How to optimize the checkout process for your online store

These days’ people prefer to shop online because it is one of the most convenient ways to buy anything from anywhere. Online shopping gives the power to the customer, to quickly compare the prices with other stores and find unique products at lowest prices. An important part of online shopping is the checkout process. Every business owner’s target is to get better conversions, more sales and reduce shopping cart abandonment.

We have discussed earlier that shopping cart abandonment is quite prevalent in an online business and it can be very frustrating for any business owner. One of the main reasons for the shoppers to abandon their online shopping cart is a poor checkout process. A poor or complex checkout process often aggravates online customers and they leave the store site without buying anything.

Today, we will discuss some latest checkout trends that e-Commerce websites should adapt to optimize the checkout process for a better user-experience.

Guest checkout (No registration or login)

A lot of websites force shoppers to register in order to proceed in the checkout process because it is important for a business to make the sale as well as get all the information about their customers. But, in this whole process a lot of businesses forget that the customer is there to shop, not fill out forms. Registration forms often acts as a barrier for customers in the shopping experience because it takes time and effort. Don’t forget, the customers prefer to shop online because it is convenient and require less effort. So, if your store site requires customer to put in so much of effort then why they are going to buy anything?

Make sure you have the “Guest Checkout” option on your store site during the checkout process. It is important to give your customers the liberty to decide on registration by simply making it optional. Many shoppers do not like to provide personal information on the websites and their main aim is only to buy the product/service by checking out with minimum effort. Remember, if the customer is happy with the checkout experience then the customer will be more likely to create an account on your website.

Display a progress bar

As customers are checking out from the store, they should be given a clear view of what payment stage they are in. If they know exactly where they are in the checkout process, it will give them a clear picture of how long it will take them to submit the order in the whole process. Having a progress bar gives the customers a sense of control and makes the overall checkout process more user-friendly.

Security features

Show the customers that they can trust you (or your store site) as shoppers need to feel safe when they are on any website, especially when they are providing payment information. Make sure you have SSL certificate and badges to prove to the customers that all the personal information is protected. If you add trust signals on every step of the checkout process, the customers will certainly be convinced that their payment information is completely secure and they can trust your online business/brand. Many e-Commerce websites add security icons on payment pages as it helps the customers to overcome the hesitation and gives them confidence to complete the transaction.

Various payment methods

Different customers do prefer different kinds of payment methods. If you offer your customers limited payment options and if they don’t find what they prefer, they will definitely leave the shopping cart and go to other online store that provides what they are looking for. It is always a good idea to offer a variety of commonly used payment methods in order to satisfy your customers. Some widely used payment methods are: PayPal, Credit card (Authorize.Net), Google wallet etc.

Always give a clear picture to your customers

It is quite important to give your customers a clear picture of everything in regard to the items/services they are buying from you. Remember, shoppers do not like surprises or vague information.

• Display the shipping costs in the shopping cart upfront
• Display a thank you message once the order has been places along with the information about what is going to happen next. For example: Thank you for your order, you will receive the shipping details very soon (or when the item will be shipped)
• Send out the order confirmation email so that customers have a copy of what they just ordered

Implementing these features on your store site for the checkout process will certainly help reducing the shopping cart abonnement rate and increase in sales along with customer satisfaction.

nopCommerce offers all of these features that helps store owners to optimize the checkout process. Features like: Guest/Anonymous checkout option that allows customers to check out without creating an account. Many customers prefer this as it allows them to get through checkout more quickly. nopCommerce is integrated with more than 50 payment methods and gateways.

Author: Lavish Kumar