You have all been shopping for an item online and found a website carrying what you were looking for. But have you ever noticed that some small business websites don’t seem to be as professional or look as great as those of well-established companies? Often shoppers will decide that they do not want to buy from a business if its site has been poorly made. This is because it did not make them feel confident about the reputation of the business they were considering buying something from. Having a poorly designed or sparse website can turn a consumer off from purchasing an item from a small business, but it’s not the only reason for a failed sale. Often the shopping cart, even on a great looking site, can send a customer straight to another business. There are ways to prevent this from happening. Here are some tips to help you learn more about not letting your online shopping cart ruin your business reputation.
Your Image Equals Your Reputation
An important piece of advice to remember when thinking about how a customer views your online shopping cart is to never forget that your cart is like a delivery vehicle for your business. This is great advice because when you think about it, you would not want a shabby, broken-down vehicle delivering items to your home. It would change your whole perception of an operation. If you have a well thought-out shopping cart with an excellent design, you are representing your business well. It is the equivalent of having a shiny new truck with your business logo on it delivering your goods and services to the consumer. Although your shopping cart cannot actually deliver items, it is the vehicle shoppers use to purchase an item that will later be delivered to them, and the last image they are left with when shopping on your site.
Businesses need to keep in mind that the last experience a customer has on a website will leave them with a lasting impression. This means a well thought-out and constructed shopping cart is the best way to leave a positive and lasting impression with your customer about your business and its reputation, hopefully bringing them back for more sales in the future.
Lack of Transparency
No one wants to do business with someone they feel is hiding something. This is why so many people will abandon a shopping cart when they are unable to easily find proper contact and general business information during the checkout process. This is something that can be easily remedied with the right shopping cart. Unfortunately, it is overlooked by many businesses. This is because businesses are focused on doing whatever it is they do best, and that’s not always web design. Most business owners are not educated in how online consumers think. This is why any business should turn to an expert like Shopify who can make the process of setting up an online shopping cart simple and effective with a shopping cart creator.
Consumers Respect a Simple Checkout Experience
Complex and confusing carts lead to high percentages of cart abandonment, according to marketing expert Paul Dunay. These are issues that tend to occur when people go about installing online shopping carts which are ill matched to the needs of both the business and their consumers. A great way to avoid this is to do some research and find the best shopping cart generator to meet your specific needs. Taking the time to do this can do wonders to increase the amount of customers you retain.
Items to Include in a Good Shopping Cart
Once you have chosen a shopping cart generator, you’ll want to double check and make sure some key elements are included in your new design. First, add in the shipping costs close to the beginning of the checkout process. People want to know up front how much they are going to have to pay for an item. Putting this in early on will lessen the chances of shopping cart abandonment when suddenly that $10 shirt ends up costing $25 or more. Also make sure you include a link back to the original product, or a thumbnail image of the product, so shoppers can take one more look at what they’re about to buy to decide once and for all if it’s what they want.
Finally, make the process simple. Online checkouts usually involve several steps and the worst thing you can do is let those steps become confusing or frustrating. Let the shoppers know where they are in the process by including a progress status bar or a next button. This helps a lot, so shoppers know exactly where their order stands. This way, they’ll be a lot less likely to become upset with the process and abandon their carts out of sheer frustration.