- About This Series
- Shoppus Interruptus
- Be Considerate of Your Customer
- Taking the Order
- A Checklist
Shoppus Interruptus
Studies over the last few years have shown that up to 75% of shoppers abandon their online shopping carts and abort the purchasing process. Why do shoppers abruptly cancel their online purchases? Though many of the reasons may be due to decisions your business management team has made about the shopping process, your IT staff can go a long way in saving those shopping carts from abandonment.
The purchasing relationship with your online customers starts with your order form, and this is where your IT staff can make a difference. Your business staff should specify the elements they want on the order form, but shouldn't necessarily control the actual checkout process. Suppose the customer was sold on your web store and has decided to make a purchase. Is the order in the bag? Not necessarily. You still can blow it. The customer is still likely to abandon the purchase if your order form isn't easy, fast, and convenient to use. IT's job is to program the elements so that the purchasing process doesn't stand in the way of a shopper completing a purchase.
Whether the customer fills out a form on your site and pays by credit card, or prints the form from your web page and mails or faxes it with payment, the design of the order form and the order process can make the difference between keeping the sale and losing it to a competitor.
Let's look at some important order-form considerations.