Customers leave sites all the time. In more rare instances, they leave brands altogether.

But, why?

In truth, it’s not simple to explain why most customers abandon carts or bounce off your site. But average cart abandonment statistics suggest that up to 68% of carts are abandoned, so there has to be a reason, right?

There are! And below, we’re going over the 5 most common reasons users abandon carts or bounce off your site (and how you can make them stay). Let’s get started!

1. Poor Merchandise Photos

Visual content is amongst the most popular forms of content today and if you aren’t publishing high-quality, diverse product photos and videos, you’re driving away potential sales. Remember, product photos and videos are the only way customers can visualise how your products or services will fit in with their lives.

How to Fix It: Take a variety of photos from different angles and images that feature the product in use. Also include a video showing the product to really bring your products to life.

2. No Trust Reassurance

Trust today comes in the form of clean, modern web design and clearly featured security seals. Without both, customers will hesitate to make a purchase, especially if they get to the checkout page and see no security seals reassuring them that their information is secure.

How to Fix It: Feature security seals throughout your site (or at least on product pages and throughout the checkout process). Also invest in modern, simplistic design to show that your store is up-to-date and set-up for positive user experiences.

3. Poor Navigation

How can customers make a purchase if they aren’t able to find what they’re looking for? If your site suffers from poor navigation or a lack of categorisation, you’re driving customers away who don’t want to look through page after page to find what they want.

How to Fix It: Make navigation and your site as simple as possible to guide users to the products they want so they can make a purchase. This means taking the time to categorise products and allow users to filter their searches to find exactly what they came to your site looking for.

4. Checkout Complications

If you aren’t offering guest checkouts, have a long, over-complicated checkout process, or have a checkout that adds in hidden costs before the end of the process, you’re missing out on sales. Customers want to know what they’re getting themselves into before they ever begin the checkout process.

How to Fix It: Make sure your checkout process is no more than 5 pages, always offer a guest checkout option, add a progress bar to the top of the checkout process, and include all shipping and tax costs up-front to avoid hidden costs. This will reduce cart abandonment after customers have already reached the checkout page and begun the checkout process.

5. Lack of Support

Are you there for customers when they need you? If you don’t offer your contact information in a visible place on each page of your website, they may think that you aren’t (even if you are).

How to Fix It: Offer support in multiple forms (live chat, phone, email) and feature this information throughout your site. Doing so reassures customers that you’re there for them, even if they don’t need to contact you.

Make Customers Stay on Your Site

While cart abandonment and customer bounce rates are inevitable realties of operating an eCommerce store, you can take steps to reduce these issues and keep customers on your site (hopefully long enough to make a purchase!).

If you’re struggling to optimise your site, the team at Adonis Media can help. To discuss your needs and construct a strategy to build meaningful relationships with buyers, contact a member of our team, today!

Key Takeaways

Poor merchandise videos (or a lack of videos) can cost you sales. Feature your products from different angles and in videos for the best results. Provide trust reassurance through security seals and a modern, clean website design. Take time to categorise products properly and simplify navigation so customers can easily find what they want without having to go through page after page of products. Offer a short, measured checkout process with guest checkout options to prompt customers to complete their purchase. Highlight your contact information throughout your site and offer live chat, email, and phone support if possible.