There are several different numbers and surveys on exactly how common this is, but somewhere between 60-70 % of the orders that are started at e-commerce sites in Sweden are not processed all the way. Shopping carts are parked by different reasons, several of these could come a longer way. Servicemail Nordic has checked hundreds of the e-commerce sites that use their service, with a result that 7 out of 10 never fulfil the order, but abandon products in the shopping cart.
Why Park a Shopping Cart
I can see examples of when I have added products to the cart without checking out:
- To see the delivery fees.
- To see if a promotion code is valid.
- To carry on later in the evening from the tablet in the sofa to find out that the shopping cart isn’t available on my profile after adding the products on the computer.
- To compare prices.
- To control delivery dates, and then finding better conditions in another store.
Other reasons in these situations are that the checkout is too complex, that the web site doesn’t work correct on the platform, that the payment process isn’t working as it should, or that the preferred payment or delivery options isn’t available, or means an additional cost. That the e-commerce site isn’t well-known, that the product information is incomplete, or that it is just too expensive.
Reactivation e-mails
Reactivation e-mails are used by several sites. But it is not always well thought-out, I am a premium member at Ellos to receive free delivery on orders. When I added a product in the shopping cart without checking out, I later received an e-mail with a reminder that I had items in my cart, and was offered free delivery if I checked out in 3 days. That wasn’t an incentive to order for me since I already had free delivery on all orders.
Reminders of abandoned carts with a free delivery offer can have other consequences to those who doesn’t offer free delivery to premium customers. I have talked to some who use this systematically to wait until you get the e-mail with the free delivery offer, since it is well-known that it will arrive. In this cases, it doesn’t serve its purpose either.
If the customers are used to receiving e-mails from the company, such a reminder will not look so different, and is probably accepted if they have approved e-mails, while others can be more sceptical that what is added to the cart without checking out is monitored. If the message is a part of a general newsletter, the acceptance is probably higher.
Another way could be asking the customer of suggestions to improve the purchase process. I was about to order food online last Christmas, added several products to the cart, but when I entered the zip code in the checkout, almost everything disappeared since they didn’t offer the same product range everywhere. I ended up ignoring the entire order and received an automatic e-mail a few days later asking me if something went wrong in the process. I would probably never let them know what the problem was if I hadn’t received the e-mail. I did, and received free delivery and discount as a thank you. And when I earlier this year entered the site I had to enter the zip code immediately so I would only view the items that were available in my area. A reactivation e-mail that paid off to both seller and buyer.
A Basic Purchase Process
I like the idea of a purchase process that is as easy as possible, especially if you are looking on a mobile unit. Klarna Checkout is one of those I prefer every time I see at an e-commerce site. Simply fill in e-mail address and zip code, and the other information will be displayed if you have ordered with Klarna Checkout before. Klarna invoice is already selected, but can be changed after if you like. It is a payment option free of charge. Just as easy and flexible that even the ones least interested in technology shouldn’t have any problems.
Another way to make the purchase process easier that we can see at more and more sites is the possibility to save the card number, which is appreciated by several when the demand of a bank login or 3D Secure verification is required at more e-commerce sites. That is one thing that I don’t have in my purse.
Minimizing the number of steps in the checkout, or gathering them at the same page, is another way to have more purchases through the entire order process. More e-commerce sites rebuild their purchase process to compress and make it as easy as possible to order in different channels.
Saving the Cart
Sometimes it could be a problem that the cart isn’t saved. I often fill a cart for a period of time, to go back to it when there is time, check again, and add or change. A lot of companies don’t save the cart long enough to support this kind of behaviour, instead, it is emptied every fifteen minutes or so. That can be a little bit irritating since the customer needs to do all the work again. Some offer the possibility to actively choose to save the cart, and others like H&M saves it for 7 days. You can continue to change it, the products aren’t reserved, but you have the possibility to add and adjust the content of the cart.
The Last Click
There are probably just as many different reasons that shopping carts are abandoned in e-commerce sites, that there are solutions to the problem. Analyse where your bottle necks are, and think of what could work with your customers, try different angels, and evaluate. The money is there, it is just a last click.
