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How To Make The Checkout Process Simpler

4 January 2011 No Comment

Any eCommerce website owner should struggle to offer the best buying experience for his customers. A big part of purchasing a product online revolves around the checkout process. If placing the actual order is too difficult, some customers will get frustrated and others will even drop their order, so it is your job to make sure that each and every one of your clients can make an order rapidly and without too much hassle. Here are some of the things you can do if you want to make the checkout process simpler.

Reaching the Checkout Page

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As a rule of thumb, once the visitor enters the product page, he should be able to reach the checkout page in one click only. You should never add unnecessary pages between the product and the checkout page, so make sure that your online store has a clear, large checkout button for those who want to end their shopping session rapidly.

Checkout Accessibility

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As soon as your visitors click on the checkout page, they should have access to a simple checkout form and the secure payment form on the same page or, worst case scenario, on the next one. Adding a registration form between your products and the checkout page will prove to be a deterrent because people don’t want to spend their time validating email addresses and choosing usernames and passwords for their accounts. Many people will drop their shopping cart on the spot if they don’t have the time to register or if they don’t know how to do this. You should focus on requesting the pieces of information you actually need for the shipment, such as the name, address, email address and credit card information.

Payment Options

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Offering multiple payment options on the same page is the best way to keep your customers happy. They will simply choose the most convenient option for them and they will complete the checkout process easily. If you place the payment options on multiple pages, some potential customers might leave your website before they reach the page that contains their preferred payment option.

Offer the Right Pieces of Information

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Before your customers reach the checkout page, they should have enough information about the products they are interested in and the shipping costs that go along with the order. Once they reach the payment processing page, you should offer a few extra pieces of information about your product return policy and anything else that might be relevant. The more information you offer, the higher the chances that your customers will complete the order.

Conclusion

In the end, customers will put a lot of though into choosing the right products and adding them to their shopping cart. Once they’re done, they will expect the checkout process to go smoothly, so try your best to optimize your eCommerce website to their needs and start making the changes that will keep your customers happy: add detailed product descriptions, include more payment options and don’t add a registration form.

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