing the progress in the purchase process: inserting a time line can help to understand how many more steps are needed to complete the checkout process.Don't forget to say thank you: after completing the purchase with a personalised message and with a follow-up email, in order to convey value and build a lasting relationship with the customer.And if once these strategies are in place, users continue to abandon the basket before placing the order, you can use email marketing (e.g. reminders about abandoned shopping cart or special discounts to entice purchases) or develop a retargeting strategy with Google Ads and social media.
In order to increase the conversion rate of e-commerce, it is important to improve the check-out phase, as this is the stage that turns website visitors into real customers.
According to various researches, almost 70% of e-commerce users abandon the shopping cart before placing their order because the check-out is too long, with complicated or unnecessary intermediate steps.
To avoid wasting the marketing efforts that brought potential customers to the site, it is best to optimise the check-out experience by following these simple rules:
- Make the creation of an account optional: a wise choice could be to include the possibility of a guest check-out or to give the opportunity to register after the order has been placed, so as to speed up future purchases.
- Optimise check-out for mobile devices: various statistics show that people surf the internet far more from smartphones than from desktops and the tendency to buy from them is increasing (from 52.4% to 72.9%), so it is good to optimise check-out for mobile devices, removing potential barriers in the user's path to purchase.
- Improve copy and microcopy: buttons, forms and welcome messages, the menu, the 404 page, etc. are elements to consider in order to encourage and reassure users.
- Offer different payment methods: Stripe and PayPal are just two of the possible methods that accept almost all credit cards, but other payment methods such as the classic cash on delivery should not be taken for granted. The important thing is that customers can find their preferred method of payment.
- Inform customers about the costs they will incur: the e-commerce check-out page must include all costs that customers will incur (shipping costs, taxes), to be clear and transparent and avoid unpleasant surprises.
- Reassure customers about the security of transactions: HTTPS protocol, security badges from known anti-malware software and logos from brands that guarantee payment security ensure that users can trust to enter their payment card details and complete their order.
- Showing the progress in the purchase process: inserting a time line can help to understand how many more steps are needed to complete the checkout process.
- Don't forget to say thank you: after completing the purchase with a personalised message and with a follow-up email, in order to convey value and build a lasting relationship with the customer.
And if once these strategies are in place, users continue to abandon the basket before placing the order, you can use email marketing (e.g. reminders about abandoned shopping cart or special discounts to entice purchases) or develop a retargeting strategy with Google Ads and social media.