In recent months the Ecommerce world has been spending a great deal of research time in understanding where online businesses could be losing sales and where ecommerce website design investment should be made to combat this. The biggest issue affecting eCommerce websites right now is cart abandonment. It is estimated that 67.45% of all online carts are abandoned, meaning a loss pf 67% of potential sales. This week we’ve gathered some of the key messages and lessons that can really be of use to our eCommerce business customers to prevent loss of sales.

How well do customers know your product?

This is a key question to ask yourself when evaluating your ecommerce website design. Ineffective product descriptions and inaccurate or poor quality product photography can be a real let down for customers. Online customers need to have confidence in the product that they are investing in and the internet means they can compare products across the market with all of your competitors. So having all of the information at hand and a great image of your product can showcase why your product trumps your competitor’s offers.

Get the checkout experience right

The checkout experience is vital for any business whether it is in a physical outlet or an online website. Just because it is a website doesn’t mean that the customer service needs to be reduced in quality. Simple, effective, quick and informative are the principles that should be employed when designing your check out process. Can it clearly be understood where to check the cart and where to proceed to checkout? How many clicks to payment does it take? These are all considerations you need to take as 21% of cart abandoners do so because ‘the process took too long.

Related : Top tips to increase your e-commerce shopping cart conversion rates

How easily can you navigate your site?

Don’t just ask yourself this question; test it for yourself. Put yourself in the position of the user or get someone to act like a customer or browser and navigate around the site. Research shows that 25% of browsers who abandon their cart without purchasing do so because the site was too difficult to navigate. If your site does not arrange its products and information in an effective way, customers will give up and go somewhere that does provide this.

Optimum performance means optimum profits

According to the Baymard Institute’s research 37% of online cart abandoners do so because they are ‘just browsing’ so the instinct to change their mind is always there at the back of their mind. So poor performing and slow websites increases the opportunity for customers to change their mind. 24% of abandoners do so because the site crashed. A site that shows performance errors or breaks down constantly also gives the impression of a poor and unprofessional service and business. Improving the site’s performance can make a huge difference.

Prioritise Pricing

Now this one is a big one. Price comparison is one of the benefits of the internet for the online customer so being able to see your product’s pricing clearly and definitively is very important so people can see how you truly compare to your competitors. The biggest reason for cart abandonment with a huge 56% was that the customer was presented with unexpected costs. If your pricing includes discreet transactions fees, variable delivery charges, hidden costs and minimum quantities that affect the price may feel like a way to stealthily increase profits, but act as a bigger turn off for customers who prioritise transparency and honesty in pricing.

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