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If you manage an ecommerce site, the single most important (and not to mention, sensitive) part of your website is the shopping cart. The way you approach the content, functionality and user-friendliness of your shopping cart will make or break a sale.

The following tips will help you build a shopping cart that is less likely to be abandoned:

1- Don’t ever stop engaging.

You may think once you’ve led a user to the checkout process, you’re home free. However, those final steps are obviously the most critical. Secure your customer with content that not only reassures them in their steps through the process but also compels them to want to read more.

2- Show them the way.

Make sure your buyer knows where they are in each step of the shopping cart process. Knowing how many more steps they need to take is reassuring and helps them take the next. There’s nothing worse than not knowing if your purchase is complete or what to do next. Yet, we’ve all been there!

3- Display clear calls to action.

Much like the calls to action you focused on to get your customers to fill their shopping carts in the first place, you must design prominent and engaging calls to action throughout the checkout process.

4- Allow merchandise changes without losing place.

Once a customer is in the cart, don’t give them another reason to leave. Allow them to change quantities, sizes, colors and more right from the cart itself. The less chances you give your customer to abandon a shopping cart, the less it will be abandoned.

5- Send a reminder email for abandoned carts.

If someone forgets items in their shopping cart, send them a reminder email about the items they were thinking about purchasing. Chances are, if they were still thinking about buying them, that friendly nudge will prove lucrative.

6- Include a “Save for later” option.

This option allows customers to temporarily shelve their purchases while they make a decision. They should be able to get to this page after leaving (or signing out) of your website for a period of time you specify. Here is another chance to email your customer if the items are close to being out of stock or if it’s been a while since they visited the page.

7- Include a wide range of payment options.

Make sure you know your audience and the methods of payment they use frequently. For example, in my own experience, I am more likely to make an instant purchasing decision when I see a PayPal logo. Right from the cart, I can access my PayPal account, which is connected to one of my major credit cards. Within a couple of steps, my purchase is automated and complete. 

8- Don’t make the customer register.

Again, make it easy as possible for a customer to purchase merchandise from your website. Some customers want to get in and out without having to create a new account with a new password they’ll forget anyway. Give them the option to check out as a guest and you might just find your shopping carts abandoned less frequently.

9- Be very clear about shipping costs.

Don’t wait until the final payment screen to let your customer know it’s going to cost $75 to ship their order to Sweden. There is nothing worse than paying more for shipping than you’re actually paying for your purchase. Although sometimes you can’t control this, at least let your customer know in the initial stages of their purchase. And if you really want to guarantee a sale, offer free shipping on domestic purchases over a certain amount.

10- Always display contact information.

Statically displaying contact information makes customers feel more secure about purchasing items online. Knowing they can email or call if they have a question about their order or if they don’t receive an order confirmation makes the purchase feel less risky – as it should. Make sure contact information is clear and as un-anonymous as possible. 

These are just a handful of the things we do to ensure our ecommerce sites increase lead generation and sales. Want a consult on your own shopping cart or advice on building one from scratch? Contact us and we'd be happy to chat with you. 

If you have an ecommerce tip you'd like to share, drop a note in the comments below or tweet us @iexposure.

Image by akeg and licensed through Creative Commons. 

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