When online retailers and business owners get together, it doesn’t take too long before someone raises the dreaded topic of “abandoned shopping carts.” If you’ve had the good luck not to become familiar with this term, it’s a situation where a shopper arrives at your site, goes through the process of picking out what they like to buy, but ultimately decides to go elsewhere before finishing their purchase.
What gives?
Obviously, some of these folks were just window shopping, checking out prices or shipping times. Others might have simply gotten confused and forgotten to finish their order, or realized they didn’t have the funds to make a purchase at this time. However, another large percentage of abandoned orders have to do with trust.
As marketers, we can sometimes forget that it’s difficult for customers to have faith that once they put in their credit card number, they’re going to get what they think they are. They’ve all heard and read stories of Internet scams, or just been disappointed by retailers in the past. And so they feel wary.
The best way to stop that dynamic from hurting your sales figures is by building trust into the transaction at every step of the way. Make sure that testimonials from satisfied customers can be found on nearly every page, add contact information, frequently asked questions, and estimated shipping times to your product descriptions. From the first moment they arrive, until they get an e-mail confirming their order, let them see that your reputation and commitment to service aren’t going to be a problem.
It’s getting harder than ever to trust companies on the Internet, but that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible challenge. Simply show them they’re going to get what they expect from you and then back it up – you’ll find that more buyers will be comfortable placing their orders.