It’s the season for online shopping and one of the biggest worries for many eCommerce platforms is shopping cart abandonment and a drop in conversion rates on the checkout page. Research shows that typical cart abandonment rates in 2020 were as high as 88% of online shopping orders.

There is a lot that can go wrong during the checkout process that may lead to the loss of a potential sale. However, there are things you can do to ensure your customers don’t end up ditching that cart at the checkout stage.

Here are six surefire tips that can help:

1. Make Sure Your Checkout Page Is Mobile-Friendly

Chances are that you have a pretty responsively designed site. But is your checkout page responsive and optimized for mobile users? Many customers will be looking to complete their purchases through their mobile devices. Research shows that over 167.8 million shoppers in America made a purchase on their mobile phone in 2020, and the figure is expected to rise in the coming years. This means that now more than ever users are browsing on their mobile devices and using them to complete transactions.

Now is the time to prepare your website for the rise of mobile commerce by adding mobile-friendly features such as a responsive design and even making mobile checkout easier by allowing users to tap into device-specific capabilities like using the smartphone camera to scan for payment cards.

2. Implement Guest Checkout

Did you know that 23 percent of customers abandon their shopping carts if there’s no guest checkout option and they have to create a new user account?

Forcing shoppers and especially first-time buyers to create an account before they complete checkout is another factor that can result in cart abandonment.

Using a guest checkout option gives consumers the ability to check out as guests which speeds up the checkout process and eliminates any unnecessary steps that can deter them from wanting to complete the purchase. To make the process more seamless, allow one-time buyers to input their email and proceed with the purchase.

3. Include Security Features Everywhere

Customers like to be assured that their personal information like their card details are safe when using your online shop. Simply put, a site that has a responsive design and is easy to use will eliminate many fears. Make sure you show clear contact details during the checkout stage to tell customers that they can reach out to you if they face any issues. This can be a live chat or simply a clearly listed contact number. Also, prominently display security badges and seals to show consumers that your website takes safety seriously.

4. Offer Multiple Payment Methods

Yes! Consumers have different preferences when it comes to making payments online. Make sure you provide multiple payment options including debit card, credit card, PayPal, etc. Prioritize the most popular payment method first, then expand the option as your business grows to avoid huge costs that may be associated with having more payment methods on your website.

5. Avoid Hidden Costs

No one likes surprises at the point of checkout other than (you guessed it), discounts! Negative surprises can make customers abandon their order at the last minute. In fact, 50% of shoppers who abandon carts do so because extra costs/shipping costs were too high. An additional 18% indicated that the reason for abandoning the cart was because they were unable to calculate the total order cost upfront. When possible, provide as many details as possible upfront and be transparent about pricing and all associated costs. This includes the subtotal, surcharges, applicable taxes, shipping costs, and the final cart value.

6. Include a Progress Indicator

For online shoppers, checkout flows that involve multiple steps can feel unnecessarily long and tedious.

Integrating a progress indicator lets customers keep track of which stage they are at within the checkout process, as well as see what steps are remaining to complete a purchase. Research by Baymard shows that 21% of cart abandonments were a result of a long and complicated checkout process. Progress bars help reassure shoppers that the process won’t take long, and they’ll have a chance to even review the order before making the purchase.

While the checkout process on your website isn’t the only factor that affects shopping cart abandonment, it’s among the most crucial parts of the process.

Ready to take your online checkout experience for your website to the next level? Schedule a consultation with our experts to optimize your eCommerce site experience.