4 reasons eCommerce customers abandon their cart (and what you can do about it)

Here are four clear causes of cart abandonment. If you focus your attention on these areas, you can make sure you are well above the average eCommerce website:  

Research by Google found 6 out of 10 shoppers say the ability to shop via mobile is an important factor in brand selection.

Bad mobile experience

The fact is that shopping on a mobile is a little bit like looking through a telescope – you have a very limited amount of information available to you and trying to find what you are looking for can be significantly more tricky than a desktop. 

Users on mobile are also MUCH more impatient when it comes to loading speed and more critical of bad design. There are many potential reasons for this, such as notifications or the availability of apps as a direct alternative.

To increase your mobile conversions, we recommend focusing your attention on these key areas: 

• Keep critical information above the fold (instantly visible)
• Trim your copy. Only include essential information.
• Use mobile accordions to organise information. 
• Improve your page loading speed

Extra / hidden costs and charges

The biggest factors for people leaving are often the easiest to understand. Primarily it comes down to hidden costs of sale. That means shipping, taxes and additional fees. A minimum spend requirement can also increase the abandonment rate. 

The best approach is to be as clear as possible. Try not to add costs at the checkout but ensure they are added at the moment the item is added to the basket, or at least ensure they are aware that additional fees will be included before they go to complete the sale. 

The key thing to avoid is saying one price and then showing another later down the line. In terms of delivery and minimum spends, we advise offering free shipping over a certain spend instead – this has proven to be a more effective approach. 

Forced to create an account

Some people don’t like being on marketing lists, and will take big steps to avoid joining them. This often means they don’t want to give their information to companies, especially not on a first purchase. We recommend adding an option after the purchase has been complete to turn a quest account into a full account, often with some incentive. 

For example – Thank-you for your purchase! Join our mailing list and get 10% off your next purchase, or create a full account and get free shipping on your next order. 

Offering an incentive to join once the purchase is complete is a highly effective approach and will stop customers who feel strongly from abandoning. 

Discount code doesn’t work

Ah discount codes – a true example of a great idea which can so often prove detrimental for businesses. If you offer a generic discount code slot at your checkout then the first thing your users will do is navigate away from your website.

If they are not able to find a discount code then often they will simply leave your website. This is obviously NOT what you want to happen. Rather than having an empty slot for codes, why not consider having a one time link in a specific discounts email which adds a discount to anything added in the basket. Amazingly this simple approach can save 35% of people who may abandon their cart otherwise.