To increase conversions on your e-commerce site, you must consider the user experience it provides your visitors. It’s challenging enough to drive customers to the checkout page; additional complications can cause them to give up on the process.
Points of friction can interrupt a customer’s buying decision and cause them to leave a website without purchasing. Anything that slows website browsing or makes it challenging to navigate causes friction. Eliminating these issues on your e-commerce website site is essential to reduce shopping cart abandonment, streamline and increase sales, and generate more sales leads Organic Chemical Masterbatch
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Friction in e-commerce is anything that confuses, frustrates, distracts, discourages or annoys customers when they’re trying to complete an action on your website. Friction can occur while purchasing, filling out a web form, or navigating your site.
While customers can overcome friction, they often give up. On average, e-commerce stores experience a nearly 70% shopping cart abandonment rate, according to Baymard Institute data. And even if customers work through friction and complete a sale, they may leave with a negative attitude about your store and never return because of their poor user experience.
Websites with friction can squander web traffic, lose potential customers and produce fewer sales. Their brand reputation may suffer permanent damage.
There are several types of friction users may encounter on your e-commerce website:
Any of these issues can cause a potential customer to leave your site without making a purchase, joining your email list or filling out a web form to become a lead.
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Well-executed and thoughtful website design can minimize friction and lead to a better customer experience, more sales and more prospects in your sales funnel. Use the following website design tips to reduce friction on your website.
Slow site speeds are a common source of e-commerce friction and shopping cart abandonment. Visitors can’t browse your products, learn about your brand or finalize a purchase if your website lags. Many users have experienced slow-loading checkout pages that cause frustration, leading them to abandon the purchase.
Page load speed affects user behavior drastically. According to a Digital.com survey, half of online shoppers expect a website to load within three seconds. Positive first impressions impact how users interact with your site and determine whether they’ll spend time with your content. If your website lags, few will stick around to wait for it.
Use one of the best web hosting services to ensure fast page-load speeds. Your page-load speeds can be affected if a company hosts too many sites without proper infrastructure and support.
You can make more sales with more e-commerce payment options. If you offer only a few payment options for visitors, you automatically reduce sales and lose customers. People won’t go out of their way to buy from you if you make it challenging for them to purchase your products and don’t consider their needs.
It’s crucial to accept credit cards online. You may already accept Visa and Mastercard, but consider other options, like American Express and Discover. Additionally, consider the following payment sources:
Consider the types of payments you currently accept. Could you add more to the mix? Have people previously complained about your e-commerce store not accepting their preferred payment method? If so, it might be time to add more options to the checkout process and win back those customers.
Your website’s design should be seamless so that it feels natural for users to browse your pages, find the content they’re seeking and complete their purchases. If visitors have difficulty finding answers to their questions or don’t know how to navigate your site, you’ll see an increase in your bounce rate and a decrease in conversions.
Simplicity is key. The easier it is for users to navigate your content, the higher your conversions will be. For e-commerce websites especially, it’s imperative to provide a smooth user experience for visitors so they turn into paying customers who return.
Tips for improving your website design include:
If website design isn’t your strength, consider hiring a UX designer to improve your site’s user experience (UX). UX designers examine how customers interact with your site to deliver a practical, user-friendly experience.
When consumers shop on your website, they face several decision-making opportunities. The more decisions they must make, the more likely they’ll experience decision fatigue. If they feel overwhelmed, completing their purchase is more challenging, and they may leave your site without taking action.
Here are some tips for eliminating design fatigue:
Since online shoppers have infinite choices about where to shop online, offer incentives at checkout. Promo codes, free shipping, coupons, freebies and volume discounts can spur order completion.
As more consumers use smartphones to shop and make purchases, it’s crucial to have a mobile-friendly e-commerce website. Improving the UX for mobile users is crucial to grow your brand and attract more customers.
Some tips for optimizing your e-commerce site for mobile include:
To achieve your e-commerce business goals, catering to your customers and improving their experience on your site is crucial. Without an optimized website, it’s frustrating for consumers to browse, learn and purchase. You can increase sales and generate leads by reducing friction and creating a pleasant experience for online shoppers.
Jennifer Dublino contributed to the reporting and writing in this article.
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