As lockdown restrictions and the pandemic hit, many companies shifted to eCommerce to continue operating. Yahoo! Finance even reports that 57% of consumers utilize online shopping more than ever. Of the people surveyed, 41% report shopping at least once a week.
However, many businesses that just started using their platforms can often make mistakes when building their website — especially their checkout page. Here are a few of the common errors you can make and how to fix them.
1. The Interface Is Not Mobile-Friendly
Mobile commerce, or mCommerce, has been rising more and more recently. In fact, Insider Intelligence reports that the market is expected to be valued at $488 billion by 2024. It means that if you’re creating an online shop, you need to ensure that it’s mobile-friendly.
Website builders like WordPress will allow you to create both a desktop and mobile layout for your webpage. For its mobile version, ensure that the fonts aren’t too small, that the structure makes sense, and that you never use high-resolution pictures, so the pages load immediately.
2. Lack of Guest Checkout
It’s not wrong to ask customers to create an account when buying from your platform. After all, it’s more convenient for you and them — items added to their cart are saved even after they leave your shop, and you can track their purchases to recommend similar products.
But for those who want to buy your products less frequently or one-time buyers, it may be a hassle to have to log in, discouraging them from buying any items at all. Adding an option to proceed to a guest checkout rather than creating a complete account is an easy solution to the problem.
3. Requiring Separate Billing and Shipping Addresses
A shipping address is a location the buyer wants their items delivered. AskMoney states that a billing address, on the other hand, is the address associated with the individual making the payment.
Websites are requested to help detect suspicious transactions, especially when payments are made through credit cards. For those shopping for themselves, having to fill out the same information feels unnecessary. Add a button that will automatically input both addresses if the same.
4. Insufficient Payment Options
Most online shopping platforms only take credit or debit cards at checkout, posing a problem for those who want to pay using a different method. In fact, Forbes explains that having diverse payment options is beneficial for both consumers, as customers have the freedom to choose and lessen the rates of shopping carts being abandoned.
Adding more ways to pay, like electronic wallets, mobile wallets, and even cash on delivery, can make a big difference in customer convenience.
Final Thoughts
The appearance of your online shop has a massive hand in attracting or repelling potential customers, so make sure that you’re always thinking about your users when designing it. Make sure that it’s mobile-friendly, offers convenient checkout options, and supports many payment channels.
