5 Ways to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
Simplify Checkout: Reduce steps, offer guest checkout, and highlight secure payment methods.
Add Payment Options: Include PayPal, Apple Pay, and regional methods to suit your audience.
Retarget Customers: Use ads and emails to bring shoppers back with personalized offers.
Be Transparent About Shipping: Show costs early and offer free or discounted shipping.
Use Exit-Intent Popups: Catch visitors before they leave with discounts or special deals.
Quick Tip: High shipping costs cause 60% of cart abandonments - tackle this first. These simple steps can help turn lost sales into revenue.
Shopping Cart Abandonment Strategies To Improve Ecommerce Conversion Rate
1. Make the Checkout Process Simple
A smooth checkout process can turn casual browsers into paying customers. Studies reveal that a complicated checkout experience is a major reason behind cart abandonment, as unnecessary steps and friction often push shoppers away.
Cut Down on Steps
Simplify the process by merging forms, enabling autofill, and removing extra fields. Reducing the steps from five to three has been shown to increase conversions by 21% [1].
Offer Guest Checkout
Let customers complete their purchase without creating an account. This is especially helpful for first-time buyers who may hesitate to register. Make guest checkout the default option but also highlight the perks of creating an account, like quicker future purchases and order tracking.
Highlight Secure Payment Methods
Build trust by displaying SSL certificates, trust badges, and PCI compliance indicators near payment sections. Offering secure payment options like PayPal or Stripe can reassure shoppers. This is crucial, as 17% of consumers abandon carts over security concerns [2].
2. Provide More Payment Options
One of the biggest obstacles to completing a purchase is limited payment options. By offering a wider range of payment methods, you can remove this barrier, reduce cart abandonment, and drive more sales.
Today's shoppers expect flexibility. PayPal is a must-have for ecommerce because of its popularity, while digital wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay are favorites among mobile users. Payment preferences also differ by region - iDEAL is widely used in the Netherlands, while credit cards dominate in the UK. To meet customer expectations, tailor your payment options to your audience's preferences.
Convenience is key to keeping customers from abandoning their carts. Features like one-click purchasing and digital wallet integration make checkouts faster and easier, especially for returning customers. Adding real-time validation can also help avoid errors and create a smoother experience.
Did you know that 8% of shoppers leave their carts behind simply because the payment options don’t work for them [1]? By including both traditional methods and newer digital options in your payment strategy, you can avoid losing these sales.
While offering more ways to pay can reduce checkout friction, bringing back customers who’ve already left their carts requires another tactic - retargeting.
3. Use Retargeting to Bring Customers Back
An abandoned cart doesn’t always mean a lost sale. Retargeting can help bring customers back, especially when paired with a smooth checkout process and clear communication.
Run Retargeting Ads
Retargeting ads remind potential buyers about the products they left behind, nudging them to return and complete their purchase. According to Klaviyo, cart recovery efforts boast an impressive 41.18% open rate and 9.50% click rate [6].
To get the most out of retargeting, use multiple channels. Combine Google Ads, social media platforms, and email campaigns to reach customers who abandoned their carts.
Personalize Offers and Messages
Customizing retargeting ads can make a big difference in boosting engagement and conversions. Here’s how you can improve your approach:
Highlight the exact products left in the cart.
Address common reasons for cart abandonment.
Provide tailored incentives, like free shipping or exclusive discounts.
Businesses using Klaviyo’s platform have generated over $60 million in sales from cart abandonment campaigns [6].
To streamline your efforts, consider tools like Privy or OptiMonk. These platforms integrate with e-commerce systems, automate retargeting, and offer analytics to refine your campaigns over time.
While retargeting can help recover lost sales, tackling issues like unclear shipping costs upfront can reduce the chances of cart abandonment altogether.
4. Be Clear About Shipping Costs
Unexpected shipping fees are one of the main reasons customers abandon their carts. Being upfront about these costs is key to keeping customers engaged and completing sales.
Show Shipping Costs Early
Displaying shipping fees early in the shopping process helps avoid surprises at checkout. According to the National Retail Federation, "63% of online shoppers consider shipping costs when making a purchase decision" [1].
Here’s how you can make this work:
Display estimated shipping costs on product pages, using calculators if possible.
Include delivery times alongside shipping costs.
Highlight minimum purchase requirements for special shipping rates.
By addressing these concerns upfront, you reduce the chances of customers leaving at checkout. Amazon does this well by showing shipping details directly on product pages, helping customers make informed choices.
Offer Free or Discounted Shipping
Free shipping is a huge motivator. In fact, a study by Invesp found that "93% of shoppers prefer retailers with free shipping" [4].
Consider these strategies to make free shipping work for your business:
Set a minimum purchase amount to qualify for free shipping. For example, many retailers offer free shipping for orders over $50 to encourage larger purchases.
Run limited-time free shipping promotions to create urgency and drive conversions.
When rolling out these strategies, track metrics like cart abandonment and conversion rates to measure their effectiveness. While free shipping might impact your margins, the boost in conversions often makes it worthwhile.
Although clear shipping details can reduce cart abandonment, capturing customers on the verge of leaving might require additional tools, like exit-intent popups.
5. Use Popups to Stop Customers from Leaving
Exit-intent popups are a smart way to catch visitors before they leave your site. These popups track mouse movements or scrolling behavior to display a message just as someone is about to exit. When done right, they can help lower cart abandonment rates and keep customers engaged.
Add Exit-Intent Popups
To make exit-intent popups work effectively, focus on these elements:
Clear messaging: Keep the text brief and highlight the benefit to the customer.
Eye-catching design: Use visually appealing, mobile-friendly designs that align with your brand's look.
Perfect timing: Trigger the popup only when it's clear the visitor is about to leave.
For example, if someone hesitates because of shipping costs, a popup offering free or discounted shipping could persuade them to finish their purchase. According to OptinMonster, well-crafted exit-intent popups can achieve conversion rates as high as 13.73% [5].
Offer Discounts or Deals
The real power of exit-intent popups lies in the offers they deliver. Beauty brand Truly uses a "spin-to-win" popup, giving customers a chance to score free items or special discounts - a fun way to keep them engaged [6].
"We want to get them back. We don't just want to get them back to any old product page. We want to show them the actual products that were in their shopping cart when they abandoned." - Ezra Firestone, CEO of BOOM By Cindy Joseph [6]
Popular offers include time-sensitive discounts, free shipping, exclusive deals, or product bundles. With average conversion rates hitting 17.12% [6], these popups are a strong tool for recovering sales. Tools like Privy make it easy to design and manage popups while ensuring your campaigns stay consistent with coupon offers.
Conclusion: Take Action to Reduce Cart Abandonment
Shopping cart abandonment is a common challenge for online retailers, with high shipping costs alone driving 48% of shoppers to leave their carts behind [3]. The good news? You can address this issue with a few targeted strategies.
Start by making gradual changes and tracking their impact on your abandonment rates. Focus on the biggest hurdles first - if shipping costs are a frequent complaint, tackle that right away.
Payment security is another sticking point, with 17% of shoppers abandoning their carts due to security concerns [2]. You can ease these worries by using trusted payment gateways and prominently displaying security badges during checkout.
Once you've addressed shipping and security, look at other actions that can make a difference. Here's a quick breakdown of steps to consider and their potential impact:
Reducing cart abandonment takes consistent effort. Tools like Google Analytics can help you monitor key metrics and fine-tune your approach. Pay close attention to your checkout funnel to identify and eliminate friction points.
FAQs
Here are answers to two common questions about reducing cart abandonment:
How do you write an abandoned cart email sequence?
A strong abandoned cart email sequence typically includes three steps:
First email (1-2 hours): A gentle reminder, offering support if needed.
Second email (24 hours): Add urgency and include customer testimonials or reviews.
Third email (48-72 hours): Provide a special offer or discount to encourage action.
Make sure each email has clear, actionable CTAs like "Return to cart," "Complete your order," or "Shop now" [1].
Are exit intent pop-ups good?
Exit-intent pop-ups can work wonders when done right. For instance, adding customer reviews to these pop-ups has been shown to boost lead generation by 62.5% [7]. They can also increase purchases by up to 37% [7]. The key? Offer appealing incentives, keep the design clean, and continuously test and refine them.