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Abandoned cart is a term used in e-commerce to describe a situation when a customer adds products to their cart, but does not complete the purchase. According to a study by Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate in 2021 is 69.57%, which means that about 7 out of 10 customers leave your site without purchasing anything.
This is a phenomenon that negatively affects the revenues and profits of companies operating in the field of e-commerce, and indicates the loss of sales opportunities and potential customers. Therefore, it is very important to take steps to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales.
Fortunately, there are many strategies that can be applied to improve the customer experience and encourage them to complete the purchase process. In this article, we will review some of these strategies and how to implement them effectively.
1. Simplify the payment process
One of the top reasons why customers abandon their cart is the complexity or length of the checkout process. If a customer has to enter too much information, go through too many steps, or deal with slow or insecure pages, they may lose patience or confidence and leave the site.
Therefore, you must make the payment process as simple, fast and secure as possible. Some of the ways you can improve your checkout process are:
Offer multiple popular payment options, such as credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and more.
Use secure and reliable payment gateways, and display security and trust badges on the payment page.
Provide the payment feature within the site, so that the customer is not redirected to another site to complete the payment process.
Reduce the number of fields required to complete the payment process, and only ask for necessary information, such as name, email, address, phone number, and card details.
Offer the option to save payment information to returning customers, so they don't have to enter it again each time they want to make a purchase.
Offer the option to log in with accounts of social media platforms, such as Facebook, Google or Twitter, so that the customer can use their data already on these platforms without having to create a new account on your site.
2. Provide attractive offers and discounts
Sometimes, the reason why a customer abandons their cart may be that they are not satisfied with the product price, shipping value, or total amount ordered. In this case, you can use the direct marketing technique to offer attractive offers and discounts to the customer, so as to increase the likelihood of their purchase.
Some examples of these offers and discounts are:
Offer a percentage or value discount on the product or on total purchases, such as “Get 10% off your order” or “Get 50 EGP off your purchase of 500 EGP or more.”
Offer free or reduced shipping on specific orders, such as “Enjoy free shipping on orders over 300 Egyptian pounds” or “Pay only 20 Egyptian pounds for shipping nationwide.”
Offering a free gift or additional product when purchasing a specific product or value, such as “Buy a Starbucks coffee and get a free croissant” or “Buy a Samsung Galaxy S21 and get a free Buddz Pro”.
Provide a discount code that the customer uses on the payment page to take advantage of the offer, such as “Enter code BING10 to benefit from a 10% discount on your order.”
3. Send abandoned cart recovery emails
Although the customer may abandon the shopping cart the first time, this does not mean that he has lost interest in the products he has chosen. He may have some reason to put the purchase on hold, such as not having enough time, going offline, or changing his mind. In this case, you can use emails as a means of communicating with the customer, reminding them of their shopping cart, and prompting them to complete their purchase.
Some tips for sending effective abandoned cart recovery emails are:
Sending an email at an appropriate time after the customer abandons the cart, such as an hour, a day, or two later, so that the product is still fresh in their mind.
Use a catchy and motivating email address, such as “Don't miss this opportunity!” or “Last chance to take advantage of this offer!” or “Did I forget something?”
Using pictures, names and prices of the products that the customer left in the shopping cart, so that he remembers what he chose and what he lost.
Offer an exclusive offer or discount to the customer, such as “Pay now and get 15% off!” Or “Add another product to cart and get free shipping!”.
Use a clear and prominent button to redirect the customer to the cart page, such as “complete purchase” or “return to cart”.
Adding contact and customer service information, so that the customer can ask any question or inquiry before completing the purchase process.
4. Improve the design and performance of your site
Finally, the role of your site's design and performance in impacting the customer's experience and purchasing decision cannot be ignored. If your site is unattractive, unorganized, non-functional, or not responsive to different devices, this may lead to customer loss of trust, frustration, or boredom, and consequently abandonment of the shopping cart.
Therefore, you should work to improve the design and performance of your site regularly, and use best practices and tools to ensure the quality, speed, and security of your site. Some of the ways you can improve the design and performance of your site are:
Using a simple, clean and consistent design that uses colors, fonts, and images in a harmonious way that matches your brand identity.
Using a responsive design, that adapts to the screen size and shape of the device the customer is using, whether it is a computer, phone or tablet.
Using a clear and easy-to-use main menu that contains the main categories of products and services that you provide, and makes it easier for the customer to move between the different pages.
Using a powerful and smart search bar, it helps the customer to find the products they are looking for quickly and accurately, and provides suggestions and relevant results.
The use of high-quality and clear images of the products, showing the important details and characteristics of the product, and allowing the customer to zoom in, zoom out, rotate, or view the product
from different angles.
Using clear and simple texts to describe products, containing basic and additional information about the product, such as name, price, size, color, brand, warranty, terms and conditions.
Using social badges and customer reviews, to show previous customer testimonials about the products or services they purchased or benefited from, and increase customer confidence in the quality of your offer.
Use analytical and testing tools to measure your site's performance in terms of loading speed, number of visits, bounces and conversions, and perform A/B tests to compare different versions of your site's pages or elements, and extract strengths and weaknesses in your design.
5. Use the free test
Free testing is offering your product or service to the visitor to try it out for himself before purchasing, without paying any fees or being bound by any conditions. You can use the free test to show the visitor the quality and effectiveness of your product or service, and convince them to buy.
Some of the ways you can use free testing to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use products or services that are valid for trial, so that they are easy to use, understand and measure, and give noticeable and satisfactory results in a short period of time.
Use convenient and fast delivery methods for the products or services you provide for the experience, so that they reach the visitor as quickly as possible, and do not cost them any additional fees or logistical problems.
Use easy and simple return methods for the products or services that you offer to try, so that the visitor can return them to you if he does not want to buy them, without facing any obstacles or consequences.
Use reminders and praise messages for the visitor during the trial period, reminding him of the benefits he gets from your product or service, praising his smart and wise choice, and motivating him to buy.
6. Use psychological pricing
Psychological pricing is the use of psychological techniques to show the price of your product or service in a way that influences the visitor's decision to buy. You can use psychological pricing to show the value of your product or service in a different or attractive way, and increase the likelihood that the visitor will like and buy it.
Some of the ways you can use psychological pricing to reduce abandonment and increase sales are:
Use an inaccurate price, using tens or hundreds instead of zeros or fives at the end of the price of your product, such as 99 EGP instead of 100 EGP, or 299 EGP instead of 300 EGP. This makes the visitor feel like they are saving money or getting a good deal.
Use a price comparison, in which you compare the price of your product to another price that is higher or lower, such as the market price, the competitor's price, or your previous price. This makes the visitor feel that he is getting a high value, unique or rare item.
Use split pricing, breaking up the price of your product into small parts or adding small additional fees, such as taxes, shipping, or packaging. This makes the visitor feel that the price of your product is low or reasonable, and he does not look at the total amount.
7. Use the call to action effectively
A call to action is the sentence, button, or link that you use to convince a customer to take a specific action, such as “add to cart,” “complete purchase,” or “buy now.” If your call to action is weak, unclear, or invisible, you may lose the opportunity to convert a customer into a buyer.
Therefore, you must use the call to action effectively, by following some of the following principles:
Use strong and motivating words that activate the customer’s desire to buy, such as “Get this offer before it runs out,” “Don’t miss this amazing opportunity,” or “Join our distinguished club.”
Use contrasting and attractive colors, such as red, orange, or green, that make your call to action stand out from the rest of the site's elements and attract the customer's attention.
Use an appropriate size and shape that makes your call to action easy to select and click, and that matches the design of the site and the device used, such as a round, rectangular, or oblong button with rounded corners.
Use a convenient place, make your call to action visible and accessible on every page, and track customer behavior and flow, such as at the bottom or side of a product page, in a navigation bar, or in a sidebar.
8. Use social media marketing
Social media marketing is the use of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. to increase your online presence, engage with your audience, and increase your sales. You can use these platforms to show your products and services in innovative and engaging ways, engage your audience with useful content, contests and giveaways, and keep them interested in offers, discounts and events.
Some of the ways you can use social media marketing to reduce abandonment and increase sales are:
Use photos, videos, stories, and live broadcasts to display your products in a lively and realistic way, highlighting their features, benefits, and ways to use them.
Use hashtags, tags, and comments to increase the reach of your posts, attract more visitors and followers, and encourage them to engage and interact with you.
Use links, buttons, and icons to send visitors to your site, shopping cart, or checkout page, and make it easier for them to purchase.
Use paid or sponsored ads to target a specific audience based on demographic, interest, or behavior, and increase your chances of converting them into buyers.
9. Use search engine optimization
Search Engine Optimization is a set of techniques you use to make your site more visible and attractive in the search results of search engines such as Google and Bing. This helps you increase traffic to your site, thus increasing your chances of generating sales.
Some of the ways you can use SEO to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use keywords related to your products and services in the titles, text, links, and images of your pages, so that they appear in search results when a visitor searches for those words.
Use catchy and descriptive titles for your pages that summarize the content of each page in a succinct and effective way, and grab attention
to a visitor and encourage him to visit your site.
Use quality internal and external links, linking between your different pages or between your site and other sites with a good reputation, so as to increase the value of your site and the visitor's confidence in it.
Use a high loading speed for your website pages, as it reduces the visitor's waiting time for the content to appear, and improves his experience and satisfaction.
10. Use security certificates
Security certificates are digital documents that prove your site's identity and encrypt the data you exchange with visitors, protecting their privacy and security. If your site uses a security certificate, a padlock, shield, or green icon will appear in the address bar, and your site address will start with https instead of http.
Using security certificates for your site helps you reduce cart abandonment and increase sales, for several reasons:
Increase visitor confidence in your website and brand, and make them feel safe when entering their personal or financial information.
Improve your site's ranking in search engine results, as search engines like Google and Bing prefer sites that use security certificates over sites that don't.
Avoid warning or error messages that may appear to the visitor when visiting your site, which may raise doubts or rejection of your site.
11. Use personalization
Personalization is about providing a unique and personal experience to each visitor on your site, based on their data, interests, and behavior. You can use personalization to show each visitor relevant products, content, or offers, and make them more likely to like and buy them.
Some of the ways you can use personalization to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use the visitor's or user's name in your messages or pages, to make them feel valued and respected, such as "Welcome, Ahmed" or "Thank you for visiting, Fatima."
Use tracking or recording cookies to collect data about a visitor, such as their location, language, gender, age, purchase date, or search activity, and use this data to show them relevant products or services.
Use a smart recommendation system, which uses machine learning algorithms to analyze visitor behavior and predict their liking for products, and show similar, complementary, or popular products to them, such as “Customers who bought this product also bought,” “You may like these products,” or “Top selling products in this category.” ".
Use email, text, or push notifications to send your visitor personalized messages with tailored offers, discounts, or gifts, based on specific occasions, such as their birthday, registration anniversary, or holiday.
12. Use psychological stimulation
Psychological stimulation is the use of psychological techniques to influence the visitor's decisions and behavior, and motivate him to make a purchase. You can use psychological stimulation to arouse a visitor's desire for products and create a sense of necessity, value, and belonging.
Some of the ways you can use psychological motivation to reduce abandonment and increase sales are:
Use the principle of product scarcity, so that you show the visitor the amount of product left or the limited duration of the offer, so that he feels afraid of losing the opportunity, such as “only 3 left in stock” or “the offer is valid until the end of the day.”
Use the principle of source authority, so that the visitor will see testimonials, ratings or awards from reliable or influential sources, so that he feels confident and respected, such as “This product is ISO 9001 certified” or “This product has been rated 4.5 stars out of 5 by 1000 customers” or This product was chosen as the best product of 2023 by Forbes magazine.
Use the principle of social affirmation, so that the visitor shows the reactions, opinions, or behavior of others like him, so that he feels belonging and imitating, such as “1000 people bought this product in the last month” or “90% of customers are satisfied with this product” or “Ahmed said: This The product changed my life.”
13. Use direct and technical support
Technical and direct support is the provision of assistance and advice to the visitor by phone, e-mail, live chat or other means of communication. You can use technical and direct support to solve the visitor's problems or inquiries, provide advice or directions to him, and encourage him to buy.
Some of the ways you can use technical and online support to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use a qualified, trained and friendly team that speaks the language of the visitor and understands his needs and expectations, and treats him with patience, respect and professionalism.
Use multiple and easy-to-access communication channels that allow the visitor to choose the method they prefer to communicate with, whether it is audio, text or video, and ensure the speed and quality of the response.
Use smart and modern tools that help you improve the quality of your service, such as reminders, tracking, analysis or reports, artificial intelligence, machine learning or deep learning programs.
Use direct assistance technology, so that a small window appears to the visitor in the corner of the site, containing a welcome message or an invitation to ask a question or request assistance, and allows him to engage in a direct dialogue with a customer service representative.
14. Use free trials
Free Trials is offering a visitor a limited amount of time to fully or partially try your product or service without paying any fees. You can use free trials to show your visitor the value and usefulness of your offer, and convince them to buy.
Some of the ways you can use free trials to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use an appropriate period of time for free trials, sufficient to show the benefits of your product or service, and not so long that the visitor loses interest or the need to purchase.
Use clear and simple terms for free trials, showing the visitor what they can and cannot try, what steps they must follow to start or end the trial, and what fees or commitments are required after the trial ends.
Use reminders and notifications for free trials, so that you keep the visitor informed of the remaining trial period, motivate them to make the most of it, and offer them special offers or discounts to purchase before the trial ends.
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Loyalty blood and rewards
Loyalty and rewards are offering benefits or incentives to a visitor to re-visit your site or to re-purchase your products or services. You can use loyalty and rewards to increase visitor satisfaction, loyalty, and loyalty, and increase conversion rate and customer lifetime value.
Some of the ways you can use loyalty and rewards to reduce cart abandonment and increase sales are:
Use a system of points, coupons or vouchers, so that you give the visitor points, coupons or vouchers on every purchase he makes, and allow him to convert them into discounts, gifts or benefits in the future.
Use a system of levels or degrees, so that you classify the visitor to a certain level or degree based on the value of his purchases or the history of his visits, and provide him with greater benefits or rights the higher his level or degree.
Use a referral or promotion system, so that you encourage the visitor to invite his friends, family, or acquaintances to visit your site or buy your products or services, and offer him and them rewards, discounts, or gifts for each successful referral.
Thus, we have reviewed 15 effective strategies for you to avoid not completing the purchase process with the customer. If you have any inquiries or questions, you can write them in the comments.
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