Are you wondering why your visitors hesitate to shop at your online store? They may have varying reasons to do so, some of which include cheaper competitor prices, poor marketing, confusing page navigation, lack of call-to-action, few details about the products, and other similar concerns. Failure to address these problems not only reduces your conversion rate, but also has a negative effect on your brand image. You need to know the reasons behind their hesitation so that you can improve customer experience.
These are the top reasons customers hesitate to buy from your online store.
Complex Checkout Process
Some visitors don’t bother checking out their shopping carts when they experience problems as they go through the process. A confusing interface coupled with a poor call-to-action frustrates potential customers. A lengthy registration process, asking for too much information, and long forms make checking out a tedious process. Simplify your site’s checkout process, make the call-to-action obvious, and remove clutter on a page to not only increase conversion rate but also remove any hesitancy that a potential customer may feel as they browse your shop.
Poor Navigation Experience
Your visitors want a seamless experience as they navigate through the pages of your site. Their browsing experience is a contributing factor in whether they purchase a product or not. Keep product descriptions concise and precise (stick to important features and benefits), use white space effectively to highlight your product on a page, make your site responsive and mobile-friendly, optimize your site so that it loads fast enough to hold the attention of a user, and categorize content so that your pages are cohesive. Always keep users in mind when updating your website.
Website Vulnerability
Potential customers want to be sure about the safety of their personal and financial information. Online shops are targets for cyberattacks. That’s why you must do all you can to protect current and future customers from data theft. Make it a point to improve website security by getting certifications (HTTPS and SSL), updating software and plug-ins regularly, bolstering network security, and using a web host. These steps eliminate the fears of your customers whenever they input their data on your site’s payment forms or whenever they create accounts.
Additional Fees
A customer saw a good deal and decided to add several items to their cart. Upon checkout, they see additional fees that weren’t there when they were browsing. This increases the likelihood of shopping cart abandonment. They will just leave and look for better offers elsewhere. To avoid this problem and increase conversion rate, include all the fees a customer will incur including shipping, taxes, storage, handling costs, and others. Doing so allows the potential customer to determine if your product or service is within their budget.
Insufficient Product Information
Prospective customers might just leave if they read your product descriptions and find that they’re lacking. Insufficient details about your products and services won’t convince a visitor to choose your brand over your competitors. If you don’t mention the benefits and main features of your products, users will not know about them. Their assessment would be that your business doesn’t solve their pain points or address a want. It’s important to include all the details about your products on a page. Doing so provides visitors with enough information to make a choice to whether buy your product or not. Use clear pictures taken from different angles or upload a video of how a customer can use your product.
Minimal Presence on Social Media
Your products need to grab the attention and pique the interest of your target audience. Without any buzz surrounding your product, it won’t get the traction it needs to hit sales goals. Little to no presence on social media makes it difficult to generate interest around your brand, especially if you’re a small business owner. Create profiles across platforms your target audience uses the most. Post content relevant to them in article, video, or image form. This enables you to build authority, connect with your target market, and increase conversion rate. A social media presence also allows you to communicate with your current and prospective customers by replying to their posts, comments, or direct messages.
Expensive Pricing
One of the main reasons potential customers hesitate to leave your online store is because of the prices of your products. Your pricing might be higher than all the other brands in your niche. However, some customers are willing to pay a premium for better quality and value. Bundle your products, include complementary items, and add services to justify your products’ prices. This also creates value for potential customers. Free shipping, 24/7 customer support, a warranty that covers repairs and/or replacement, and others are some of the ways you can provide value while still using a high price point.
Inadequate Market Research
You won’t know the problems of your customers and the strategies of your competitors if you fail to research your niche adequately. You might be losing customers because of the competition’s latest offerings such as lower prices, product bundles, and additional services. Study your competitors and determine how you can do better than them. Learn more about your target audience by conducting surveys, asking for feedback, or studying their shopping behavior. Market research allows you to gain insights you can use to increase conversion rate and grow your small business.
Poorly Written Copy
Poorly written copy won’t persuade visitors to purchase your products. Your pages need a convincing copy to not only grab the attention of visitors, but also convert them into paying customers. Write an attention-grabbing headline that just gives enough information about the content of a page to entice a visitor to click on it. Once you pique their interest, write articles that are informative and relevant to readers. Show your authority and knowledge about a topic to increase conversion rate. Make your call-to-action clear and precise to guide a visitor towards a choice you want them to make.
Customer hesitancy is a problem you need to be aware of. Identifying these allows you to address them and improve the possibility of converting a visitor into a customer. Focus on customer experience while we update your accounting books. We at Robookkeeper offer first-rate outsourced bookkeeping services for entrepreneurs.
