Shopping Cart Abandonment: Are Customers Bailing Out On Your Checkout Page?
February 19, 2009
“Why am I not making more money online?”
If you’ve ever wondered this, you’re not alone.
But to get an answer that is REAL- not just someone’s fluffy opinion, you need to answer your question with another, more appropriate question:
“What do the numbers tell me about why I’m not making more money online?”
If you don’t have any data to look at… well, now you’re honing in on the bigger issue. Without tracking, your original question is impossible to answer.
It’s common (and essential) to measure things like traffic, signups, purchases, etc., but one very revealing (and often overlooked) stat is something called “shopping cart abandonment”.
This is where people reach your site, follow the “Buy” link- and then click away before actually making a purchase.
A recent study by Consumer Experience Management (CEM) evaluated the experiences of 719 consumers, and why they left a site’s checkout without making a purchase. Here are the top reasons:
1. High shipping prices (72%)
2. Comparison shopping or browsing (61%)
3. Changed mind (56%)
4. Saving items for later purchase (51%)
5. Total cost of items is too high (43%)
6. Checkout process is too long (41%)
7. Checkout needs too much personal info (35%)
8. Registration needed before purchase (34%)
9. Site is unstable or unreliable (31%)
10. Checkout process is confusing (27%)
This information is extremely useful for CORRECTING this problem, if you know that it actually IS a problem. Don’t rely on your gut here. Rely on the data.
For example, I recently took a look at a client’s numbers, and had to report some tough news: they had a 72.5% abandonment rate. Yikes.
Understand the Online Shopping Process
August 27, 2008
Before we dive in with setting up your online store, I’d like to make sure you have a grasp of the selling process your new system will take customers through. This will make a big difference in the subsequent steps making sense to you.
NOTE: The following is a dramatization in the very near future, of an eager customer finding your website and going through the process you’ll soon have set up:
Read more
Those long, ugly URLS….
August 27, 2008
If you use WebMarketingMagic (1ShoppingCart) for your online business, you’ve probably dealt with the long string of characters they force you to use you product links, opt-ins, etc. Ever wish they were a little more elegant?
Adding a Physical Product
July 16, 2008
Selling physical products is something every online marketer has done- or should be doing.
Maybe your product is a book. Or a DVD. Or a CD set. A physical product is anything that needs to be mailed to a customer, and they can lay their hands on. I even helped my wife set up a store selling infant pacifier animals.
Whatever your product may be, adding it to your shopping cart is a snap. The only thing to remember (and this is an important thing) is that YOU are responsible for fulfillment (duplication, packaging and shipping) of the product to the customer. You’ll want to have a good system in place.
Steps to add a physical product:
Read more
Adding a Digital Product
July 16, 2008
Digital products are the online marketer’s bread and butter.
They’re easy to set up in your shopping cart, they are delivered (downloaded) instantly and automatically.
Even better, the profit margins are through the roof- once you create this product once, you don’t spend a dime on duplication, inventory, shipping, etc- you’re just delivering electrons. (Which, incidentally, are stil free.)
Here’s the steps begin selling one online in about 5 minutes:
Read more
Understanding Your Merchant & Gateway Accounts
June 30, 2008
Sample:
If you did 5 transactions per month at $100 each, your monthly bill would be:
Gateway: $15
Merchant: $10 + (5 x .30) + (5 x $2.30) = $26.45 TOTAL: $41.45
If you did 50 transactions per month at $100 each, your monthly bill would be:
Gateway: $15
Merchant: $10 + (50 x .30) + (50 x $2.30) = $140 TOTAL $155
As you see, the Merchant/Gateway bills will fluctuate based on your monthly sales.
Setting Up Your Shopping Cart System
June 30, 2008
If you’re at the point of “I know I need a shopping cart, but I have no idea how to pick one”, this article is for you.
I walk you through 12 key items you want in a shopping cart. Sounds like a lot… but as you’ll see, I just touch lightly on each one- but more importantly- reviewing this list will also help shape your picture of exactly how the shopping cart fits into your online business.
And to avoid the suspense, the choice I recommend is Web Marketing Magic Pro. It is a 1shoppingcart compatible system, and not only it the fucos of this site, it’s what I use myself.
This video will explain why I’m confident it’s the one for you also. Read more
PayPal- What Is It, Do I Need It, How Do I Get It
June 30, 2008
If you don’t already have a PayPal account, it’s time you did.
There are over 100 million people across the world who use this ver simple and very secure method of making online payments. While it might not be your biggest source of customer payment, there are some people who not only prefer using PayPal over credit cards, some will not pay any other way.
The setup is simple and FREE, and within a few minutes you’ll be able to integrate your account with your shopping cart so customers can make their own choice.
A few notes about PayPal:
- Simple setup, your shopping cart can be ready to accept PayPal in minutes
- Customers can pay without revealing credit card or bank info
- Makes it very easy to send money to an individual, or vice versa
- Your PayPal account is identified by your email- easy to remember.
ex. If your friend wants to send you money, all you need to say is “Hey Steve, just PayPal (send) me the $100 to dave@84roots.com”. That’s all he needs to deliver the $$$!
Here’s a video explaining a bit more about how PayPal works, how to sign up for your account, and how to integrate it into your shopping cart process.
Read more
1SC: Understanding the Online Selling Process
June 30, 2008
Before we dive in with setting up your online store, I’d like to make sure you have a grasp of the selling process your new system will take customers through. This will make a big difference in the subsequent steps making sense to you.
NOTE: The following is a dramatization in the very near future, of an eager customer finding your website and going through the process you’ll soon have set up:
1. After some specific Googl’ing, Joe Customer reaches your sales page. He reads your copy, sees your product, and his heart starts racing… THIS is what he’s been looking for! THIS is the info he needs! And for ONLY $37? Wow! His lucky day! As he reaches for his credit card, his mouse wheel is frantically scrolling down your site until he sees an attractive button that says “Buy Now!”
2. Upon clicking this button, Joe reaches a friendly and familiar page titled “View Cart Items”. Since he only ordered this one item, he can see it listed on the page- and he can’t wait to download it! No need to click the “Continue Shopping” button, he’s ready to fork over some money NOW. Joe clicks the “Check Out” button.
3. Another familiar site… the Checkout Page. Joe knows the routine. (He’s no stranger to online purchases.) He types his name, address, email… then whips out his Visa. With blazingly quick fingers, he enters the 16 digits, along with the expiration date (“Don’t forget that 3-digit code!” Joe reminds himself). There’s some info at the bottom of the page about the agreement of sale, guarantee, blah blah blah… (“who reads that stuff anyway,” he thinks.) Then, with a powerful pointer finger slam, he triumphantly clicks the “Submit Order” button!
4. The next 0.5 seconds are agonizing for Joe. (“What if my card is declined? Did I pay my bill? Am I over my limit? What if…”) But alas, VICTORY! A page appears on his screen with the bold title: “Your Order Has Been Accepted! Please click the link below to download your Product!” Joe is giggling with anticipation. (meanwhile, behind the scenes, the process of tapping Joe’s credit card for $37, and depositing into your bank account is already in motion.)
5. Clicking the “Download your Product” link, a familiar Windows box appears, asking him if he wants to save the file to his hard drive. “Oh, you better believe I do,” Joe whispers out loud as he sips his Mountain Dew. “I’m even going to create a separate directory for you… my precious.” When the “Save” button is clicked, the download status bar grows, and grows, until… DONE! Slowly Joe opens the file, basking it the wisdom and knowledge you’ve provided for him.
6. Later, while checking his email, he receives an email receipt from you- how considerate and professional. A few days later, a personal email from you arrives in his inbox (after all, it does starts out “Dear Joe”), politely thanking him for his purchase- and reminding him about another great product he might be interested in. Feeling touched, Joe now considers you family, and looks forward to not only hearing from you again, but buying another wonderful information product you have to offer.
By the way, you were away on vacation when all of this happened. When you return- relaxed and tanned- the money is waiting for you in your (expanding) bank account.
To see a visual representation of the process described here, follow along in this diagram:
1SC: Sending a Broadcast Email Message to Your List
June 26, 2008
If you want to send and email instantly to EVERYONE on your list- or to a subset of your list- the wat to go is using the “Broadcast” (sometimes called a “blast”) feature.
I’ve put together a screen capture video to show you exactly how this is done. In addition, you can download and print a “cheat sheet” version to add to your notes.
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About Dave
Dave Hamilton has a passion for helping normal, non-techie people find success in the online marketing world. His highly sough after "Web Marketing Magician" consulting services combine his 20+ years of technical experience with his love of helping individuals and small businesses achieve their online dreams.
Dave resides in Tampa, Florida with his beautiful wife and three outrageously funny kids.
