How to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment & Increase Sales for Shopify Merchants.

Shopping cart abandonment is a significant challenge faced by many Shopify merchants. An estimated of all carts get abandoned without completing the purchase. Yieldify has summarized many reasons of cart abandonment. No surprise that hidden or extra costs were the biggest contributor with 50% of all purchasers citing it as a factor that led to them not completing checkout.


So what can you do to combat cart abandonment and increase the likelihood of a sale.

1. Streamline the Checkout Process:

A lengthy and complicated checkout process is a common reason for shopping cart abandonment. To minimize this issue, Shopify merchants should focus on streamlining the checkout process. Here are some key strategies to consider:
• Implement Guest Checkout:
Allow customers to complete a purchase without creating an account. Providing the option to check out as a guest reduces friction and eliminates the need for customers to go through a lengthy registration process.
• Simplify Form Fields:
Minimize the number of form fields required during checkout. Only ask for essential information, such as shipping address, payment details, and contact information. Unnecessary fields can lead to frustration and potential customers walking away.
• Autofill and Validation:
Implement autofill functionality to save customers time and effort. Additionally, use validation tools to ensure that the entered information is accurate and error-free, reducing the chances of form submission errors.
• Multiple Payment Options:
Offer a variety of payment options to cater to different customer preferences. Include popular choices like credit cards, PayPal, buy now pay later and digital wallets. Providing flexible payment options increases the likelihood of customers completing their purchases.
• It’s so much easier to just click and buy without even deliberating over the pros and cons of the purchase. Amazon has probably made billions off of its one-click shopping button. It was so profitable for them that they even patented the 1-click checkout. This expired in 2017. You can learn a page from Amazon’s playbook by creating your own easy-to-buy shopping cart process. It won’t work for unregistered customers, of course, but it can work for members. Many times, customers don’t want to be force to create an account during checkout. This leads to cart abandonment. Therefore, get rid of a “Create an account” and simply create an alternative to clunky sign-up processes is using social login like Instagram, Gmail etc.

2. Optimize Website Performance:

A slow-loading website or technical issues can frustrate customers and lead to cart abandonment. Optimizing website performance is crucial to provide a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience. Consider the following:
• Speed Optimization:
A fast-loading website ensures that customers can browse products and proceed to checkout quickly. This article covers various ways you can take to improve speed. Another option is to consider our AMP App for speed optimization.
• Keep testing:
Test your website's functionality often and especially after changes to design or customer flow or even after adding new apps. This helps identify potential issues that could deter customers from completing their purchases.
• Error Handling:
Implement proper error handling to handle any unexpected errors or glitches during the checkout process. Provide clear error messages and instructions on how to resolve them, guiding customers back on track.
• Conduct User Testing:
Collect feedback from real users and make necessary improvements to enhance the overall shopping experience.

3. Implement Abandoned Cart Recovery Strategies:

Abandoned cart recovery strategies aim to re-engage customers who have left items in their carts without completing the purchase. By implementing these strategies, Shopify merchants can remind customers of their abandoned carts and motivate them to finalize their purchases. Consider the following approaches:
• Abandoned Cart notifications:
Set up automated campaigns using channels like email, SMS, whatsapp, push notifications to send reminders to customers who have abandoned their carts. Craft persuasive and personalized messages that include a clear call to action and consider providing incentives to complete the purchase, such as discounts or free shipping.
(Source:Pop-up)

• Retargeting Ads:
Utilize retargeting ads to display targeted advertisements to customers who have left your website without purchasing. By showing them relevant product ads on other websites or social media platforms, you can remind them of their abandoned carts and entice them to return and complete the purchase.
• Exit-Intent Pop-ups:
Use exit-intent pop-ups to capture customers' attention as they are about to leave your website. Display a compelling message or offer, such as a discount or limited-time promotion, to encourage them to reconsider and complete their purchase.
• Personalized Recommendations:
Include personalized product recommendations in your abandoned cart emails or on the checkout page. By suggesting additional products related to items in customers' abandoned carts, you can potentially upsell or cross-sell, and increase the chances of the recipient completing a sale.

4. Follow-up Phone Calls or Live Chat:

For higher-value or more complex purchases (for example which need customization), consider following up with customers via phone calls or live chat. This personalized approach allows you to address any concerns, provide additional information, and guide customers through the checkout process. Make the shopping experience conversational and interactive. Talk to them and help remind them that the process is not intimidating. Eg:“Okay, we’re almost done.” and “We just need a little extra info here etc".

5. Avoid Surprises or interruptions:

It’s essential to keep the checkout process as friction free as possible. As customers pull out their credit card to type it, you don’t want to hit them with a pop-up. You don’t want errors for missing fields, requests for discount codes as far as possible. Watch carefully for any “surprises” in your checkout process. Make it clear, deliberate, and completely free of pop-ups, unexpected messages, and other factors that could be seen as an interruption. 

6. Progress Indicators:

Progress bars are a wonderful UI tool because they tell users how many more steps remain in a user flow. This creates a sense of momentum that reduces the likelihood of someone dropping off due to an unnecessarily protracted checkout process. Display a progress indicator or steps to completion during the checkout process. This provides customers with a clear understanding of how much more they need to complete, reducing uncertainty and encouraging them to proceed. You can also include simple cart reminders or notifications on your website. For example, if a customer adds an item to their cart but doesn’t initiate the checkout flow, you can set a pop-up to remind customers that they haven’t completed the purchase. Interrupting them when they are leaving is ok. 

7. Show total savings and create urgency at checkout:

If customers used a promo code or you’re offering a first-time buyer discount, show how much has been deducted from the original price. This makes customers feel they’re getting a good deal and they will be less likely to have misgivings. Time-limited sales also create a sense of urgency, especially if you display a countdown.
(Source: Product Discount) 

8. Offer Incentives and Promotions:

We talked about using incentives to recover abandoned carts but incentives and promotions are powerful tools that can be used in multiple ways. By offering attractive deals and incentives, Shopify merchants can create a sense of urgency and value for customers. Consider the following options:
• Free Shipping Thresholds:
Implement free shipping thresholds, where customers become eligible for free shipping once they reach a certain order value. This incentivizes customers to add more items to their carts to qualify for the free shipping offer.
• Loyalty Programs:
Consider implementing a loyalty program to reward customers for repeat purchases. Offer exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or special perks to incentivize customers to complete their purchases and continue shopping with your store.
• Bundle Offers:
Create bundle offers where customers can save money by purchasing multiple related products together. Bundling items at a discounted price can increase the perceived value and encourage customers to add more items to their carts.
(Source: Revy Apps)

Hope the above steps help you with ideas to reduce your cart abandonment. One idea we’d like to leave you with is that checkout and cart are the late stages of the customer funnel. While the drop-offs from cart to purchase gets all the attention, by asking yourself how do I minimize leakage through the funnel? From visiting your website to adding to cart to reaching checkout to actually purchasing, monitoring the drop-off gives you many levers that can help your business.
Tools like Google’s Advanced Ecommerce Analytics can help you create comprehensive conversion funnels to map out exactly where shoppers are dropping off. You can generate a Funnel Visualization Report to find out what page’s shoppers visit and what proportion remains at each funnel stage.

Conclusion:

Reducing shopping cart abandonment is crucial for Shopify merchants to drive profits and maximize conversion rates. By streamlining the checkout process, optimizing website performance, implementing abandoned cart recovery strategies, and offering incentives and promotions, merchants can significantly reduce cart abandonment and increase completed purchases. It is important to continuously analyze and optimize these strategies based on customer feedback and data to ensure ongoing success. By prioritizing cart abandonment reduction, Shopify merchants can enhance the customer experience, increase revenue, and build a loyal customer base.