Today we’re going to dive into a critical issue for any e-commerce store, which is especially noteworthy during this bustling holiday season: cart abandonment.
A lot of brands spend tons of money on lead gen and visual design only to have people add products to a cart and then leave the website without completing a purchase. An often overlooked contributing factor to this? Shipping costs. Addressing this issue can be a game-changer for brands.
Here is one really simple yet impactful fix to encourage customer purchases: be transparent about shipping costs from the very beginning. The upfront approach is crucial because unexpected shipping costs tend to deter buyers at the checkout. By informing customers about shipping charges beforehand, brands create a more transparent shopping experience.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to offer free shipping (although I would highly recommend this strategy). What it does mean, though, is that you should clarify what the shipping cost is as soon as possible, or provide concise information about your shipping threshold.
Let’s say you want to offer free shipping for orders over $50. A really easy way to serve this information is in the announcement bar. This allows customers to see it quickly no matter what page of the site they enter from.
To take it a step further, you should add a note or progress bar in a slide out cart so when a customer adds something to the cart, they know how far away they are from free shipping. This consistent messaging prevents confusion and aligns with the earlier advertisement.
When a higher-priced item is added, crossing the shipping threshold should trigger an immediate confirmation in the slide-out cart of free shipping. This swift notification reassures customers and aligns with the expectations set earlier, fostering trust and loyalty.
In an era dominated by free shipping memberships like Amazon Prime, customer expectations are shaped accordingly. Because of this, brands need to communicate shipping policies clearly. Studies indicate that unexpected shipping costs contribute significantly to cart abandonment, making transparent shipping policies a crucial factor in retaining customers.
Transparency in shipping policies might seem trivial, but it's a crucial step in reducing cart abandonment and securing customer trust. By implementing clear shipping policies, brands can address this major cause of cart abandonment, fostering a smoother shopping experience for customers and ultimately boosting e-commerce success.