Maximizing Conversionwith Checkout Optimization

Linda BustosDirector of Ecommerce Research

www.GetElastic.com@getelastic

Avg cart abandonment

55-72%

Why customers abandon checkout

44% Shipping/handling too high

41% Not ready to purchase

27% Wanted to compare prices

25% Price higher than desired

24% Want to save for later

The top 5 reasons are non-design / usability issues

14% Didn’t want to register

12% Felt site was asking for TMI

11% Checkout too long/confusing

11% Website too slow

10% Not enough information

The next 5 reasons are design / usability issues

Conversion happens in the mindNot on your web site -Dr. Flint McGlaughlin

People will put up with bad processTo get something that’s indispensible

what’s your value proposition?

Value Props in Cart pages

Include value propositionsIn the cart summary

proximal to calls to action

dealing with FUD

“shipping and handling costs too high”

• “For whatever reason, a free shipping offer that saves a customer $6.99 is more appealing to many than a discount that cuts the purchase price by $10.”

--David Bell, WhartonSchool of Business

Cart abandonment spikes when cart total is low and when shipping

charges are close to the cart total

It also spikes near the $100, possibly due to the “triple digit” mark

Macy’s free shipping threshold at $99 may be more persuasive

than $100

A “carrot” shows the dollar amount remaining before

free shipping.Placing it proximal to the cart

total may make it more noticeable

“I was not ready to purchase the product”

Saving cart contents save sales. Use your web analytics days to purchase

report for ideal cookie length.

This call to action reinforces urgency

Urgency

“I wanted to compare prices on other sites”

again…what’s your value proposition?

“product price was higher than I was willing to pay”

Promo code boxes encourage code hunting.

coupon snipers

suppress coupon box

Showing coupon boxes only when customer has been

referred by email/affiliate is one solution

“just wanted to save products in my cart for later consideration”

Remarketing emails:Optimize them like

landing pages

Use incentives wisely (not the first time / not every

time)

“shipping and handling costs were listed too late during the checkout process”

59% expect “total cost” before checkout -OneUpWeb

“I didn’t want to register with the site”

23% of shoppers will abandon checkout if forced toRegister –Forrester Research

users don’t read instructionsmay start typing in open fields

ditto for returning customers

The “Amazon” way

Captures the email address in first step for remarketing, one form

for all customers

“site was asking too much information”

save unnecessary marketing segmentation auestions for a post-conversion survey

“checkout process was too long or confusing”

user testing

heuristic evaluation

calls-to-action

CTA clarity, styling and placement

Competing CTAs

CTA outside of eye path

CTA labels matter

Point of action assurances proximal to CTA

form usability

Label alignment

Required field format

Localization tools

Tooltips and instructions

Flexible inputs

Tabbability

Dropdown menus

Unnecessary fields

Call to action (not this)

Time savers

VisualCVV explanation

Clear error handling (not this)

Not this

Inline validation

inline validation

• 22% increase in success rates• 22% decrease in errors made• 31% increase in satisfaction rating• 42% decrease in completion times• 47% decrease in the number of eye fixations

(easier to visually process)– Source: Etre / Luke Wroblewski

Browser test

split path testing

Reducing steps may work, but don’t test shortened processes until you optimize the elements within the steps

one page checkout

Olympic Store improved checkout by 22%, but results

may vary

“Web site was too slow”

Test site speed all the way through your funnel, not just the home page!

slow speed culprits

• Table based layout• Uncompressed images• Payment gateway

– Magnified on slow-band connections, mobile/WIFI, overseas

“I didn’t have enough information to make the purchase”

proactive chat

challenges to moving the needle

• Testing the minutiae• Starting with multivariate (or using A/B testing

like multivariate)• Focusing on site elements rather than

psychology

interpreting test results

example: should you show cross-sells on the cart page?

• What are you measuring? Conversion rate or profit?

• How were they presented? Above below fold? Labeled?

• Did you use the correct price points? What were the merchandising rules?

Positive or negative results depend on how well you’ve nailed it with the treatment design

What might be influencing your analysis?

takeaway

• Optimization starts with in-head factors, not on-page factors

• Form your testing hypothesis with user testing first, then heuristics

• Start with radical redesigns and work from there

• Interpret test results wisely

thank you!

www.getelastic.com