Today more than ever, sales are harder to come by and you should make sure you are not losing sales because your e-commerce site is not user friendly. When you look at some of the most successful e-commerce sites, the overwhelming trend is that their shopping carts and buying processes are simple and easy to use. Every year more people are relying on the internet to find and buy products and the new “converts” to online shopping often have a healthy dose of skepticism about the process. They may have finally accepted the concept of buying a product online, but if they get too far out of their comfort zone, they will abandon your shopping cart in a heartbeat. My wife is a perfect example of this new “online shopper”.
She recently made an online purchase for my parent’s anniversary and I asked her why she chose the company she decided to purchase from. Not surprisingly, this company was not her first choice, but she decided to buy from them because it was easy and fast. Initially, she was in the process of buying from another site, but dropped out of the ordering process because she got confused with all of the steps involved. The site had a product she wanted, she started to make the purchase but in the end another company got her order! When asked what confused her, she said there were too many steps and she became frustrated “with the whole deal”.
While some of these tips may seem over simplified, here are some ideas to keep in mind to ensure you don’t lose sales because your site isn’t user friendly:
These are just a few ideas to consider when streamlining your site’s ordering process. The main objectives are convenience, simplicity, and user friendliness. By doing so, you can help avoid customers getting frustrated with your site and buying from another company!