How to Decrease Your Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate

1. Get credible – Show security badges and help info next to checkout buttons
2. Only a click or call away – Show customer support contact info
3. When will I get it? – Show delivery date at cart and during checkout if possible
4. Short Supply – Buy Now! – Show Stock availability and use urgency
5. Delete the X button – Let people move products to their wish list or favorites instead of deleting
6. The difference of a dollar – Use a currency converter for international shoppers
7. Got some bucks dude? – Feature Paypal or BillMeLater payment method if available
8. How much does it really cost? – Show shipping costs and taxes as soon as possible
9. Go Global! – Communicate International delivery if you sell internationally
10. People love getting a deal – Show discounts in your cart view
11. Hurry, order now! – Communicate limited time offers
12. The clock is ticking! – Discount deadlines and countdown timers
13. Give people a little something extra – If you have loyalty system, show it
14. Spread the word – Let your visitors email cart items
15. Save it for later – Allow customers to save their cart
16. Do you have a low price guarantee? If yes, communicate it!
17. We’ll make it right – Communicate a fair warranty and return policy
18. Retarget and Remind – Use exit-intent popups with special offers and countdown timers
19. Send follow-up emails

1. Get credible – Show security badges and help info next to checkout buttons

People like to know that they’re buying from a reputable source. You can help build trust with your customers by showing a 3rd party security badge.

Many people want to know that there’s support there when they need it, whether or not they actually make the call.

A big part of keeping people in checkout is showing you are a credible store. Put your security logos and help icons in your cart view.

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2. Only a click or call away – Show customer support contact info

Like seeing a support link, showing your contact info shows you are there for your customers. Many sites are worried about too many phone calls.

The only problem with too many phone calls is too many sales…and that’s a good problem to have!

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3. When will I get it? – Show delivery date at cart and during checkout if possible

People on your site want to know when they’ll receive their products or services. Don’t leave your visitors guessing or searching for delivery costs or timeframes. Guess what? When they go searching for your delivery terms, they may need to leave the cart…and they may never come back!

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4. Short Supply – Buy Now! – Show Stock availability and use urgency

When something is in demand, people are more interested. This is a natural law of negotiation you can use to your advantage to keep people in their cart.

You can assure people that an item is in stock, while also telling them to act soon while supplies last!

SwimOutlet.com

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5. Delete the X button – Let people move products to their wish list or favorites instead of deleting

Let people move products out of the cart without deleting them. It’s a more positive interaction. When someone deletes an item, sometimes they reconsider the full order.

Give your visitors an easy way to drop a few items but keep the positive momentum going to checkout.

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6. The difference of a dollar – Use a currency converter for international shoppers

Not everyone knows what a dollar equals in their local currency, and your currency may not easily translate to a dollar, a pound, or franc!

Use a currency converter and cut out the confusion for your visitors. When they know the price without having to check, they can keep moving towards checkout.

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7. Got some bucks dude? – Feature Paypal or BillMeLater payment method if available

While PayPal and BillMeLater or PayPal Credit may seem a little hip with their advertising, they are truly the standard for online payments. Many shoppers will simply not shop at a site without the option to pay by PayPal.

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8. How much does it really cost? – Show shipping costs and taxes as soon as possible

Just like delivery time estimates, show any shipping costs and taxes clearly to your shoppers. When they need to check somewhere else on your site, they step out of the checkout process. Keep people stepping forward by clearly showing all prices in the cart.

Don’t surprise shoppers with a different total number at the last minute.

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9. Go Global! – Communicate International delivery if you sell internationally

The power of ecommerce is in numbers. The more countries you ship to, the greater possible number of customers you have. Make sure the costs work for your business, and offer international shipping options.

Many ecommerce owners think: why would anyone overseas want to buy my products when they can buy some locally? Take pride in your store and remember you have a unique offer or a unique approach. There are people all over the world who prefer one approach to another, make sure you give them the chance to prefer yours!

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10. People love getting a deal – Show discounts in your cart view

Make sure any deals, applied discounts, or sale prices are reflected in the cart for your visitors. This keeps the positive feeling of making a purchase moving forward.

Like showing supply levels, this can also help your customers feel a sense of urgency, they want to grab that deal before it’s gone!

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11. Hurry, order now! – Communicate limited time offers

When you really want to step up the urgency, showcase a limited time offer in the cart. Combining this with a discount really pulls people towards the finish line.

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12. The clock is ticking! – Discount deadlines and countdown timers

Another way to highlight limited time offers is to have a countdown timer which is displaying for the product…right in the cart view!

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13. Give people a little something extra – If you have loyalty system, show it

For stores that have a rewards points system or loyalty program in place, make it clear that a purchase also earns these rewards.

Instead of a discount, it’s a bonus, and everyone likes a little something extra.

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14. Spread the word – Let your visitors email cart items

What’s better than getting a deal? Telling people about it. People love their friends and family to know that they are savvy shoppers.

Increasingly commerce is a way for people to show their shared interests. Put a ’share to email’ link in the cart view. Once someone tells someone that they’ll buy something, it’s a little more certain they actually will!

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15. Save it for later – Allow customers to save their cart

Perhaps someone shopping on your site receives a phone call about an urgent matter right as they are checking out. Give them the chance to save their cart so they can return and continue their purchase.

A cart worth saving is often a cart worth returning to complete checkout for! The option to save also allows people to easily keep any options on products they’ve set.

Saving carts streamlines the checkout process the next time around.

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16. Do you have a low price guarantee? If yes, communicate it!

We know that people like to get a deal and tell people about it. A lowest price guarantee gives your visitors further confidence that they are getting the best deal.

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17. We’ll make it right – Communicate a fair warranty and return policy

Just like people want to know whether support is available before a purchase, they also want to know whether there is a warranty or refund policy in case something goes wrong.

You can build more trust with your visitors by clearly showing your warranty information and return policy in the cart view. This is one more piece of information people don’t need to go looking for on your site, everything is right there so your shoppers can keep on moving towards checkout with confidence.

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18. Retarget and Remind – Use exit-intent popups with special offers and countdown timers

Onsite retargeting tools, like our platform OptiMonk, are great for keeping people in their cart. Onsite retargeting tools work by detecting when someone is going to leave your site. This is called exit-intent and can also mean your visitors are leaving their cart.

With OptiMonk, you can setup a special offer for people who are leaving their cart.

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19. Send follow-up emails

When someone has an account with your site, or you collect their email address from a form on your site or through a tool like OptiMonk, send them a follow-up message to encourage their purchase decision.

They might not make a purchase right away, however they could on another day!