Based on what type of business you have, conversions may have different meaning. For example, For e-commerce website, main objective is Sale. Some websites are developed with other goals in mind, however, and some have multiple goals.
Maybe you built a website with the intention of collecting email sign ups and white paper downloads, or maybe the main goal is driving in-store visits or booking reservations or appointments.
This article will provide you some important tips to improve your shopping cart conversions.
1)Make use of simple language:
Don’t scare off shoppers by using complicated language or industry terminology. Use simple, easy-to-understand words that guide your visitors along the path to conversion.
2)Be consistent in design:
The first step toward improving conversions is to make sure that your shopping cart and checkout have the same look and feel as the rest of your website. A similar design helps instill trust and won’t scare online shoppers away before they are about to share their personal information and credit card details with you.
3) Clear shipping options and rates:
Offering various shipping options are a good idea, but you need to find the right balance between too few and too many. In some cases, too many options can confuse shoppers, causing purchase delay or even shopping cart abandonment.
Clearly listing shipping costs is also important. A top cause of shopping cart abandonment is the absence of shipping cost information up front. Customer dissatisfaction can easily be the result when shoppers feel you’re hiding costs and you’re unclear about how much they will be charged.
4) Confirmation page and email notification:
Even if your shopper completes an order, you are not out of the woods yet. Buyers can become confused about whether their order actually went through; they can become frustrated to the point of canceling their order.
When they press the final button to complete their order, they should then be taken to a confirmation page that thanks them for their order, lists their confirmation or order number, and lets them know what the next step is.
They should also receive an email that essentially says the same things, including when to expect delivery of their order. An email is something they can save and refer to whenever they’d like
5) Follow up:
Of course, following up with a customer after her order is delivered doesn’t help with that particular conversion, but it does help with future conversions.
Follow-up emails increase customer satisfaction because you are letting customers know that you care and want to make sure their order has arrived, and you want to make sure they are happy with their purchase.
Moreover, follow-up emails that prompt your customers to write reviews about the products they bought or the experience they had can lead to positive online reviews, which can help bring new customers to you.
6) Formulate a clear path for buyers:
Clearly list each next step and also make the checkout process simple. Your shopper should have no question about where to go next. Make the process as clear and as simple as possible. Imagine that your shoppers have never shopped online before, and plot out each next step clearly and consistently.
7) Link out to policies and information:
If you want to display return policies, warranties, or shipping information, and if what you need to say can’t be said in a few words, provide the info via a link that opens a smaller, new window that does not disrupt the checkout process.
Don’t confuse customers or cause them to abandon the checkout process in search of an answer.
8) Add review step:
Once again, this is a part of the checkout process that requires balance. Adding another step makes the process longer, which is usually a bad thing. However, allowing shoppers to review their order can reduce abandonment and increase a sense of security. Customers will be reassured by the summary of information about exactly what they are buying, how much it will cost, and what they can expect to happen next.
9) Testing :
Each website, each set of online purchasers is different from its peers, and so conversion success can depend on many aspects. Test is one of the effective factor to increase your conversion rate.
Both A/B and usability testing are important to improve how online buyers interact with your website’s shopping cart. Test frequently all the fundamentals of your shopping cart including the color and position of the buttons to the design.
Persistent testing will be easier and significant to boost your shopping conversions at higher rate.