Research taken from brands selling online has found a number of reasons for increased shopping basket abandonment.
The study by Bronto Software, a leading provider of email and marketing automation solutions for e-commerce, shows that 83% of brands have five or more pages from basket to confirmation – a common reason for abandonment, while 35% of brands do not show security certifications, which again is a major barrier to sales.
At its seminar on 6 June, From Abandon to Conversion: Why Shoppers Abandon and What Merchants Can Do About It, Bronto will recommend that brands and retailers set customer expectations when designing e-commerce sites so that shoppers can see clearly how many steps it will take to make a purchase and what is required.
Research shows complexity and lack of security credentials lead to high basket abandonment for online retailers
30 May 2013, London, UK – Research taken from brands selling online has found a number of reasons for increased shopping basket abandonment. The study by Bronto Software, a leading provider of email and marketing automation solutions for e-commerce, shows that 83% of brands have five or more pages from basket to confirmation – a common reason for abandonment, while 35% of brands do not show security certifications, which again is a major barrier to sales.
Website flexibility is also critical: 21% of brands do not allow product quantity changes, meaning consumers have to click back through their orders, making the process less intuitive and more frustrating. A better approach is to feature a constant order summary that reflects the customer’s basket status at any point.
Just under 10% of brands still require registration or account creation and do not offer guest checkout, slowing the purchase process and leading to more abandoned baskets. Streamlining the process is imperative in the bid to increase conversions.
The Bronto study also underlines the importance of post-abandonment emails, as only 13% of the 100 brands that they surveyed currently run such programmes. Basket abandonment is a reality in online retail and brands need to adopt a strong strategy to support the sales process. Examples include emails informing customers that their baskets will expire soon or incentives such as free shipping.
At its seminar on 6 June, From Abandon to Conversion: Why Shoppers Abandon and What Merchants Can Do About It, Bronto will recommend that brands and retailers set customer expectations when designing e-commerce sites so that shoppers can see clearly how many steps it will take to make a purchase and what is required.
Kestrel Lemen, Marketing Strategist at Bronto Software, said: “In the early days of e-commerce, it was sufficient to have stock of a product, launch a website and wait for the orders to pour in. But now, armed with smartphones and a raft of price and product comparison resources, customers are more demanding and likely to abandon a shopping basket for any number of reasons. Retailers and brands need to focus on the purchase process because all the marketing in the world won’t make up for a poor checkout experience.”
Bronto is hosting From Abandon to Conversion: Why Shoppers Abandon and What Merchants Can Do About It at 1800 on 6 June at One Aldwych in London that will feature talks from:
Jon Lane, Head of eCommerce, Surfdome.com
Nick Darby, Multichannel Retail Manager, C&J Clarks International
Kestrel Lemen, Marketing Strategist, Bronto
Retailers and brands can register to attend here: