The online checkout is a vital part of the path to purchase. But it’s often the moment when businesses lose a potential customer. In fact, almost 70% of people will fail to complete the checkout process when shopping online. Here are four ways Aussie businesses can revive their online checkout.
1. Integrate secure payment methods
Using secure payment providers that consumers are familiar with, like PayPal and Afterpay, can help you win trust. Online payment and technology expert Jeff Clementz suggests you should let consumers know early in the online engagement process that a reputable payment method is available from your website. For example, you could add your chosen provider’s badge onto your homepage and all product pages.
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“What we hear from consumers is that they don’t want to enter endless amounts of information in the checkout flow,” says Clementz. “They don’t want to have to type in their credit card information, they don’t want to share it across the internet – especially with a small business they do not know. They don’t want to enter in their address over and over again”. Integrating a common online payment provider can also help to streamline this process.
3. Make it mobile-friendly
People are shopping on their mobiles more than ever. PayPal’s latest mCommerce Index found that 73% of Australian shoppers currently use a mobile device when shopping online – but only 60% of Australian businesses are optimised to take mobile payments.
“It’s important for small businesses to work with their shopping cart provider to optimise their website for a mobile device,” Clementz explains. “That’s critical, because consumers don’t want to pinch and squeeze on a mobile device; they want the site to be optimised, and most good shopping cart applications on the market will mobile-optimise.”
4. Keep it simple – and obvious
Many online retailers fall into the trap of adopting a complicated checkout design. Instead, each step should be simple and purposeful. The goal is to help customers get what they want efficiently, without any hurdles. A one-page checkout can make it easier for customers, saving them from toggling through multiple pages. Consider displaying your shipping method and cost, as well as any terms and conditions up front.
These adjustments are often easy to achieve. But if you can’t dedicate the time, or if it seems a little daunting, consider hiring an expert to help you improve your online checkout experience. Your e-commerce sales could be all the better for it.
This article was originally published on September 16th 2013 and updated on May 29th 2020.
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