The shopping cart is the last step from which you can attract new income for your company. In it, customers already know what they want to buy and rush to complete the payment and leave the store. However, the actions they take do not stop there. Customers can continue to connect with your company. This is the perfect but most unused place to get them to buy something else.
A good payment process is more than new sales. We hope we haven’t left you with the impression that you only need to generate revenue. It’s about enabling your customers to buy products quickly and easily, no matter where they are, and laying the groundwork for better long-term relationships.
Let’s look at a few ways you can optimize your payment process for a better customer experience and more revenue.
1. Reduce the information you want
Over 60% of customers abandon their shopping carts before placing an order. We look at this reason in detail here, but more importantly, some of it is too much information that stores want from the customers before clicking the “Complete Order” button. This makes the customer dissatisfied and abandon their cart. Your job as a store owner is to minimize this percentage.
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Remove unnecessary fields
Too many fields, such as company, if you don’t need it, or phone number, if you don’t call, repel the customer. If you do not need certain data, it is better to delete the fields to increase your percentage of satisfied customers.
There are different ways to remove or hide the fields. One of them if you use WooCommerce Checkout Field Editor plugin. With it you will easily remove, hide and rearrange the fields when you do not need them.
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Switch to checkout on one page
Over 21% of users abandon shopping carts because the process is too long and notice it is not on one page. The long process, just like the many fields, scares your customers. An example solution is to reduce the process of buying one page. WooCommerce One Page Checkout fixes this problem by giving the customer the ability to add products to their cart and complete an order on just one page, easily and conveniently.
The faster purchase process leads to more satisfied customers, see for yourself.
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Make sure your customers pay in your online store
The easiest way is for the payment process to go through third parties. This leads to mistrust of the consumer, especially if he does not know the other party. There are many factors to consider before choosing a payment method. The best solutions are always the ones that allow the customer to enter and pay directly from your online store.
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Allow a guest account purchase
If someone just wants to make a quick purchase, creating an account takes time and stops the user: more fields to fill in, a new password to remember, more personal information to give. If possible, let buyers choose between creating an account and purchasing as a guest.
2. Offer additional products to the purchase
The purchase page is one of the last ways to contact a buyer before completing your purchase. It is a great place to offer additional items. Use WooCommerce Checkout add-ons to offer free or paid products that customers can add to their cart before they pay.
Here are some ideas for what you can offer for your business:
- If you are a cafe or a craftsman, take advice.
- If you are a non-profit organization, offer customers to give a donation to the purchase.
- If you are selling gifts, offer free or paid packaging.
- If you sell handmade products, let buyers customize their item.
- If you sell electronics or expensive goods, offer insurance.
- If you sell physical products, add a fast delivery option.
There are countless options for adding payment options that increase the total value of the order, while receiving something extra from your customers.
3. Offer multiple payment methods
The most preferred payment methods for customers are:
- E-wallets (36%)
- Credit cards (23%)
- Debit cards (12%)
Offering a single solution does not inspire confidence in customers, and may repel some of them to complete their order. In addition to traditional credit and debit card payments, there are several other payment methods you can use:
- Buy now, pay later: It’s easy to buy the product, it’s easy to pay on time. If you add such an option, your customers will buy more and will not worry about large payments.
- Amazon Pay and PayPal: It’s easy to pay if you have an existing account, not just a debit or credit card.
- Mobile wallets like Apple Pay: One-touch mobile payments
Take the time to learn who your customers are and learn what tools they already use to make payments.
4. Points and rewards
Everyone loves to receive rewards and discounts. Probably you are also subscribed for various reward systems, you earn points with each purchase from your favorite cafe, restaurant or boutique to redeem discounts or free products. These systems are an incredibly effective way to encourage both larger and repeat purchases.
If your customer is wondering whether to buy from you or from the competition, they will choose you. And not because the price is much different, but once he makes a purchase from you and earns x points, he trusts you and wants more.
This is also a great way to increase the total value of the order. If you show customers how many points they can earn with their purchase at the time of payment, they will want more. If they know they are close to winning a prize, they can even add an extra item to their cart to earn more points.
You can create a similar system with the extension WooCommerce Points and Rewards. Reward your customers for a variety of actions – making a purchase, subscribing to an email list, writing a review. You will find that you have a more loyal, satisfied customer base and a higher conversion rate.
5. Build trust
If the buyer can’t trust your business and website, why would they share personal information or rely on you to fulfill their order? The payment page is your last chance to let your customers trust you. Here are some ways to do this:
- Show feedback. Add reviews from happy customers as social proof to potential buyers. This will show them that you are loyal to them and they can trust you.
- Show certificates and partnerships. Have you won awards or do you have strong partners? Show this evidence to confirm that you understand this business and can help your customers.
- Keep return and exchange instructions visible. Sharing this information in the most visible place demonstrates reliability and honesty and makes it easier for customers to find what they are looking for.
- Live chat. If the buyer has questions, he can contact a member of your team instead of making an inquiry and waiting days for an answer.
- Do your best to show that you will protect the privacy of your customers and that you deliver high quality products quickly and securely.
Satisfied customers lead to more sales
Whether you simplify the payment process, offer additional products or make it easier for customers to contact you, all these tips will help you have more trust from your customers and more purchases. Focus on meeting their needs and you will be able to develop your online store to a new level.