The checkout page is the probably the most important page in an e-Commerce store. A significant percentage of customer’s decision whether to buy the product or not depends on this page. As this is the final step in the entire online shopping process, extra care needs to be taken in its design for maximum conversions. Nobody would ever want to lose a customer near the end of making a sale. The following strategies will help you optimize your Magento checkout page.
- One Page Checkout
Although there are pros and cons to both single and multi-checkout page, it’s better to include all the checkout steps on a single page rather than dedicating one page to every step such as billing, shipping, review etc. Multiple checkout pages can sometimes be irritating. However, if you have to use multi-checkout page, make sure to use the progress bar to let customers know how far they have reached.
- Include Security Seals
Customers won’t do business with insecure, untrustworthy sites. Tell them that you are completely secure by including security seals like VeriSign and TRUSTe.
- Don’t Force Customers to Create an Account before Checking Out
It will annoy customers and can result in cart abandonment. Give them the option to do so after they complete their order. They will happily provide you contact details to track their purchase.
- Include Links to Important Pages
It’s better to include links to FAQ, privacy and refund policy pages to enable users to refer to them if they have any doubts. Incorporating live chat for quick customer support is even better.
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- Summarize Product Details
Display complete product details to customers, not just the name and number. You should summarize the product specifications and show them to customers like color, size, price etc. so that customers have a final look at what they have ordered and whether or not they have ordered what they wanted.
- Provide Option for Printing or Emailing Cart Contents
Sometimes users need to print or email the cart contents to show it to someone else. If there is no such option, shopping at your store will not serve their purpose. The percentage of such sales may be small but incorporating this feature will help you convert a variety of customers.
Magento Order Attributes extension allows you to add the checkout attributes on emails and PDFs used for invoicing. Customers can get to know what they have selected in checking out. This extension adds additional fields to checkout and registration pages. You can add all major custom attributes like TextBox, Text Area, Checkbox, Radio button, Dropdown, Date, Yes/No and multiple select. These attributes can be added to any checkout step such as Payment, billing, shipping, and review. You can position the fields according to your requirement and have the option to make it compulsory or optional.
- Give Users the Option to Update Quantity
Allow users to add or remove cart items right on checkout page so that they don’t have to go back to do so. Making them go back to update their cart can possibly result in them leaving the process altogether.
- Recommend Related Products
It’s an excellent marketing strategy to increase sales. Let your customers know about all the related products before they check out and there are chances they add one or more of the products to their cart.
- Avoid Hidden Charges
It is one of the common reasons for an abandoned cart. You should display the final price and explain how you have calculated the price. Clearly show your shipping, handling charges and tax fee. If the customer is surprised with an increased price out of nowhere, they won’t trust you anymore.
- Confirm Whether or Not the Item is in Stock
The worst shopping experience for a visitor is to go through all the steps only to find out that the item is not available. Be proactive and inform them about the availability of their desired products.
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- Show Product Reviews
Customers want to make sure the product they are about to purchase delivers what it is supposed to. Product reviews and testimonials is a common way to confirm that. Include product ratings, reviews, and testimonials to help prospective customers instill confidence in the product.
- Include Video
Videos are a great way to increase conversions. Integrate a video on how to use the product and answer any anticipated questions. It will strengthen their purchase decision.
- Offer Free Shipping
If you can afford, it is highly recommended to offer free shipping. Most customers say free shipping entices them the most to order. If you can’t afford this, another way is to set a threshold in dollar amount to avail free shipping offer.
- Provide Multiple Payment Methods
Don’t restrict customers to one specific payment method as they may not feel easy or secure with that method. Provide them several options like PayPal, 2CheckOut and let them choose what method they want to use.
- Include an Approximate Shipping Date
Inform customers about an expected arrival date of the product based on their region and selected shipping method. This way, they can sit back and wait for the expected date without any rush or concern.
Conclusion
This list of checkout page strategies is certainly not a complete and final list and includes only the most important ones. There are many other less significant strategies you can incorporate to get the most out of your checkout page. Moreover, it is up to your specific business needs to see which strategies work best for you. The bottom line is that you conduct several tests by making changes to the page and evaluate customer’s response and outcome.