How to deal with site abandonment (and not just in your shopping cart)
Shopping cart abandonment is a tough fact of life for ecommerce retailers. There’s only so much a business can do to reduce abandonment in the cart—but what about the visitors who don’t even make it that far down the sales funnel?
We’re referring to the people who spend 15 seconds on your website and leave. If your visitors are heading for the door before even checking out your goods, then maybe there's something wrong. In this post, we’ve compiled a list of reasons why visitors abandon your website prior to adding to cart, and what you can do to combat it.
You don't have a call to action
Does your website home page get the visitor to do something besides just check out your products? If it doesn't, you're not alone. That's because 70% of small businesses lack a call to action, or CTA.
A CTA is important because it gives you a chance to motivate your visitor to take steps towards becoming a customer beyond just showing them what you have for sale.
Examples of Call to Action:
- Subscribe to an email newsletter
- View a product demo
- Request a consultation, estimate or quote
- Take advantage of a special offer
You must let your visitor know what you want them to do next. Don’t assume they’ll know. Be direct and specific.
They have doubts about security
People only purchase from companies they trust. While that's not a huge surprise, it may raise your eyebrows to know that of shopping carts that are abandoned, 20% of those abandonments are due to security concerns, according to Baymard.
If you're asking people to complete some sort of form, be it a credit card field or an RFI, chances are, you're collecting some personal information. This is where people become hesitant. Make sure you're showing your visitors that they can trust you with their information.
By including security seals and certificates, it allows visitors to know that their information is being protected when they are sending sensitive information through your website.
Your product categories are confusing
Can your visitors easily navigate around the site without thinking? You only have a small window to catch your visitors’ interest and poor site usability can drive them away.
In the age of Amazon, it's difficult enough to win customers without adding unnecessary friction to your sales flow. Inconsistent and poorly organized navigation makes them angry and frustrated, wanting to do nothing else but to leave your website.
Make sure your product categories are specific and concrete. No one likes spending time scrolling through 25+ products in the "Accessories" or "Miscellaneous" section only to find out you don't carry what they're looking for.
They're skeptical of your reputation
Did you know that 84% of online shoppers in the United States review at least one social media site before making a purchase? Social media is not only an influencing factor in customers’ buying decisions, but it's also where your brand gains trust and builds credibility.
Having inactive social media accounts can send the message that your customer service is unreliable, that you're not legitimate, or even that your business is closed.
Active social media accounts, on the other hand, are a great way for you to connect with your customers and an opportunity for you to build your reputation. The ability to respond to customers’ comments and messages in real time will build not only customer trust but loyalty too.
Your photos and product descriptions are low-quality
How many times have you been tempted into buying a quirky t-shirt or coffee mug online that seemed amazing...until you look at the product photos and they appear to have been poorly photoshopped?
Conversely, how many times have those photos made you think, "I'd look great in that too," and made you decide to pull the trigger.
We've been there, and so have 88% of shoppers who characterize detailed product content as being "extremely important" to their purchasing decisions.
When you provide customers with a high quality photo along with a detailed description of the product, it helps them to better make their decision. Plus, it will prevent them from any surprises when they receive the product!
Final Thoughts
If you haven't done so already, it’s worth taking some time to dig into the reasons why visitors are leaving your site. Most of these can be easy fixes and can ultimately lead to lower site abandonment rates and more sales.