4 Fundamentals for Reducing Abandoned Shopping Carts

How to animate an e-commerce site in order to drastically reduce cart abandonment. The final objective is to optimize the conversion rate.

The two key elements of e-commerce

The website conversion rate : It refers to the percentage of visitors who have made a purchase compared to the total number of visitors.
One Abandon cart is a customer transaction abandoned during the final conversion phase.

1. The ideal e-commerce product catalog

The first step is the creation or optimization of your catalog. It is composed of your entire offer in the form of product sheets.

Each product sheet offers the following information:

Descriptive information : functionalities, tips for use, size, weight, colors, colors, technical references, assembly instructions, supplier presentations, labels or certificates.
Marketing information : the strengths of the product, the benefits, the evidence, the complementary products.
Commercial information : product references, the sales price excluding VAT and VAT, any discounts.
Visuals : product photos, videos, 360 rotations, interactive product views, 3D photos, operating diagrams.
Legal and logistical information : delivery times, warranty, general conditions of sale, information relating to online payment.

photos from a catalog allow you to differentiate yourself from the competition: according to Social Media Examiner, a product catalog enhanced with quality photos is 35% more likely to catch the attention of an Internet user.

2. Online reviews from Internet users

Reviews, ratings, comments and “likes” on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even Pinterest) have become widespread practices, even indispensable in e-commerce. For the consumer, they are even more valuable than the references cited by the supplier. They provide credibility and transparency and play an important role in pre-purchase evaluations.

60% of Internet users say they read at least 4 reviews before feeling confident to make a purchase. This type of content is a Lever of influence increasingly important On the act of purchase.

3. E-commerce promotional operations‍

promo codes are being used more and more and are highly appreciated by Internet users. Of course, they come at a cost. But they allow you to improve the conversion rate, creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity for the customer. Statistics show that more than 55% of Internet users are sensitive to promotional codes or promotional operations. Price and product visuals are then closely associated to produce more impact. In addition, the discount codes contribute to improve customer satisfaction.

4. The order and in particular the payment stage

cart abandonments are a complex subject to deal with. Because they can be explained by various factors: difficulty navigating the site, discovering additional costs during payment, ordering process that is too long and/or too complex, etc.

To mitigate these risks, a few simple actions can help the customer complete their purchase:

Show a progress bar allowing you to visualize the steps;
allow changes at each stage of the order by Return keys ;
offer various payment methods, including PayPal — very common for small and medium-sized transactions. A transaction will almost always be abandoned, if the preferred payment method is not offered;
Put all the logos accepted methods of payment;
pay particular attention to the stages of payment validation — they must be clear, concise and quick;
dedicate a simple and clear step to delivery. If the delivery costs are too high, they may result in cart abandonment At the very last moment.

Clear indications covering the entire purchasing process are essential to the customer's reinsurance. Unpleasant surprises at the end of the cycle are often fatal.