July 06, 2009
By the ZippyCart Shopping Carts Content Team
A PayPal survey released last month indicated that roughly half (45%) of online shoppers have abandoned their shopping carts multiple times over a recent three week period due to high shipping costs, security concerns and lack of convenience. The average cost of abandoned goods in carts among U.S. was an average of $109. This survey was conducted for PayPal by comScore and they focused on the shoppers most recent abandoned session, regardless of the site involved, to determine the key reasons people do not complete their transaction.
The biggest reason cited by users was high shipping costs as the reason they abandoned their shopping cart. One of the best ways to get around this is to make shoppers aware of the shipping costs early on in the shopping process before they go to checkout of their shopping cart. While researching cart providers you will find that they offer varying levels of support to combat cart abandonment. Getting users to your ecommerce storefront is only the first step and you need to make sure you pick the right cart solution that will give you the tools for customers to convert.
Another big reason that users indicated as to why they abandoned their shopping cart purchase was that they wanted to look for a coupon. Coupons are a great way to help your customers get excited about making their purchases because they feel like they are getting a deal. Not all ecommerce shopping cart solutions allow coupon support but most do provide this for you. Not being able to find their preferred payment option was also reported as a reason for abandoning their cart. Shopping cart solution providers are aware of this and increasingly are offering more and more options. At least make sure you have the major players covered like Google Checkout and PayPal in addition to major credit card options.
Amy is the co-founder of ZippyCart. She went to school for film in Cleveland, Ohio and ended up working in the field of viral video marketing, which eventually led her to her real profession: SEO. When she's not writing for ZippyCart, she can be found out and about Seattle, WA.
