Ever wondered how to reduce cart abandonment with a chatbot? The answer is Smartsupp. Check out the article for more details and implement a fully functional chatbot in your business.
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Did you know that the average abandonment rate escalates by about 70%? That’s a lot, isn’t it? Unfortunately, a high rate like this may cause sales and customer loss. But there’s a way of minimizing it!
We’ve compiled a list of tips on lowering the number of abandoned shopping carts using an ecommerce chatbot.
Just for the record, here are a few basic details before we get started.
What is cart abandonment?
It is the moment when an online customer adds items to the shopping cart and leaves the website without completing the purchase. In other words, they abandon their shopping cart. Unfortunately, it happens pretty often in ecommerce, and different factors cause it.
Why is it important to reduce cart abandonment?
A high cart abandonment rate results in lost sales and potential customers. That’s why you need to reduce it to a minimum. However, it is not that easy. Lowering this rate might take time and effort, so you must be patient. It does not happen overnight.
In addition, the shopping cart abandonment phenomenon affects many industries. Let’s have a look at the numbers.
Online shopping cart abandonment rate in selected industries in 2022
Cart abandonment formula
To calculate the shopping cart abandonment rate, divide the total number of completed transactions by the number of initiated sales (adds to cart). Then subtract the result from one and multiply by 100 to get the percentage rate.
Reasons why customers abandon their carts
There are many reasons why people do not complete their purchases. Here are the most common ones.
01 Your website is not trustworthy
A well-designed website will make people trust you. A poorly designed one is why people start to be cautious about your store and are more likely to shop elsewhere. For this reason, pay particular attention to displaying all the necessary information and being transparent. It is a way of evoking credibility.
The shipping information hidden somewhere on your website will cause customers to be hesitant about purchasing from your brand and make them abandon their carts. Ensure information about pricing, shipping, material the piece is made from, and other details is easily accessible.
02 It takes ages to buy a product
When a website is unintuitive, and the customer path is long, users may want to give up on buying your products. And that’s a major problem. It is because doing shopping takes a lot of time. Nowadays, more and more customers are getting used to fast and accessible shopping experiences.
Therefore, double-check if your website is user-friendly and easy to navigate. Doing so will help eliminate any confusion or frustration customers may face while browsing your website. And also it will encourage them to make a purchase and return to you in the future.
📈 Statistics show that 67% of gen z shoppers buy clothes online. If you’re offering clothes for sale online, keep in mind that you need to adapt your website to the user, which means to a person who mainly does the shopping via the Internet.
03 Doubtful and insecure payment options
A reliable and uncomplicated payment option might be one factor determining whether your customers complete the purchase. Uncertain payment options bring a risk of losing money, and that’s why people prefer not to do the shopping.
A simple payment process makes all the difference.
Check what payment options are the preferable ones for users. Additionally, customers shopping online might abandon their carts if they do not have the option they are used to.
04 A vague return policy
Buying on the internet brings the risk of not buying a matching item. Anything could go wrong - size, colors, material. Even when you provide the best photos of your products, they may not show the color as it is in the daylight. That’s why customers pay attention to the return policy before they buy something from you. And that’s the reason why you should have it clearly displayed on your website.
Return instruction should be straightforward, and there should be no room for ambiguity. Also, ensure that your customers can reach out to you in case of any questions or concerns. In this case, a chatbot or live chat may be highly beneficial.
05 Poor customer service
Speaking of customer communication, poor customer service could be why people do not finish their purchases. For example, when they’re in doubt about the product or shipping, and they do not get the answer on time - they likely give up on continuing shopping.
06 Lack of positive feedback
Before purchasing at some ecommerce stores, people often check product reviews. They want first-hand information on whether the users are satisfied with the customer experience. Mind they may do this when they still have items in their cart. And if the customer finds negative opinions about the product or service, it may contribute to high cart abandonment.
Many chatbot practices will help you keep the cart abandonment rate as low as possible. Let’s take a look at them!
Ways of reducing shopping cart abandonment via ecommerce chatbot development
#1 Implement a chatbot on your online store
Ecommerce businesses can benefit greatly from chatbots (but a physical store as well). With this solution, you provide online shoppers with 24/7 assistance during their customer journey. They may get support whenever they need to and in just no time. So they do not wait for agents to answer questions and continue the shopping process.
Implementing a chatbot solution is one of the ways to lower the cart abandonment rate. As a bonus, they also help automate a lot of customer service processes.
Using a chatbot saves time, increases sales, and at the same time, it provides excellent customer service. What’s more, setting up a customer service chatbot can be done in no time in just 5 steps.
#2 Keep track of your customers
With Smartsupp, following up on your customers is very straightforward. Thanks to video recording, you can track how website visitors navigate around your site. So, you can see at what moment exactly they leave your website while having items in their carts. Video recordings can be activated in the Dashboard with just a few clicks. It’s also up to you what you record and what you don’t.
Catching the moment when someone leaves your ecommerce website may help you understand why they abandoned their shopping carts.
#3 Offer upsells and cross-sells
Upsells and cross-sells can be a great way to increase the average order value and reduce cart abandonment. Showing customers related products, promotional offers, and offering discounts for larger orders can motivate customers to complete their purchases.
Moreover, you can automate this task using the Smartsupp chatbot. Your customers get exciting offers, and you have spare time slots you and your agents can use to focus on other tasks.
#4 Provide excellent customer service
Make sure your customer service team is available to answer any questions customers may have. As a result, you can reduce cart abandonment. Customers may be more likely to complete their purchase if they feel they’ll get the help they need. One of the best ways to provide excellent customer service is to implement a chatbot.
By using a robust tool like Smartsupp, you can:
- improve customer satisfaction
- enhance customer loyalty
- get valuable insights into your customers’ behavior
- increase sales
The benefits of using a chatbot go beyond these!
#6 Include coupon codes
Including coupon codes might lower cart abandonment. How? Offering a discount and coupon code gives customers an incentive to complete their checkout process.
Additionally, a discount code or a free shipping coupon makes customers feel like they are getting a better deal, encouraging them to buy. For example, online retailers can send incentives to store visitors who come back to online stores. And best of all, it can be fully automated!
With Smartsupp automatic messages, you set the conditions for when and who gets the message. In this way, online shopping carts do not get abandoned.
#7 Get to know user preferences
Ecommerce chatbots make it easier to understand user preferences. As automated chat programs work as virtual assistants, you quickly get to know who buys what. For instance, you can catch age-related or location-related trends.
Moreover, understanding user preferences prevent low cart abandonment because it allows for more personalized experiences for the user. By creating a tailored experience for each user, ecommerce companies can better meet the customers’ needs and ensure that their preferences are considered.
Also, if you have some questions, check answers to 20+ frequently asked questions about chatbot support.
Other ways of lowering shopping cart abandonment
A chatbot solution deals perfectly with abandoned carts. However, if you want to go the extra mile, we’ve gathered a few more tips for you.
01 Make your website mobile-friendly
Did you know that around 60% of online traffic is generated from mobile devices? That’s why it’s necessary to redesign ecommerce websites that are not mobile-friendly.
When a website is not easy to navigate and not optimized for mobile devices, shoppers are more likely to leave your website even if they have already added the item to the cart.
Here are some tips:
- make sure the font is big enough to read on mobile
- change the purchase button size and placement
- optimize website speed
- compress images
- declutter the website
The best would be to get in touch with the professional and ask them to help you.
02 Make the online shopping path as simple as possible
It can be discouraging to finalize the purchase if the search and purchase process is too complicated. In this case, shorten and simplify the customer path. It is the process that a customer follows from the moment they enter online stores or apps to the moment when they make a purchase.
Several ecommerce sites and ecommerce businesses made the purchasing process super quick, and that’s the practice worth taking up.
03 Lower shipping costs
Delivery fees have a significant impact on cart abandonment. If there are high shipping costs, customers may be put off from completing their purchase, as they may feel that the cost of the product plus the shipping is too expensive. Additionally, an unexpected expense or lack of transparency about the cost of shipping makes customers confused or frustrated, leading them to abandon their online shopping carts.
04 Improve your CTAs for online shoppers
CTA (call to action) is one of the most critical elements of a landing page. They are what make people take action and convert into leads or customers. Usually, they are buttons, sign-up forms, or email capture boxes.
For example, an ecommerce business could use a CTA button or link to bring customers to their shopping cart or checkout page. Additionally, CTA is an effective way to encourage customers to take advantage of discounts or promotions that may be available to them.
05 Remind your customers about purchases that aren’t completed
Sometimes, customers leave the online shopping website and forget about the item they have in their cart. But it does not mean they do not want to complete the purchase. Maybe they have an urgent thing to do or need to consider their shopping choices. In this case, they may just forget they have their cart full. And that’s why you should send your customer a cart reminder
When it comes to cart abandonment, the previously mentioned CTA can be used to remind customers to complete their purchase by providing them with a clear and direct message about how to take action. So they work like cart reminders - they remind users to take a final step - to buy. But be careful and don’t overdo it - no one likes to feel forced.
06 Make the checkout process as simple as possible
There shouldn’t be any kinks in the checkout process. Try to limit the number of steps and ensure your forms are easy to fill out. Don’t ask for unnecessary information, and check if the user interface is intuitive and user-friendly.
07 Monitor cart abandonment rate
Keep track of your cart abandonment rate and look for patterns. It allows you to identify any issues causing customers to abandon their carts. Once you’ve identified the case, you can take steps to address it and reduce online shopping cart abandonment rates.
How may Smartsupp help you reduce cart abandonment?
An excellent customer service experience reduces cart abandonment. That’s why you should implement a chatbot if you haven’t done it yet. Smartsupp is an outstanding customer service platform that provides live chat and chatbot solutions. You won’t believe how much it increases customer satisfaction, benefits ecommerce businesses, and motivates customers to purchase.
Smartsupp makes it possible to lower shopping cart abandonment with its powerful features.
Find out what they are!
✅ Ecommerce chatbot for superior customer service
✅ Video recording for bettering your website
✅ Automatic messages for saving time
✅ Intuitive dashboard for quick navigation
✅ Statistic for analyzing customer service performance
✅ Live chat for personal touch
Other unique features include file sharing, integrations, and shortcuts. Here’s the newest update about Smartsupp development if you’re interested. You will find there the latest changes, such as AI powered chatbots integration support with third parties.
If you don’t know how to reduce cart abandonment chatbot will help you!
Just make sure it’s Smartsupp. No time to waste. Sign up for a free trial for a chatbot virtual assistant and reduce shopping cart abandonment to the minimum. It’s a great affordable solution for businesses of all sizes.