4 Things To Consider About Shopping Cart Abandonment

By Bidisha Gupta

A customer visits a company's e-commerce website for the first time to check out its products and after a while he checks out from the site without buying anything. In marketing terms this is known as shopping cart abandonment. Most companies see this incident as a loss of potential customers. However, if anyone looks at the incident carefully, it is not always the case. With a little effort, a large section of the prospects who abandoned the site can be won back.

Studies show that first-time visitor to an e-commerce website almost never buy from the website during their first visit. However, most of them intend to go back and make the purchase. On the other hand, people who have already been to the website, often abandon the site in order to do some research on the product.

In other words, they probably want to make sure that they are investing their money on the right products. Therefore, it will be safe to say that all those who abandon a company's shopping cart are not completely lost. With a little persuasion, the company can recover most of these abandoned leads.

So, before a company loses all hope of salvaging those abandoned leads, they need to take a few things into consideration.

1. Shopping Cart Abandonment is Increasing

It is better to begin by accepting the fact - shopping cart abandonment is increasing every year and it will continue to do so. As more consumers will shift to online and mobile shopping, the number of shopping cart abandonment will increase at a rapid pace. It will continue to do so as more consumers shift to online and mobile shopping.

According to data shared by e-commerce Data Company, Barilliance, in 2013 as many as 74% of online shopping carts were abandoned by shoppers. In 2011, the abandonment rate was 69%, while in 2012, the rate became 72%. Therefore, it is safe to assume the abandonment rate is increasing rapidly.

2. Abandonment is Part of the Shopping Process:

Generally speaking, a company should see an abandoned shopping cart as part of the buying process. It is probably just a stepping stone in the ever complex series of actions a consumer has to take before finally making a purchase. It can also be seen as a strong indicator of consumer interest in a product or a brand. The technology that allows retailers collect and leverage online shopping cart data is going to be a worthwhile investment.

3. Abandoners are Still Great Sales Leads:

According to data from SeeWhy, three-fourths of shoppers who have abandoned shopping carts say that they plan to return to the retailer's website to make a purchase. Online-only retailers often face the disadvantage as they do not have multiple channels to recover the lost sales.

4. Re-targeting is Effective:

If they want, retailers can reduce the rate of shopping cart abandonment and increase conversions. They need to streamline the checkout process and retarget shoppers with emails and calls after they've left the website. According to Listrak, initial emails, sent three hours after a consumer abandons a cart, average a 40% open rate and a 20% click-through rate.

In order to re-target those customers, a company can also opt for third-party help. Third party call center agents can correspond with those potential buyers via email or over the phone and try to know the reason behind their shopping cart abandonment.

In some cases, consumers will tell that they are no longer interested in purchasing products from this site, while many others will actually visit the site and buy the products they were eyeing. And, this way, the company will be able to score sales from abandoned cart leads.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bidisha_Gupta

Selling On Amazon and Making Money

By Wade Byrd

Amazon is among the largest and most popular online shopping sites. As a matter of fact, millions of online shoppers use the site each day to purchase various items. Almost anything is readily available on the site and buyers can buy virtually anything and some good examples are mobile phones, television sets, laptop computers and many more. So many people currently sell their products on Amazon since they enjoy the benefit of reaching lots of prospective customers. Unlike eBay, users of Amazon are not required to place bids. Consequently, the products have prices listed plus an additional shipping cost. Below are useful tips on how to make money selling on Amazon.

The initial step you need to take if you wish to make money selling items on Amazon is to create an account. Also, you can read online guides and instructions that make the process simpler. By creating your own seller account, you are also expected to list down the items you would like to sell. You should bear in mind however that certain products cannot be sold on Amazon. To find out more about the restrictions, visit the page that dwells on facts and information. This is important for people wondering how to make money selling on Amazon

Fees are clearly indicated for sellers during the initial sign up and sellers have the option of choosing between two account types. One is best suited for people who intend to sell plenty of items while the other package is meant for sellers who plan on selling only few items. However, fees charged vary depending on account type selected.

In case you are wondering how to make money selling on Amazon, you will be glad to learn that the site offers a unique opportunity for people who plan to transform this into business idea. Sellers are expected take pictures of products they would like to sell after which they can list them on the site. Despite this, sellers are required to ship their merchandise to Amazon. Upon completion of the procedures, Amazon will ship the sold products to consumers who make purchases thereby allowing sellers to easily keep track of inventory of their products.

There is also an alternative of selling items on your own if you wish to know how to make money selling on Amazon. So, you would have to take pictures of your product and list it in the most suitable category. Remember to make a clear description of your product to make it easier for buyers to know what they are purchasing. Clear descriptions and good pictures reduces instances where buyers return items. Moreover, pricing must be done right because other sellers will also price their products competitively.

Yet another important point to remember regarding how to make money selling on Amazon faster is quick shipping. Items sold should ideally be shipped to the buyers within two days. Also remember to reply promptly to emails from buyers as this will prevent them from making purchases from other sellers.

Wade Byrd has a passion for helping people in home based businesses who want to get better results and make more money by knowing what popular things to sell on Amazon. For more information on Wade and how he can help you make more money, visit his web site at http://wadebyrdonline.com/blog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wade_Byrd

How to Create an Effective E-Commerce Website and Increase Sales

By Hanna Marin

With the latest developments in technology and the Internet becoming a daily requirement, people are looking forward for various online services to buy their products. If you are planning to offer online services to consumers then you should create a catchy and attention grabbing website to attract the potential visitors. It is vital that your web design connects the users with the services and products well. A good e-commerce website can make the customer's life easier and more comfortable. People can now enjoy the simplicity of the process and the convenience of placing an order from home.

But you have only a few minutes in hand to impress the visitor with your services. So follow the tips discussed here to create a user friendly and secured e-commerce website.

Decide on the Strategy First: Creating an effective strategy to promote your company products before the potential customers should be your prime concern. While developing a site, focus on how it will be found in the search engines. This often includes research, website optimization, SEO, coding, conversion testing etc.

Give Proper Information and Showcase Your Products: Visitors usually love to search vast stores with lots of information and see clean product images with proper descriptions. This makes it easy for them to compare various products. Finding one product easily can even motivate the customer to look for other things that they like. But if they cannot find proper information, they will be frustrated and perhaps leave the site.

Clearly Tell Why the Visitors should Purchase from You: It is important to make it clear to your customers what value you have to offer to them. It can be low price, free shipment, wide selection of products, specialized products, varied payment options etc.

Privacy and Security: Visitors value their anonymity as it ensures them of privacy and security from unauthorized access to their personal information. Offer a secured connection for any financial transactions so that buyers can be at peace of mind. Follow same information practices throughout your company and this will help you to build the trust.

Attractive Design and Simple Navigation: Having a site that looks great will definitely create a good impression and instill confidence in the visitors. So, take out some time to check the designs of your e-commerce site and get it created by a professional for best benefits. Do not create a complicated site with too many pages and complex navigation as customers love to use sites that are simple and convenient for them.

Multiple Payment Options: Customers often have special needs and their own preferences. Offer your customers many payment options so that you don't lose them simply because they cannot make the payment. Some customer may use Visa, some may use MasterCard. PayPal and other services are also very popular. Allow payments in multiple currencies to make transactions easy.

Since your goal is to turn your interested prospects into customers, your e-commerce website design, strategy, privacy and security, ease of use should be targeted specifically to attain the business goals.

Hanna Marin is a software & IT consultant working with Damco Solutions, a leading IT & Ecommerce Development Company offering a wide range of services & solutions including Ecommerce Services and Application Migration Services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hanna_Marin