Abandoned baskets – we solve the problem of owners of online stores

Abandoned baskets are one of the biggest problems for online store owners. Up to 70% of the goods sent to the basket are not paid by the client. To solve this problem, you need to consider the reasons for abandoning the already filled baskets.

A study conducted by the Baimard Institute in 2016 found that the basket is most often left due to excessive or unknown additional costs. For example, hidden shipping costs. This problem can be easily eliminated by combining the shipping fee with the price of the product (the customer has the impression that the delivery is free) or by clearly indicating at the stage of studying the goods what the additional costs are.

Other reasons for abandoned baskets:

- coercion to register an account in the store;
- complex order form;
- no information on the total amount;
- technical errors on the site;
- lack of trust in the site (for example, no ssl);
- too long delivery time;
- incomprehensible return policy;
- too few payment options.

There are many marketing automation tools on the market that can efficiently recover abandoned baskets. But the most cost-effective actions, especially in the long run, are those that can be performed on the site itself.

For changes on the page to have the expected results, they must be based on monitoring user behavior. A range of tools is currently available to research and monitor customers while they use the store interface.

Behavioral Research

The most classic method of researching user experience on websites is to study the scenarios that the user must implement on the site being studied, for this purpose, his behavior is monitored, ways of performing actions and problems that he faces are analyzed. After studying the user group, a report is compiled, and based on its results, changes are made within the scope of the study. After making changes, you need to make sure that the implemented solutions are a good solution to previously diagnosed user problems.

User Surveys

Surveys will help answer questions and dispel doubts, help find areas that may lead to a failure to purchase. Surveys and interviews are types of declarative research, so it is worth remembering that the answers are not always completely reliable. Often, the user participating in the survey is afraid of your “rating”, which has a huge impact on the stated answers. Knowingly or not, he can hide a lot of important information. Interviews often do not give a holistic view of the situation, so they must be supported by other methods.

Recording User Sessions

This is a method in which the influence of the researcher is minimal. The subject does not know that his actions are recorded, which ensures that the user acts naturally. However, it is difficult to guess why the user acted in one way or another. We do not know the context of the activity, we do not know what is happening outside the site, we do not know the characteristics of the client.

Presenting the ability to send reviews is usually one of the cheapest and most reliable ways to detect errors. Of course, users will not say that, because of a better price, they chose another store, but they will certainly report errors on the system side.

A / B tests

Tests are a research method that allows you to quickly test selected hypotheses. During the observation, problem areas are identified, then to conduct a comparative study between the current and new options. It is worth noting that there are several limitations, so not every store can use this method.

Do not test on a small number of users. The study should not be extended over time, because then the possibilities of controlling the homogeneity of the studied group are reduced. Focus on changing one element and compare the different solutions in your tests. Testing multiple items at the same time can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Identification of those who left the cart

The difficulty of identifying users who refuse to fill the basket causes many tools to be created. Currently, the problem is not their availability, but what solution to choose in a particular case.

Key features of recycle bin recovery programs:

- user identification (before and after logging in);
- the ability to build basket recovery scenarios depending on user behavior;
- sending letters;
- automation of processes.

When restoring the basket, do not ignore the possibility of redirecting ads, for example, through Facebook or AdWords. However, these ads have a huge drawback compared to mechanisms that use email communication because they definitely lack personalization.

The main method of identifying users is to obtain an email address in order to be able to contact them. Most marketing automation programs work on this principle. The second way is to get permission for push notifications in the browser.

Users who provide an email address are also tracked without logging in using cookies (provided that they use the same browser and the files have not been deleted).

Other methods

Email and notifications are not the only channels through which you can return customers. Having access to email, it’s worth using paid channels to restore users to the store.

On Facebook and the AdWords advertising system, you can use the redirect function to advertise to users who have added a product to the basket but left it. However, this form is definitely less personalized and less effective.

You can use SMS to restore abandoned baskets – a message that opens with a probability of more than 90%. However, it is difficult to say whether the user will perceive this as an attack on his personal life, which will lead to the opposite effect, so when using this option, you need to carefully consider the moment and content of the sent message.

Examples

The reason for leaving the basket is often unknown, so you should offer users a certain benefit that they will receive after making a purchase, for example, free delivery, a discount if the user completes the purchase within a certain time, or one of the products is free. You can also use general methods of influence, such as the rule of inaccessibility, for example:

"The last item [product name] is already in your cart. Hurry up!"

Call to action

Each message should contain elements of a call to action, such as an invitation and bright buttons. The user should be invited to click on the banner or visit the site again.

Testing

You should test various message options and choose the most effective ones, that is, those that generate both a return to the basket and sales.

Embodiment

The basis is the corresponding personal message. Getting as much behavior data as possible will help build effective communication. Studies show that the user receiving the message, more related to his personality or interests, may be more actively involved in the process.

Time

Time factor experiments are needed to determine when to send notifications. There is no single rule that determines the optimal time for sending messages. Time adapts to the behavior of the target group or its segments.

Frequency

For letters and notifications do not exaggerate the frequency of sending. To return the client to the basket there should be no more than three messages sent at three different intervals. For example, the first – immediately, the next – 24 hours later, and the last – after a week, if the user has not returned to interrupted purchases.

Summary

The fight against the problem of abandoned baskets cannot be limited to sending messages to users who have not completed their purchases. This phenomenon can be resisted in many ways, not only using tools from the category of marketing automation. The basis should be the identification of problems that cause the user to leave the site, and not just the generation of subsequent scenarios of actions related to encouraging a return to the basket.

Recovering a basket requires an interdisciplinary approach. More attention should be paid to the issue of customer service – the general user experience, with particular emphasis on shopping experience. The basis of actions should be not only the use of best practices, but also communication with users. A good understanding of the target group will not only correct mistakes and dispel doubts, but also positively affect the way of building communication for those who, despite the improvement of the purchase process, still refuse to complete the transaction.

By the way, in our fully finished online store has already been implemented function to return users of abandoned baskets.