Making It Difficult for Your Customers to Buy Online?
Are you making it difficult for your customers to buy online? If you make purchases online undoubtedly you have come across an ecommerce checkout process that completely frustrated that begeezers out of you. So view the video below and learn what NOT to do with your ecommerce checkout!
Google on What NOT to Do With Your Online Checkout Process
Warning: this video may induce smiling and occasional giggling.
So What Went Wrong?
- Up-selling when the person buying doesn't want it?
Geez, they just want to check out and get on their way! OK, I know what your sales and marketing people are saying. But what I am saying is if you are going to get in the upsell game, try doing some testing to see what the impact is. - Making people log-in or register before they buy?
Some people don't mind logging in to see their purchase history, etc but many people don't want to. Do you provide an option for people to make a purchase without registering first? - Hitting buyers with terms and conditions and legalese before they purchase?
Sometimes you need to show terms (e.g. presenting hotel cancellation policies before making a lodging booking) but there are many times where you don't need to. So why are you placing obstacles in their way? - Timing out your ecommerce application and then asking for their log-in info AGAIN?
This is so frustrating. Need we say more? - Making people complete CAPTCHA forms?
UGGGHHHHHHH! Do you really know anyone who likes CAPCHA forms? The answer is no. So don't put them in your check-out process. - Not making them aware of delivery costs before the purchase?
Want to loose trust during the check-out process? Then throw in some unexpected charges of any kind and watch people flee your site before making a purchase. Analytics bear this out time and time again. - Making them pay for express delivery when standard delivery will do?
Really... Is you site an online version of an infomercial? Again, unexpected or unfair costs are typically regarded as gouging and that means you are letting customers virtually walk out the door without a purchase. - Asking for unexpected insurance or extra handling fees?
Need we say more? Be fair. Be up-front. As noted above, when you throw in something unexpected or anything that can be regarded as gouging you simply loose business. - Making people unexpectedly wait for delivery after their purchase?
How about noting delivery and waiting list times right from the start? You might loose some people at that point but you probably have more potential buyers mad at you if you leave these nasty little surprizes until the last step of your check-out process.
It's A Lot of Common Sense ... No?
Some people are very comfortable making purchases online. Others aren't. Regardless, people typically don't like the process to take too long nor do they like being asked for unnecessary bits of info even if you think you "need" this. And people definitely do not like being presented with unexpected fees and terms at any time during the check-out process.
If you are dealing with people face-to-face in your retail store you might have the ability to address some of the issues noted above because you can respond immediately to any concerns your customers may have. You just don't have this luxury during the online check-out process. So keep that in mind when designing your next online ecommerce check-out process - it could either make you (or cost you) a lot of money!