9 Checkout Page Strategies to Maximize Conversion Rates

The most prominent factor that has led to the rise of e-Commerce is the convenience it brings to the users. But once you start diluting it, the customers can also turn away as quickly as they came in.

The most classic example of this customer behavior is the cart abandonment during the checkout process. With every cart abandoned, you aren’t just looking at the lost revenue, but also losing a potential customer. Especially now when a considerable chunk of purchases is made through mobile phones.

Grappling with varying degrees of hardware and network issues of these devices poses a much bigger challenge for the sellers. So, to keep those customers onboard and satisfied, these are a few tweaks that every e-Commerce should make on their mobile checkout page:

1. Registration

A survey indicated that 35% of the US customers who abandoned their cart did it because the site wanted them to create an account. People these days already have so many accounts on the internet that they find it burdensome to add one more to the list! So, forcing them to create another only drains their time and patience. Opt for express checkout through social login like Google or Facebook, or just let them checkout as a guest.

2. Simplified form

People shop online for a hassle-free experience. But if you force them to fill complex and lengthy forms, running away might just seem a better option to them. Ask only the information that you need for the particular order.

3. Minimal steps

When people shop on mobile, they are most likely on-the-move and do not have much time to spare. Condense all the requirements into tiny capsules of steps, so they can track their progress easily and do not opt out due to lack of time.

4. Appropriate font

Since you are serving customers on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, be sure to tailor your page according to their screen size. A customer, when asked to zoom in and zoom out for entering in each field might just get annoyed and leave.

5. Auto-authentication

While mobile phones do have limitations in terms of screen size and network, they also come with added benefits of GPS and contact lists. Leverage these capabilities to auto authenticate their identity and even auto-fill sections of their form like zip code, city, country.

6. Remove redundancy

If your checkout process requires the users to fill the billing and shipping details separately then you need to stop it now! Never ask users to type the same information twice. The most you can do is put a checkbox to validate their account.

7. Remove distractions

Anything not related to the purchase should not be a part of the checkout page. Keep that space neat and precise so that the customer can focus on those few final clicks.

8. Do not oversell

Once a customer is on your checkout page, it means they are ready to commit. But trying to promote other stuff through recommendations and offers can easily turn them off. Let them first complete the purchase, then you can offer as many recommendations as you like. This may help you encourage a new purchase as well.

9. Make it light

Mobile phones do not always have a reliable connection. While you can do little to solve that problem, you can, however make your pages as light as possible to make the entire process run smoothly.

After you implement all these changes, I’m sure there will be an increase in customer satisfaction level and a decrease in cart abandonment rate, but do not expect it to drop to zero.

There are people who abandon their cart just because they were only browsing and wanted to save a product for later. But this behavior too uncovers a major flaw in your overall design. Give your customers an effective method to bookmark items in the form of wishlist or buy-later. This will help you identify your current customers and the potential ones, and enable you to target them with best possible strategies.