E-commerce websites have to accomplish many goals at once. They have to give users the information they need to make buying decisions while moving them through the entire sales process.
The shopping cart systems used by today’s e-commerce websites must work to eliminate obstacles that lead to cart abandonment and other issues.
Knowing how shopping cart systems work and why you need a web developer that understands your e-commerce business will lead to a profitable website that supports your industry success.
E-Commerce Shopping Cart Goals
In order for users to buy your products, your site must guide them along each step towards their purchase.
Your website’s design should provide the tools that users need to learn about your products, add them to their shopping carts, and make secure payments online.
Users need to quickly add and remove items from their carts, and they should be able to change the quantity, size, and other aspects of your products with ease.
Shipping fees, taxes, and other costs need to be clearly displayed. More importantly, they should respond to changes made within the cart so that users know exactly how much they’ll pay at checkout.
Shopping Cart Abandonment
Shopping cart abandonment is one of the biggest (and costliest) issues that e-commerce businesses must overcome.
The following are some of the common causes of shopping cart abandonment:
Users are required to create accounts before they buy.
Shipping fees, taxes, and other costs exceed the user’s expectations.
There are too many steps to the buying process.
There is no information related to your return policy.
The right shopping cart system reduces cart abandonment and gives users the confidence they need to complete their purchases.
Your site must provide estimates of the total cost early on in the process and eliminate any obstacles that interfere with the transaction.
Web Development for Your E-Commerce Shopping Cart
These goals can be achieved by having a web developer who can reduce shopping cart abandonment and improve the user experience of your site.
“Add to Cart” buttons and other calls-to-action (CTA) must be designed to give you the best results.
Eliminate clutter around your CTAs so that users aren’t diverted away from the page’s main goal.
Design CTA buttons using bold colors that stand out against other design elements, and make them large enough so that visitors can easily find them.
Include guarantees and return policies that prioritize the satisfaction of your customers. Place security badges next to your CTA buttons to further enhance trust in your sales process.
Your web developer will determine the best ways to take users through the sales process. They can use product images, pricing, product attributes, and other elements to reduce shopping cart abandonment.
Confirmation and Thank You pages further establish credibility. Your web developer can guide users back to your online store and to products that they may be interested in after a sale is completed.
Creating a shopping cart system that considers all of the stages of the buying experience leads to increased loyalty among your new and long-standing customers.
It helps you achieve all of your business goals while keeping the needs of your customers in mind throughout the entire sales process.
Are you getting the most out of your e-commerce shopping cart system? Are you tracking your cart abandonment rates and taking the right steps to reduce them? Let us know your questions or comments below.
A web development strategy that maximizes your sales process leads to greater revenue and repeat purchases over time while helping your business reach a new level of e-commerce success.
