Checkout abandonment fix w/ Shopify?

[PedroAndJobu]

Hey everybody.  I run a digital product site on Shopify.  Just wondering if anyone has any experience with on page fixes for checkout abandonment? On my site...

31% of people add to cart & never get to checkout.

66% of people reaching checkout abandon their checkouts.

Obviously a lot of sales are flying out the window.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Everett]

Hello PedroandJobu,

I'm glad you found the answer useful. Here is a bit more explanation based on your questions...

1. I don't have a preference for follow-up email software other than to try and use the email marketing solution you already use (e.g. Constant Contact, Mail Chimp, Bronto...). Here is a comparison of a few of them, though it is a little dated: http://www.comparethebrands.com/compare/97. I think most email platforms can do this these days. There are even plugins for popular eCommerce platforms like Magento (example here see the first screenshot on that page).

2. You would join an ad network that offers re-targeting and put the tracking pixel on the page. Here are a few posts to help you get started:

• Retargeting: What is it and how to use it by Joanna Lord
• Comparing the Top 4 Regargeting Companies by Joanna Lord
• How Retargeting Works on AdRoll
• Ten Retargeting Tips by Ben Plomion

3. Sticker shock is when people add a bunch of products to their cart and don't see the total price, including shipping, until checkout. Because they typically don't think the order is going to cost that much the shock of the total cost causes them to rethink the purchase and abandon the cart. Avoid this by offering a running total (when possible include shipping) that they can see on every page.

[BeytzNet]

Dear  PedroAndJobu,

As far as I know 70% abandonment for carts of up to $100 is a normal rate. This goes by far higher when the cart's value goes up.

Everett Sizemore - I enjoyed reading your answer very much and I have couple of follow up questions if I may:

1. Section 2 about follow-up email - is there a software you recommend using?
2. Section 5 retargeting - how? and how to do it only to those who actually added products to their cart?
3. What is Sticker Shock?

Thanks!

[Everett]

Hello Pedro and Jobu,

I will leave this question open since CRO and shopping cart abandonment rate tips are sure to generate a variety of opinions and experiences. Here are my thoughts on it...

1. If you have any up-sells, which are very common with digital products, put them after the order submission so you get the main order before potentially annoying them away with upsells.
 The logistics of this depends on how your eCommerce system works and I have no experience with Shopify in this regard.

2. If any of the abandoned cart shoppers have given you an email address you can contact them with a follow-up email reminding them that they have items left in their cart. It could be good to combine this with an offer that you plan to give to everyone:
"This is just a friendly reminder that you have 5 items in your cart on mywebsite.com. Check out before Friday to receive our 10% off Spring Savings offer on your entire order!"

3. Consider using a "Usability Testing" service. Most of them will include screencasts as the tester goes through the site and comments what they find useful, annoying, odd, etc... You can ask them to pay specific attention to the checkout process. Who knows what they'll find, but some common items are: Asking for too much information, Lack of security badges / trust symbols, browser-bases security warning pop-ups, slow loading pages, change of domain...

4. A certain level of shopping cart and checkout abandonment is normal. For example, I almost always have some stuff left over in my Amazon cart for later purchase. Adding Wishlists (which Amazon has done) could help, but will not completely eliminate the issue. Some people are just comparison shopping. Your numbers do seem rather high though.

5. Consider retargeting ads to those who have abandoned their cart. Seeing your site as they browse the web can bring them back to their purchase, and should have much better conversion rates than other types of advertising online.

7. Sticker Shock is a big issue if you don't show them their running total as they shop. The upper-right corner is a good spot for this. Be sure to include the shipping cost if possible. Finding out the shipping costs (if that is even an issue since you have digital products) during checkout is a big cause of abandonment.

8. Always provide a means to contact customer support throughout the entire process. They may have a last-minute question before placing the order. Being unable to find the contact information easily is a sure way to lose their trust.

Good luck!