The “why” of cart abandonment varies and can be complex. Highlighted below are some of the primary causes of cart abandonment, including some possible solutions to keep your customers engaged so they’ll complete their orders.
Cause: Forced Account Creation
Some ecommerce stores require users to create an account before they can complete their orders. This all-or-nothing requirement frustrates users who just want to make a quick purchase without spending extra time to register for an account. This prerequisite may even cause them to abandon their cart and go to a competitor's site.
Possible Solutions
Guest Checkout: Offer a guest checkout option so online shoppers can buy your products without registering for an account.
Aftersale Registration Option: After your customer completes their order using your guest checkout feature, add a special note to your “thank you for your order” page to reinforce the benefits of registering for an account (track your order, receive special promotions, etc.).
Cause: Complicated Account Registration
If your registration is overly complex, your customers won’t just get a little annoyed, they’ll likely choose to do business elsewhere – even if their cart is full of products they love.
Possible Solutions
Make Registration Easy: If you ask too many questions or require too many security hoops, customers will most likely leave your site. To fix this problem, make sure your registration and login process is easy and consistent across your website and apps.
Offer Clear Calls to Action (CTA): Start with a clear CTA so potential customers know exactly where to click to register. Keep the number of steps to the bare minimum and, if necessary, offer a progress bar to show users how far along they are in the process.
Implement Passwordless Sign-in: Users get frustrated if they constantly forget their password and have to stop and reset their credentials. With today’s easy-to-implement passwordless technology, even small- to medium-sized businesses can offer their customers passwordless authentication to improve the end-to-end consumer experience.
Cause: Perceived Lack of Security
Allowing an organization to have access to personal data can be daunting, which is something customers often think about when they first engage with a business. If ecommerce sites do not seem secure – or provide reassurances that it is secure – your customers may not feel comfortable entering their personal information and credit card numbers, even if they’re eager to buy your products.
Possible Solutions
SSL Certificates: SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificates are a must for online shopping websites. Seeing the SSL padlock icon in the address bar of your browser can reassure your customers that all of the data they enter into their browser remains private.
Prominent Display of Security Badges: Displaying security badges on your website, especially on your checkout pages, can reassure customers that your site is secure. These badges signify that you have taken steps to protect the site and customer information. Common badges include McAfee, Norton, VeriSign, TrustE, and BBB.
Transparent Privacy Policies: Make your privacy policy accessible and easy to read. It should outline how personal information and data are collected and how it is used. By being transparent about the use of customer information, you can foster trust and a sense of security with your customers.
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Weak and default passwords, or passwords stolen through phishing and other attack methods, are still being used to execute successful fraud attacks and data breaches. Confirming the identities of your customers through MFA thwarts attackers and reassures users that their accounts are secure.
Simply put, MFA is a digital security measure, like adding an extra padlock on your virtual data. Think of it like two-step verification for your online accounts. First, you enter your password (something you know), then you have to enter a code that you receive on your phone or email (something you have). So, even if someone manages to hack your password, they still can't get into your account without the code, making it significantly harder for cybercriminals to access your data.
The list of possible security solutions above can help increase customer confidence, but manually implementing all of these processes on your website may seem difficult. Luckily, Ping’s customer identity and access management (CIAM) solution and zero trust solutions can help solve these challenges.
Cause: Unexpected Costs
A common reason for high shopping cart abandonment rate is the addition of unexpected costs during the checkout process. These costs could be taxes, shipping fees, or other hidden charges that were not clear when the shopper added products to their cart.
Possible Solutions
Transparency in Pricing: Be upfront about all costs from the start, including taxes, shipping fees, and special fees. Ideally, all costs should be clearly displayed within the product details so customers can make informed decisions before adding items to the cart. A drastic increase in total price during checkout flow can stop consumers from completing their purchase.
Flexible Shipping Options: Offer different shipping prices for different shipping speeds (overnight, a few days, more than a week, etc.). This allows customers to choose the shipping method that best fits their budget and needs, which may encourage them to complete their order.
Free Shipping Thresholds: Consider providing free shipping on orders over a certain amount. This often motivates customers to purchase more items, which may benefit your bottom line in the long run.
Real-time Updates: Provide real-time updates on costs as customers add or remove items from their carts. This way, the total cost is always clear within the shopping experience.
Clear Return Policies: Make sure your return policy is clearly stated and easy to understand. This provides a safety net for customers if they are not satisfied with their purchase. When the return rules are clear, customers are more likely to take a chance on your products.
No Hidden Fees: Avoid adding any last-minute charges. If a fee is necessary, like for certain types of packaging or priority processing, inform customers ahead of time so there are no surprises.
Cause: Inadequate Payment Options
A lack of diverse payment options can be a barrier for some customers. Nowadays, shoppers prefer multiple payment methods. Be sure to consider your target market when considering which payment options to offer.
Baby boomer and Gen Z customers may not have the same payment preferences. If your potential customer’s preferred payment method is not available, they may not proceed with their purchase.
Possible Solutions
Offer a variety of options, like credit/debit cards, buy now/pay later options, or digital wallets like PayPal or Apple Pay.
Other options may include:
Direct Bank Transfers: Some customers prefer to pay directly from their bank account using services like ACH in the U.S. or SEPA in Europe.
Mobile Payments: Services like Venmo, Cash App, and Zelle are increasingly popular, especially with younger customers.
Prepaid Gift Cards: For customers who don't have access to credit cards or bank accounts, offering payment via prepaid gift cards can be a convenient option.
Cryptocurrency: While not commonly used, some customers may appreciate the ability to pay with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.
Cause: Website Performance and Navigation Issues
If your website is slow, crashes frequently, or has other performance issues, shoppers are likely to abandon their carts. Shopping online is meant to be convenient, and if a website fails to deliver a seamless end-to-end experience, customers may flee before completing their purchase.
Possible Solutions
Mobile-friendly Design: Keep your web design and cart checkout process simple and unified across digital platforms to accommodate the growing number of users who shop via mobile and smart devices.
Quick-loading Pages: Users will abandon websites that have a long load time while they’re trying to complete a purchase. Optimize your site for speed by compressing images, caching pages, and reducing use of heavy scripts.
Clear Calls-to-action: Users want to know where to click to buy your products. They expect buttons such as ‘Add to Cart’ or 'Buy Now' to be clearly visible and easy to understand. Experiment with the color, size, and position of these buttons to see which ones generate higher conversion rates.
