If you’ve noticed an uptick in checkout abandonment rates for your online store, you’re not alone. There are several different factors that can encourage someone to complete their purchase, rethink their decision, or leave your site altogether. To put the odds back in your favor, here are our top checkout optimization tips for 2022.
Why Do Customers Abandon the Checkout?
Before we jump into the best practices for online checkouts, it’s crucial to understand the most common reasons for checkout abandonment in the first place. According to Bolt, one of the leading checkout integration platforms in the U.S., some of the leading causes for poor checkout conversion rates include:
- Surprise fees: Any shipping fees, taxes, or additional costs should be clearly communicated to customers before they begin checkout. Waiting to reveal this information can easily make someone second-guess whether they actually want to purchase from your store or not.
- Forced registration: Not letting customers check out as guests can slow down the buying process and deter people from doing business with your brand in the future. You can always give people the option to register for an account after they complete their order.
- Unnecessary fields: You don’t need to know customers’ titles, business names, or birthdays when they’re trying to place an online order. Minimize the number of required fields that customers need to fill in to create an uncomplicated and efficient checkout process.
- Security concerns: If a customer feels like they can’t completely trust your store with their personal information, they’re not going to risk placing an order. To put buyers at ease, display security badges throughout the checkout process and provide information about how the checkout system keeps their payment details confidential.
- Lack of payment options: Some customers feel more comfortable using PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay to make online purchases instead of entering their credit card information. Be sure to offer a variety of payment methods to decrease checkout abandonment rates.
- Website performance issues: If your store has broken links, slow loading times, or other signs of an outdated website, many customers will get impatient and turn to a competitor instead.
Best eCommerce Checkout Practices
Now that you know what not to do, here are the most important tips to keep in mind when optimizing your store’s checkout experience:
1. Keep it short and sweet.
Don’t ask customers for any information that isn’t absolutely necessary for their order. It’s recommended to keep the checkout to a single page (or two, at the very most) in order to reduce checkout abandonment rates.
To make the checkout process as efficient as possible, don’t require buyers to create a profile before purchasing, either. Give people the option to check out as guests and then encourage them to create an account after they place their order.
2. Offer several payment options
Try to provide as many payment options as possible so that your customers can pay in whichever way, they feel most comfortable. Offering Apple Pay, PayPal, or Google Pay along with traditional debit or credit cards will help reassure buyers that their payment information will be kept private.
In addition to offering different payment methods, you may also want to consider adding payment installment plans as an option for larger purchases. Someone who’s thinking about buying a more expensive product might be more inclined to do so if they have the ability to pay over time.
3. Show off your security credentials.
Frequent online shoppers are very wary of websites that don’t clearly display any security details. If someone doubts that they can trust you with their personal information, you’re not going to be able to convert them into a customer.
To keep your site safe and secure, it’s also crucial to regularly maintain your store. If a vulnerability is found in an eCommerce platform, developers will release a patch to resolve the issue as soon as possible. If you fail to install security patches or upgrade to a more updated version of your platform, you’re putting yourself at greater risk of security breaches.
Need some help maintaining your site? Wagento’s website management services can keep your store running smoothly so you can focus on growing your business!
4. Boost your site speed.
Every millisecond counts when a customer is waiting for a page to load. Regular online shoppers expect stores to have quick loading times regardless of the content on the page or what device they’re using.
You can use a free tool like PageSpeed Insights to check out your site’s performance metrics. Page Speed Insights will also generate a report with suggestions to improve your speed and ultimately help with checkout optimization.
5. Add a chatbot to the checkout page.
If a customer has a question during the checkout process, the last thing you want is for them to click off to another page to try and find an answer. Installing a chatbot will keep shoppers on the page and can provide answers to basic questions 24/7. During regular business hours, you can also consider adding a live chat function so customers can ask real employees more complex questions.
Conclusion
If your online checkout page isn’t performing as well as you’d like, Wagento can optimize your checkout experience and customize it to fit your business needs. Connect with a developer to learn more or get started today!
