Did you know that nearly $1.6 billion was spent by Australian’s buying women’s clothing online in 2015, and overseas retailers took more than a third of that money? Local operators are fighting back, but there is more they can do.
There is growing global sophistication in online retail. From technology to fulfilment, marketing to inventory, as the global spend on online retail increases, so too do the services available to help online retailers operate and improve.
CHALLENGES FOR AUSTRALIAN ONLINE FASHION RETAILERS
For Australian fashion retailers operating online, the challenge is how to continue to maintain and even take share off both increasingly sophisticated international and domestic competition.
One area that is increasingly coming under scrutiny is checkout page conversion. A significant proportion of shoppers invest their time selecting products to buy, only to abandon their purchases at the final stages of purchase.
According to a meta-analysis by research company Baymard, 68% of shopping carts are abandoned. This is a frightening statistic, especially when it is likely that the reasons for it are myriad. Nevertheless, it’s a figure that presents great opportunity. Improvements – no matter how small – can reduce this abandonment rate and provide real benefits.
HOW TO REDUCE SHOPPING CART ABANDONMENT
If you operate a retail site, it’s a good time to cast a critical eye over your checkout process. If your site does not measure up, then take steps to bring it in line with your customer’s expectations. Better yet, why not exceed them.
Here are 5 checkout page conversion strategies that can help you increase online conversions and improve onsite customer experience.
- Make It Easy & Fast
Online customers today are increasingly becoming more demanding and less patient, making loading time a major factor to cart abandonment. In addition to fast page loading time, ensure your e-commerce site has a responsive design that’s compatible with mobile and tablet devices. The goal is to make the checkout experience as smooth and efficient for the customer as possible.
- Don’t Force It
There’s nothing more annoying than being compelled to create an account in order to make a purchase online. Make it easy for existing customers to log in or sign up, and always provide an option to checkout as guest.
- Simplify The Process
No one likes to fill out unnecessarily long forms. Simplify the process by only asking customers to fill out necessary fields. Go the extra mile by adding auto-complete suggestions and give form fields descriptions and input examples.
- Optimise The Shopping Cart Page
Check that your shopping cart page includes all the essentials so that it’s easy and flexible for customers. Allow users to easily update/edit the item or remove from cart, and allow them to save items for later purchase. Always provide information on shipping methods and up sell or cross sell related and relevant products.
- Give Reassurance
Want to avoid shoppers abandoning cart at the payment page? Give them all the reassurance they need by including visible security seals/trust marks and provide different payment options. Once payment is done, ensure the confirmation page includes order confirmation number and contact details for customer service.
