Who doesn’t want to reduce their cart abandonment rate or shopping cart drop-offs? Keeping that number low is the dream of every marketer and e-commerce entrepreneur. So I thought of sharing some solutions below for the same –
- Video commerce – Selling shoes? Let’s show’em how it will look on the dance floor in a reel-like format. Then take to checkout straight from there.
- Ditch the shopping cart – May look easier for service companies like Swiggy or Uber. But the point is to think “How can I take customers directly to checkout?”
- FOMO per sec – Start reducing discounts, deals, or offers applicable per second. 30% – 0:30, 29% – 0.29, 28% – 0.28 …
- KISS them – Keep It (the brand message) Simple Short. Customer hesitating? He is not the right customer or the branding team is doing a bad job. Fire either of them.
- Free massage – When I try Jaipur Watches or PNRao Suits a consultant walks with me. He tells me how Royal I look. He is my shopping cart. What if instead of a shopping cart, you see a consultant on screen? He walks with you on a video call. Helps you look royal & not like the other idiots in the elevator.
- Tariff Ticker – Better buy now. Trump’s watching, price may change.
- Cute, not Hot – Cute stuff gets friendzoned to cart, Hot stuff gets bought. Learn from what’s left out in the cart. Show customers less of that & not the other way around. They don’t want you to convince them to checkout. They want Hot stuff!
- Warm it Up – “Authentic Whale Leather & Ivory! Hurry! Only a few whales left!”; “Lush Green Hillock For Sale! Become a planet savior! Become Zuck’s neighbor!” Pun intended. I meant – Use scarcity bias.
- Tribes matter – “Special discounts for all the Joshis today. Shh! Don’t tell your Sharma ji!” Think in terms of fans and fanatics, either within a brand or between competitors.
- Do your homework – People love comparing. People love choosing. People feel great when they finally decide on something. Allow space for this. Usually, people do this using a cart. Why not give them a comparison desk? Whiteboard sorts instead of a table. From there show a way out straight to checkout.
- Use leverage – “Buying gold? Keep it safe. Take a gold loan!” Here three needs are leveraged together – Need to save for daughter’s marriage. Need to ensure safety. Need for financial flexibility. Repco Bank was offering a locker plus loan on gold jewelry purchases. I don’t know if they do it now. Can you club or leverage requirements for any other complimentary product or service?
- Credit the carbon – “Hey, you have these items in your cart that are consuming energy and memory. Hence it will be deleted tonight. But you can always edit your cart or checkout before it gets deleted.”
- Beautiful Buffet – A buffet is known for its starters and desserts. Give free samplers and trials at the start of a purchase experience. Don’t stop at checkouts. At the end/post-checkout, start giving surprise benefits. Like free insurance cover for a premium product & start the onboarding.
- Be Compassionate – Donations at checkout? meh! Actions with positive – named – feedback? Yes! Give options to water a treeling, feed a tiger, pick trash from the beach, etc. for an attractive tip at checkout. Show how a volunteer will do that & send back a photo with “Thanks Mr.PQR” on a placard.
Try, A/B test it and see if the strategies above work for you. What more? Can you think of something? What works for you or has worked for you best? Do share in the comments.