Online shoppers are often faced with a variety of irresistible deals and offers. But there are some things that may cause them to abandon their carts and not make a purchase. Read this article to find out what these reasons may be, so you can make adjustments where necessary on your site.
How does shopping cart abandonment affect digital marketers?
Shopping cart abandonment is a major problem for digital marketers. It can lead to lost sales and decreased customer satisfaction. Marketers need to take steps to understand why customers are abandoning their carts and take action to prevent it from happening.
1. The shopper was presented with unexpected costs
One of the most common reasons why online shoppers abandon their carts is because they were presented with unexpected costs. This can happen if the shopper is not aware of the shipping costs or if they are unexpectedly charged for tax. Unexpected costs, as a result, can be a huge turn-off for shoppers. So it’s important to be upfront about all costs associated with a purchase.
2. The person was just browsing
Commonly, a user may abandon his or her cart if they were just browsing. This is because they were not really looking to buy anything, they were just checking out the store or the website. Furthermore, this is especially common if the person is new to the site or if they are not familiar with the products.
Browsing shoppers often don’t have any intention of buying anything when they start shopping. They may be doing research for a future purchase, or they may be looking for ideas. Either way, they’re not ready to commit to a purchase when they add items to their cart.
Some online retailers try to combat browsing by offering special deals or discounts to shoppers who add items to their carts. However, this marketing strategy doesn’t always work. Many times, shoppers will still abandon their carts even with these incentives.
3. The shopper found a better price elsewhere
Shopping around for the best price is easy to do online. With so many retailers competing for business, it’s easy for shoppers to find a cheaper price for the same product. As a result, shoppers will often leave a store’s website if they find a better deal elsewhere. This is especially common if the shopper is looking for big-ticket items. They may do a lot of research and compare prices before finally settling on a purchase. However, if they find a better price after they have already added an item to their carts, they may be tempted to abandon their carts and purchase the item from the cheaper seller.
4. The overall price is too expensive
When shoppers see that the overall price of their purchase is too expensive, they are likely to abandon their cart and look for a better deal elsewhere. This can be a frustrating experience for both the shopper and the retailer. However, there are a few things retailers can do to try to avoid this issue.
First, as a retailer, you can offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount. This can help to offset the cost of shipping and make it more affordable for the shopper. Second, you can offer discounts or coupons to help reduce the overall cost of the purchase. Third, you can try to be transparent about pricing by including all taxes and fees in the advertised price.
By implementing these strategies, retailers can help to reduce the likelihood that online shoppers will abandon their carts due to high overall prices.
5. The shopper decided against buying
There are a few reasons why a shopper might decide against buying a product they’ve added to their online shopping cart. As mentioned earlier, they may have found a better deal elsewhere, or they may have changed their mind about the purchase altogether. In some cases, the shopper may not have been ready to buy the item and was just browsing. Whatever the reason, if a shopper decides not to buy an item they’ve placed in their online shopping cart, it’s not the retailer’s fault.
6. The shopper finds your online store difficult to navigate
If potential customers can’t easily find what they’re looking for on your website, they’re likely to give up and go somewhere else. Therefore, it’s important to have a well-organized website that is easy to navigate.
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make sure your store is easy to navigate. First, make sure your menus are clear and easy to understand. Second, use clear and concise labeling for your products. Third, use large, high-quality images to show off your products. Fourth, provide plenty of search and filter options so shoppers can easily find what they’re looking for.
7. The website crashed
Sometimes, potential customers may abandon their carts because the website crashed in the middle of their shopping. This can be extremely frustrating for shoppers, especially if they have already spent a lot of time adding items to their cart. Websites crashing can also cause shoppers to lose any progress they have made in completing their purchases. In addition, this issue often results in shoppers losing interest in the purchase and abandoning their carts. If your online store crashes frequently, it shows that it isn’t reliable and shoppers will likely go to a different website to make their purchase.
Website crashes can occur for a variety of reasons, such as too much traffic on the site or a problem with the server. Whatever the reason, businesses need to make sure that their website is stable and does not crash frequently. According to a study, Website crashes often occur during Black Fridays and Cyber Mondays when there are too many visitors on the site. Luckily there are ways to prevent it.
8. The shopping process was taking too long
There are a few things businesses can do to help reduce the amount of time that it takes to complete a purchase. One is to offer an express checkout option for customers who are in a hurry. Another is to streamline the overall checkout process so that it is simpler and faster.
In addition, online businesses should also make sure that their website is fast and responsive. Slow loading times can add to the frustration of customers who are trying to complete a purchase.
Overall, reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a purchase is one of the best ways to prevent online shoppers from abandoning their carts.
9. Excessive payment security checks
When shoppers are required to go through multiple steps to verify their identity and payment information, it can be frustrating and time-consuming. This can lead to shoppers giving up and abandoning their carts. While payment security checks are designed to protect shoppers from fraud, they can also be annoying. Sometimes, too much information is required from online shoppers before they can complete their purchases. This can be very frustrating, especially if the shopper is in a hurry.
10. Concerns about payment security
There are a few things that businesses can do to ease shoppers’ concerns about payment security. One is to clearly display security logos on the checkout page. This will show shoppers that their information is protected by industry-leading security measures. Another is to offer a guest checkout option. This allows shoppers to checkout without creating an account, which can make them feel more secure. Finally, businesses should make sure that their checkout process is as simple and streamlined as possible. Shoppers should not be required to jump through hoops in order to complete their purchases.
11. The delivery options were unsuitable
Shoppers may abandon their carts if they are unhappy with the delivery options. Perhaps the shopper was only given the option to have the items shipped to their home, and they would have preferred to pick up the items in-store. Or, the delivery options may have been too expensive for the shopper. Or, the delivery times are too long. Whatever the case may be, delivery options are an important part of the online shopping experience, and if they are not up to par, it can cause shoppers to abandon their carts.
12. Website time out
This can happen when a website is taking too long to load or if a customer’s internet connection is not strong enough to support the website. Website timeouts can be frustrating for customers and may cause them to lose interest in the product they were trying to purchase.
Website time-out issues are a major problem for online retailers. They can cause shoppers to abandon their carts and may never come back to the site. Retailers need to try to avoid this problem by ensuring that their site can handle a large amount of traffic and by having a backup plan in case of server issues.
13. Price presented in a foreign currency
This can be confusing for shoppers and make them second-guess their purchase. In addition, some shoppers may feel like they are being ripped off if they are not sure how much the product actually costs in their own currency.
To avoid this problem, it is important to make sure that prices are displayed in the shopper’s local currency. If you are selling products to customers in multiple countries, it may be necessary to use a currency converter on your website. This will allow shoppers to see the price in their own currency, and they will be more likely to complete their purchase.
14. The shopper’s payment was declined
This can happen for a number of reasons, such as the shopper’s bank not approving the purchase or the shopper inputting their payment information incorrectly.
Whatever the reason, a declined payment can be a frustrating experience for the shopper. Why? Because the shopper may have already spent a lot of time browsing and choosing the items they want to buy, only to have their purchase fall through at the last minute. As a result, this can cause them to lose faith in the online store and decide not to shop there again in the future.
15. The shopper’s preferred method is not available
One of the most common reasons why online shoppers abandon their carts is because they are limited in terms of payment methods. For example, if a shopper only has a credit card but the website only accepts PayPal, the shopper will likely abandon their cart. This is because they do not want to go through the hassle of setting up a PayPal account just to make a purchase.
If a shopper does not see their preferred payment method listed as an option, they are likely to abandon their cart and look for a store that does offer their preferred payment method. To avoid this, online store owners need to present shoppers with different payment options.
16. The shopper didn’t like the return policy
If a shopper doesn’t like the return policy, they may be less likely to complete their purchase. They may also be more likely to shop at a different store next time. This is why stores need to have a clear and fair return policy. When shopping online, many shoppers would like to know the return policy of the store before making a purchase. Some stores have very strict return policies that make it difficult to return items. Others, on the other hand, have no return policy at all. For more info, check out these twelve online stores with the best and worst return policies,
Leverage the power of abandoned cart emails
One of the most effective ways to recover lost sales from abandoned carts is to send an email to the customer. This email should remind the customer of the items they left in their cart and provide a link back to the checkout page. Furthermore, the email should also offer a discount or incentive to encourage the customer to complete their purchase. For more info, check out these nine best tactics for writing abandoned cart email subject lines.
Conclusion
There are a lot of reasons why online shoppers might abandon their carts, but the most common ones seem to be related to shipping costs, unexpected fees, and difficulty navigating the website. If you’re running an online business, it’s important to take these factors into account and do what you can to mitigate them. Offer free shipping where possible, make sure all fees are clearly displayed up front, and make your website as user-friendly as possible. By doing so, you’ll reduce cart abandonment and increase your chances of making sales.