Tip#14 – Show me the money

Market research suggests that shopping cart abandonment, whereby users add things to their cart but subsequently fail to complete the transaction, can run as high as 75% in some online businesses. There are many reasons why people abandon their carts, and a lot of literature has been written on the topic, but one of the main culprits is “sticker shock”. When the cost of shipping and/or applicable taxes is perceived to be excessive by the user, and they only find this out during the check-out process, a statistically very significant number of sales will be lost. Limit this effect by informing customers about shipping costs and taxes up-front, avoiding unpleasant surprises at the end of the process. Even if your products already include all applicable surcharges, state this clearly throughout your website rather than trying to give users a pleasant surprise later on.

Tip#7 – Locate your defection leak holes

Depending on which research report you read, on average anywhere between 60-90% of customers fail to complete the purchase process after selecting a product. In other words, the average online retailer could multiply sales by identifying what part in the process these leaks occur, why they are occurring and what can be done to avoid them. This is not a simple process, as it requires strong analytical and decision-making skills, but it is an altogether impossible task if you do not have the data. So, the first step is installing a tracking system that will pinpoint exactly where your visitors bailed out during the purchasing process.