Prevent purchase abandonment – How to bring customers back to the shop
In our last blog posts, we addressed the question of how shop operators can win customers over with extended service offerings. Purchase abandonment was also a topic in these articles. In this post, we want to take a more in-depth look at this point. The source is an analysis of 60,000 online shoppers who were surveyed by the marketing services company Connexity about their reasons for abandoning purchases. The Händlerbund information portal "Onlinehändler-News.de" presented the results of the analysis, which we want to summarize for you briefly and concisely here.
The Connexity analysis came to a result that was surprising for many online retailers. Contrary to all previous assumptions, it is not predominantly the check-out phase that causes customers to abandon their purchase. While these cases are still very high at 32 percent, in fact 50 percent of respondents abandoned the purchase while browsing the online shop. Another 18 percent leave the shop during the shopping cart phase. Given these figures, however, shop operators should not despair. Many reasons for purchase abandonment are solvable. The intelligent plugins from Shopware can be enormously helpful here.
Purchase abandonment while browsing the shop
Many respondents in the Connexity analysis stated that they leave the online shop already while browsing. On the one hand, this is of course because some customers are looking for a precisely defined product, which they then do not find in the shop. Or the shop does not offer the right color or size. Then customers switch to another online shop.
This can only be counteracted with one strategy, the expansion of the product range. To what extent the cost-benefit factor can be taken into account must be decided by each retailer themselves. But purchase abandonments also happen because the product was too expensive. You can certainly convince your customers of your products with the help of vouchers and discounts. The Shopware plugin "Liveshopping" encourages customers to buy through offers limited by time or quantity.
Do customers leave your shop because they cannot find the desired product in the search bar? Often visitors do not know exactly what to search for or they do not know the exact spelling. Then they are frequently shown a negative search result. With the Shopware plugin "Intelligent Search" you can counteract this annoying situation. The plugin is fault-tolerant and delivers the right result even with spelling mistakes.
Purchase abandonment in the shopping cart
As already mentioned, 18 percent of potential buyers leave the shop when they are already in the shopping cart phase. The respondents cited too high a total sum as a reason for still abandoning the purchase. Here too, discounts and voucher promotions can provide a remedy.
Another incentive that is already applied in the initial phase while browsing the shop is a points bonus system. When customers are rewarded with bonuses for purchasing a product, which eventually translate into discounts, the willingness to buy increases. With the Shopware plugin "Bonus System" you reward your customers for their loyalty.
In the analysis, many shop customers expressed the wish to be able to save their purchase in order to redeem it later. Not all consumers are impulse buyers. Many may want to sleep on it for a night before making a decision. You should ensure that your customers find their shopping cart unchanged when they return to the shop. The Shopware plugin "Advanced Cart" offers many functions in the shopping cart. The most important is the "wish list", which the customer can also share on social networks. Furthermore, a persistent shopping cart can be created.
Purchase abandonment during check-out
About a third of all prospective buyers leave the online shop during the check-out phase. Problems here can be of very different nature. Often customers do not find their preferred payment method or the delivery service provider does not suit them.
However, there are also often simply technical problems. During the analysis, customers reported that they needed several attempts to complete the ordering process. Something like this is of course off-putting and reduces trust in the shop. Therefore, ensure that the order completion is as uncomplicated as possible and works flawlessly. Also test in different browsers and with different devices.
Outsmarting the competition – Part II – our products for your service
published on 24.08.2015
Last week, in our blog post "Outsmarting the competition – Part I – better service brings higher conversion", you were able to read the first 5 tips with which you can improve your service offering in the online shop. Today you can read here about the remaining 5 recommendations. In addition, we would like to introduce you to the products from our shop with which you can make your service offerings efficient and easy to use.
5 tips for good service
- Short response times
In the case of customer inquiries, it is not only the tone that matters. When you respond to customer emails, not only content and tone should play an important role. The time in which the inquiry is answered is also decisive for the company's external image. With short response times, the customer feels valued. This increases the chances of an order in the online shop. - Expand delivery options
If the customer can freely choose the shipping service provider that suits them, this increases the chances of a completed order. For many customers, it actually makes a difference whether the products are delivered by DHL, DPD, Hermes - Diverse payment methods
One fact is generally known among shop operators and causes headaches: A large portion of purchase abandonments still takes place during the order completion phase. One reason for this could be that the customer does not find their preferred payment method. Purchase on account and PayPal are the payment methods that most users prefer. But payment by direct debit and credit card should also be offered. In addition, at least for a high shopping cart value, payment via secured installment purchase. - Communication after purchase
Online shop operators should be clear about one thing: Communication does not end with payment and the subsequent delivery of the order. If you want to retain the customer, it is just as important to keep in touch afterwards. This can be an email asking for praise or suggestions for improvement. This can not only mean internal feedback, but also lead to an important customer review of the shop. And of course here too: The customer feels valued by you. - Problem cases? No!
Returns that come back in poor condition, opaque warranty cases or packages that supposedly never arrived – if you show yourself to be more accommodating in some cases, this often saves a lot of trouble. Of course, there are also limits here, which everyone must determine for themselves. In the long run, the accommodating approach is probably the more relaxed one.
Products with which you can expand your service offering
The products and services of SYNERGY NETWORKS GmbH help you perfect your services. This way your customers are satisfied and may become regular customers.
When it comes to fast and competent communication with your customers, we recommend the software "Greyhound". With this, not only can all channels such as phone, email, fax or postal mail be bundled. A live chat function (see tip 2 in the article from 21.8.2015) can also be integrated. This way you can respond very quickly and reliably to all incoming customer inquiries. A live chat option is also available via an additional plugin for "Shopware".
Via the "Shopware" plugin "Intelligent Newsletter", individual newsletters can be sent to your customers. This way you can stay in contact with your customers afterwards (see tip 9), show them that you are interested in them and offer them interesting deals.
In tip 5, which can be read in Part I of the post, we already explained the advantages that a Facebook page offers for your company. Facebook is of course only one channel in the social media universe. YouTube, Twitter and co. also want to be served. If you don't have time for this or want to make your work easier, simply contact us. Our marketing team manages your social media presences professionally, friendly and creatively.
Outsmarting the competition – Part I – better service brings higher conversion
published on 21.08.2015
There are assumptions and recommendations about how online retailers can successfully sell their products to men and women. But especially in the eternal battle over prices, it is often difficult for many small web shop operators to keep up. However, the one who offers their products particularly cheaply does not always win the most customers.
A very decisive factor for the purchase decision is the service offered by the online shop. The "Onlinehändler Magazin" has compiled ten points on which great value is placed in the service offering of online shops. We have summarized these tips for you and also provide recommendations on how you can expand and improve your service offerings with the help of the services and products of SYNERGY NETWORKS GmbH.
Read tips 1-5 for extended services here
The editorial team of the "Onlinehändler Magazin" has compiled ten tips. The sources were current studies from the "ECC – E-Commerce-Center Köln" and from Ernst & Young / Statista. Many are easier, some harder to implement. But they are always worthwhile if you want to successfully stand out from your competitors and increase your conversion rate.
- Customer service via phone
Studies show that about 10 percent of orders in online shops are placed by phone. Anyone who does not offer telephone customer contact therefore runs the risk that these customers will not look for another ordering method and thus are simply lost. But not only orders are placed via telephone conversation. Other customer inquiries about complaints, order processes, products or also shipping and deliveries can also be answered via telephone customer support. Through this personal contact, the caller feels valued and thus possibly becomes a buyer. - Live chat option
Only a vanishingly small percentage of German online shops offer their customers a live chat. With this function, shop visitors can immediately get in contact with an employee without a media break occurring. This means that contact is made while the visitor is still in the shop. This service offering has a lot of potential to stand out from competitors. - Free returns shipping
Online retailers are now free to decide how they handle their return costs. A free return is the decisive point for many undecided buyers to actually place the order. This way, conversion can be increased with simple means. But to really exploit the advantages of this service offering, the notices for free returns should also be placed and communicated prominently in the online shop (for example in a newsletter or on the Facebook page). - Extended right of return
With a longer return period (especially in combination with a free return), important inhibition thresholds for orders can be reduced. So anyone who does not limit themselves to the legally prescribed period of 14 days stands out from the competition. Most customers do not even use the extended period, but do not feel so pressured when making the purchase. - Use social media
Can one argue about its sense and nonsense? Hardly in this case, because an online shop that does not operate a Facebook page gives away several opportunities to win and retain customers. So if this page exists (which we can only recommend from a marketing perspective), it should also be adequately maintained and managed. Customers like to use the comment function to express praise and criticism. These comments should be responded to as promptly as possible. No or a delayed response can lead to negative feedback and deter potential new customers. But anyone who manages to respond to customer comments quickly, politely and above all personally achieves a high benefit for the online shop.
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