The Online Checkout Process and How To Increase Conversions
It’s said that 68% of shoppers leave the online checkout process without placing an order. Before you panic let’s try to understand why people leave your website without making a purchase. The main issue is the online checkout process all together. In most cases improving the checkout experience can instantly increase your sales and help convert potential buyers in to customers. Today I’ll cover some simple things you can do to provide a seamless online check process, things you can do without spending hours coding.
Use A One Page Order Form
Have you ever been shopping for a product and ended up on an order form that has multiple steps? It’s frustrating to buyers when they have to go through different pages and steps just to order from you. Instead of having visitors enter their contact information, then go to another page to process payments and so on, why not make a single page order form? In theory the less pages you have your visitors navigate to the higher the chances are that they will complete the order. Create a one page order form that clearly shows the product they are purchasing, asks for their contact and shipping information and then allows them to complete payment. The worst thing you can do as a business is to make people signup or create an account just to make a purchase. You can always have the user create an account after they have placed an order. Keep things simple and flowing by using the one page checkout process and you’ll thank me later.
Make Your Order Form Mobile Friendly
Mobile use is on the rise and more and more people are using their mobile devices to browse website and order. Making your order form or shopping cart mobile friendly is a must. To achieve this make sure your order form supports small screens. Having the user pinch and zoom is annoying and will likely lead to a loss in conversion. Next you want to minimize the amount of information you’re asking for. No one likes typing and filling in fields on their mobile device so the key is to ask for only the information you require in order for the user to complete their order. It also helps to use large fonts and big buttons, people are more likely to click a big button then to have to pinch the screen just to click a link. Think mobile when designing your order form and you’ll notice your sales will increase.
Add Verified Logos and Security Logos
You’ll be surprised how much higher conversions can be when you had a logo or two showing that your order form is secure. For example if you offer PayPal as a payment method then you should absolutely add the PayPal Verified logo somewhere visible on your order form. If you log in to your PayPal account you can download a bunch of different PayPal logos to place on your website. If you use an SSL Certificate (which you should) you can put the SSL Certificate logo on your order form as well to show users that their data is encrypted. Security is important to buyers so showing you care about their security is critical.
Add Your Phone Number or Live Chat
Have you ever been shopping online and ready to place an order but had a simple question? Adding a phone number on your order form is important as it not only gives the customer confidence in knowing they can call if needed but if a customer has a question before placing an order they don’t have to navigate away from the page. One example would be if a customer entered a coupon code and it didn’t work. Instead of leaving they might call in to ask what the issue is and that gives you a direct line of communication with your potential buyer to try to convert the sale.
Live Chat is somewhat new and is a huge plus if you implement it. It allows visitors to quickly ask a question and gives you direct access to the buyer. Think of it like going in to a retail store and having a worker approach you to see if you needed any help. You might turn them away but the fact that they are present gives you a positive experience.
One of the most popular Live Chat systems is Live Chat Inc. They are an amazing company that let’s you implement Live Chat on your website with tons of extra features.
Check out Live Chat Inc here
Why You Should Improve Your Online Checkout Process Today
By making the changes mentioned above you can literally increase conversions without spending a dime. Your order form is the second most important page aside from your websites homepage so why not take some time to improve and optimize the online checkout process?
If you have any other tips or ideas please leave a comment as sharing information will help others improve their business!
