Number of Customers vs. Number of Orders

[Guest ladyabbie]

Hello,

I really didn't know where to post this question/issue so I hope this is ok. I really just want to figure out if anyone is finding they have a similar issue or if anyone might have an idea what is causing it.

The issue is that when I "View Customers" in my admin I have a lot of people who have registered and yet have not made a purchase. I don't know if this might mean they are running into a problem somewhere along the line (my webmaster and i both often run test buys and 9x out of 10 everything works fine), maybe something is happening with the transfer to paypal or something...though none of them email me and they never count as orders...meaning that if they were transferred to paypal they should come up under the "orders" page and say that their order is pending.

I don't know if there is any untoward reason people would register on a site without buying something, there are none that i can think of at this point. The only other thought is maybe they liked the site, thought they would register because they'd be back in the future to make a purchase.

Anway, I don't know if anyone else has this happening or if anyone has any input, but I would appreciate thoughts.

Thanks,

Erin

[Guest icemantaz]

what is the web address?

[roban]

There are many reasons why potential buyers abandon a site without making a purchase. Most people are comparison shopping. Perhaps your site doesn't say that you are trustworthy enough to risk giving you their money. Google Analytics can inform you of exit points. I strongly suggest you get an account and use it. Otherwise you are 'flying blind'.

Here is a list compiled by a friend of mine that outlines some of the more glaring issues around cart abandonment:

1. Remove Member Registration until after the sale is completed

Many checkout processes require a visitor to register as a new member before they begin the actual checkout process. A principle of selling is to never stall a visitor from buying once they make the decision to do so. Instead support their decision by clearly and conveniently leading them through your checkout process.

After the sale is complete then offer your customer the opportunity to register. Since you have their personal information from the purchase, you can pre-fill the information (or request less of it). This enhancement removes the visitor's buying barriers and enables them to perceive the registration as a value-added customer benefit.

2. Show shipping costs and other costs (i.e. applicable taxes)

Show the visitor all costs associated with their product purchase either in the first step of the checkout process or even in the product description. If you offer multiple shipping methods then default the shipping cost to the most popular one. If you apply taxes for certain States then communicate this early in the checkout process. Sometimes for retailers, it is relevant for their market to ask a visitor for their zip code which can be used for calculating tax.

3. Build Confidence and Trust Throughout the Checkout Process

Place your guarantee, return, privacy, delivery, customer service and security policies in visible and relevant areas throughout the entire checkout process. Adding the policies at the very bottom of the web page is not effective since you are causing your visitor to search for it. Add the individual policies next to the information field or line item where it is most relevant to the visitor.

For example, add the privacy policy next to the email address field in the checkout process and add the delivery and return policy next to the shipping cost line item. In addition, add your security policy next to the "checkout" button.

Also, add your physical address and other contact information at the bottom of every web page. Usability studies suggest adding an "About Us" and "Contact Us" links to your navigational structure to build confidence and trust as well.

4. Add a progress indicator on each checkout page

Is it important to let visitors know how many steps are in your checkout process and to show progress as thy work through it. A progress indicator is commonly located at the top of the checkout pages and is clearly numbered with the current step highlighted.

Make sure that you provide visitors the opportunity to review what they did in previous steps without erasing the information they had already entered.

If a visitor enters information incorrectly or forgets a required field, have your checkout process remember their correct information and identify the missing information clearly. Do not make people repeat an entire step because of a missing field.

Surprisingly, the number of steps in your checkout process may not have a significant effect on your visitors' commitment to purchase. Although for many businesses, a two to three step checkout process is ideal.

5. Provide purchase options

Offer your visitors the opportunity to call a 1-800 number for customer support or online chat like LivePersonTM (www.liveperson.com) during your checkout process.

Visitors may be uncomfortable with completing a purchase online or become confused during checkout so clearly present your 1-800 number and/or online chat support link on every page within your checkout process.

6. Clearly identify what your visitor should click next to complete the step

Clearly indicate the "continue checkout" button. Make it obvious where the visitor should click to move forward in the checkout process and keep it consistent for every step.

7. Use a readable and clear font size and color

The font size and color of your copy may influence your visitor's desire to complete their purchase. If your font size is too small or the color is too difficult to read forcing a visitor to strain then the potential for abandonment will increase. This is especially serious for online businesses marketing to older populations.

[Guest kaskudoo]

roban,

thanks for this - good points and gives me sth. to think about

might be a good thing to implement this in the next cubecart - the register after purchase .... seems to make sense to me :)

[Guest ladyabbie]

Roban,

Thanks for that response, it contained a lot of good points and I am looking to implement at least a few of them. I had already purchased the express checkout mod last week and installed that over the weekend, having received advice from an online business owner that not all customers like to register, so we'll see if that makes any difference to sales or not.

I also added a shipping table that appears on each product description so that a customer can determine how much they will have to pay and I would also like to add the table somewhere in the checkout process since the final shipping costs don't come up until after a customer has registered or filled out the express checkout info.

I do like the idea of the progress indicator as even with the express checkout it seems like the customer needs to click continue quite a few times until they are taken to the pay screen. I can definitely see where some people might get fed up and decide to leave the site while going through there, especially if they are starting to wonder how much more they have left.

So thank you again for the response, it is much appreciated and I think will be useful to a lot of cubecart store owners.

~Erin

[Guest prissanna]

Thanks for the tips Roban! You are a world of info!!!