How to reduce cart abandonment on your e-commerce? We reveal our best tips in this article with inspiring examples!
If your business is successful in attracting customers to your website, the last thing you want is for them to abandon a half-filled cart. However, buyers are demanding when it comes to e-commerce.
75% ! That’s the average cart abandonment rate. Impressive, right?
As online shopping continues to grow in importance, it’s important to stand out from the crowd to reduce cart abandonment and maximize your revenue.
How do you convince users to complete their conversion? Check out our tips and sample follow-up emails!
Tip #1 – Offer multiple payment methods
In B2B as in B2C, buyers appreciate having a choice in the way they pay for their purchases. 48% of B2B buyers will not make a purchase if their preferred payment method is not available.
One might think that the preferred payment method is the credit card. However, while 86% of buyers use this method to make online purchases, 77% want other payment options. 50% even prefer to use an alternative payment method when possible.
76% of B2B customers have experienced a problem with an online credit card purchase.
79% of those who do are disappointed after the transaction.
Following a credit card payment, invoices and receipts are difficult for buyers to find and download.
The risk of fraud is higher, which could jeopardize the company’s cash flow.
Credit cards are often declined due to suspected fraud or expiry dates.
What payment methods should be offered on an e-commerce site?
Apart from the credit card, the main purchase options that you can set up are :
Bank transfer
There is even a more secure version called ACH (Automated Clearing House). This money transfer system facilitates the sending of large amounts of money. It is particularly suitable for business-to-business transactions.
PayPal
The main advantage of PayPal is that it locks the transaction by avoiding disclosing bank details. Individuals and SMEs alike often find it an easy way to pay online.
An additional advantage is that PayPal offers the possibility of making ACH transfers!
Direct Debit (SEPA)
This payment method is relevant if you offer an online service with a recurring direct debit. It can also help reassure the B2B buyer in terms of accounting facilities.
Tip #2 – Be transparent about additional costs
There is nothing more frustrating than discovering an unexpected surcharge at the time of payment. This “surprise” is often prohibitive for buyers and will cause them to abandon their shopping cart.
This is especially true for B2B buyers who do not make impulse purchases. They have specific needs, precise requests and a predefined budget. So it’s important to avoid unexpected hidden costs that can hinder the deal.
Be transparent from the beginning of the buying journey. Provide all the ancillary costs of your product and services: taxes, shipping costs, currency conversion, etc. These details can be listed directly on the product page or calculated by asking for the customer’s zip code.
There are tax calculation extensions that you can add to your e-commerce site. The objective is to quickly inform the buyer about the taxes and shipping costs related to his location.
This is a good practice, especially essential if you manage an international business!
Tip #3 – Communicate your delivery times, shipping options and return policy
Delivery is an essential element in e-commerce. Customers expect to have shipping options tailored to their needs.
In B2B, timely delivery is critical. Especially if you sell raw materials. Your buyers are counting on you to be able to make their own products and satisfy their customers.
As for hidden costs, be transparent (and don’t hide anything, that is). If there are delays in delivery, make it clear to customers. Buyers who can wait will do so, others will avoid having a bad experience with you and will come back to your site another time.
Tip #4 – Work on the user experience (UX)
Nearly 60% of shoppers abandon their purchases if the checkout process takes too long. In addition, 40% of business buyers are frustrated by inefficient websites.
Put yourself in the buyers’ shoes to make it as easy as possible for them to purchase. You should pay particular attention to:
Page load time
More than half of the visitors leave a web page that does not display within 3 seconds.
The fluidity of the payment process
The shopping cart
It must be displayed throughout the visit and be available at any time. Buyers must be able to modify it easily, both in terms of the quantities ordered and the products themselves.
The product sheets
They must be clear and detailed. All the information needed to make a purchase decision must be available in one place.
Mobile compatibility
Now that mobile traffic has surpassed desktop traffic, think about mobile users by offering them an optimal experience!
To the ability to create a quote
In B2B, this option can make a difference. Professionals sometimes need a quote to validate the purchase internally before placing an order online.
A social proof
Don’t hesitate to place reassurance elements in key places (product page, shopping cart, payment page…). You can for example integrate reviews that you will have previously collected from your most loyal customers.
To the security of payments
This is one of the critical points of the purchase decision. So if you use payment security solutions on your e-commerce site, it’s time to display these badges on your commercial pages.
To distracting elements and your CTAs
Once the user has entered the checkout process, you will want to prevent them from leaving the checkout page to perform another action.
To do this, identify all the elements that are not essential on these pages. Also work on the positioning of your call-to-actions in order to help your visitor get straight to the point, i.e. to confirm their shopping cart and purchase.
Tip #5 – Offer quality customer service
Customers place a high value on responsive and efficient customer service. 55% of them give a high priority to a 24/7 customer service.
Even at the end of the buying journey, buyers may have a few questions. So you need to be prepared to answer them to avoid losing them at the last moment.
For starters, clearly display your contact information: email, phone number, WhatsApp handle, contact form… If a potential customer wants to get in touch with you quickly, they should immediately know how to do so.
Also provide a detailed FAQ page to answer any last minute questions about your products. Not to mention questions related to delivery times and costs, purchase costs, taxes, after-sales service, user support, etc.
Last tip to avoid shopping cart abandonment: equip your e-commerce site with a chatbot. It can automatically answer common questions, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It can even help the professional to choose the product or service that fits his needs.