Every online store owner has been through the pain of watching customers giving up and leaving the store website, abandoning their shopping carts. Shopping cart abandonment happens when shoppers add an item or items to a website's shopping cart but leave before finishing the transaction. Any item that enters the shopping cart but never makes it through the transaction is considered "abandoned" by the shopper.

Thus, reducing shopping cart abandonment is critical for driving traffic to your online store or designing an attractive eCommerce website design. Shopping cart abandonment represents the significant gap in potential conversions.

Ponder about the people who visit your site. Some are first-time visitors, some of them are window shopping, some might never buy. However, the people who add something to their cart and reach the checkout are motivated to make a transaction, but something distracts or stops them. Let's find out the reasons below.

Also read: 6 tips to improve conversion rate for your online store

Statistically, here are a few reasons why cart abandonment takes place

1. 56% of consumers left due to unexpected costs (like extra shipping or taxes)
2. 37% did not purchase because they were just browsing
3. 36% found a better price after comparison-shopping
4. 25% left because the navigation was too complicated
5. 21% felt the process took too long
6. 17% were concerned about security 

Don't want to decrease shopping cart abandonment on your online store? It's troublesome to think of getting a customer to the shopping cart, only to lose out on the sale. This article addresses your concern about fixing this problem by providing some tips for your eCommerce store.

1. Exit-intent popups

If you've never heard or used exit-intent popups, this is a massive opportunity for your online store to maximise conversions. Exit-intent popups appear when the user is about to leave the page. It sends a message that encourages them to stay by offering more information or a better deal. These popups will help identify why the users are abandoning their carts or what it makes them stay. Sometimes all that a shopper needs are a discount code to continue their purchase. As the user is about to close the window or move to a different tab, a small popup appears with the item, message, or a discount code to motivate them to purchase.

2. Build a trustworthy transaction page

When a customer is shopping online, they put a lot of faith in the online store. They provide their personal and financial information, and with all the cyber frauds going on. It is essential to gain the customer's trust during checkout. Customers want more reassurance that their data is secured.

The easiest way to build trust is to show your customers that their information is secured; having an SSL certificate will help your store. Also, showing trust symbols on your online store such as Verified by Visa, MasterCard SecureCode, etc

3. Provide guest checkout

Don't pressure customers to create an account. It makes them feel like the buying process takes longer. Instead, you can offer a guest checkout option. Creating an account requires providing information, confirming the email address, and then returning to the shopping cart, which can be a bit much to ask of a customer who likely has other options.

All the information that is required to create an account will be gathered for shipping. And in the end, you can offer to save their information for future orders.

4. Offer multiple payment options

Today customers have a lot more options than before on how to pay for products online. Credit card is a no brainer, now with the new options like UPI payments, money wallets, bank payments, COD. 

Give your customers the choice to decide how they want to pay for their purchases.

5. Offer free shipping

Shipping costs are the number one reason why shoppers abandon their carts; the best thing to do is offer free shipping. Free shipping is a big selling point and is a great incentive to shop with your company against competitors. 

6. Cart abandonment emails

When a user abandons their cart at the end of the checkout, there's a big chance that you've their email address. Set up an autoresponder email series that immediately notify them that they have left items in their cart. Follow up with them for the next 24 hours by sending out additional emails. The future email can also be offering them a discount to provoke sales.

7. Use remarketing to target abandoners

Some users will inevitably abandon their shopping carts; you can chase them with remarketing campaigns later. Remarketing is essential for eCommerce retailers.

You can then create a Facebook ad campaign targeting custom audiences, such as those who visited your website but neglected to make a purchase.

While every customer segment is different, a lot of shoppers have somewhat similar buying habits and preferences. We hope his article was insightful and has given you more ideas on how to reduce cart abandonment on your online store.

Also read: Get your online store ready for the festive season

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