Shopping cart abandonment is a difficulty that affects every eCommerce merchant out there. It's a frustrating problem that is hard to pin down because there are many circumstances that can lead to it.
If you've addressed the basics of eCommerce (have a secure store that is easy to navigate and has an uncomplicated check-out process), then bringing a customer back to complete the sale should be quite possible! Some causes that lead to shopping cart abandonment can be addressed and even solved by simply reaching out to your customer base through social media.
The Problems And The Social Media Solutions
- Cart Total is Too High:When online shoppers are in the mood to spend some dough in your online store, the last thing you want is for the total amount to scare them away from sale completion with a cart total that is way more than they expected. Unfortunately though, this is a common problem as some shoppers lose track of the items that they're adding and then are surprised at the end result.
- The Solution: Be sure to regularly post coupon codes and other incentives to your social media followers. This will help when they are surprised by cart totals that are more than anticipated as they can simply pull up their discount code and reduce the total. Other incentives can include 'buy one, get one' or 'spend x get x% off'.
- Distracted Shopper Syndrome:It's easy to get distracted when shopping online. Phones ring, babies cry and hunger strikes it's just bad luck when it happens in the middle of a shopping trip around your eTail shop! Don't worry though, with a lil social media, you can bring back distracted browsers and convert them into buyers!
- The Solution: Take control of everyday distractions that lead to loss of revenue by simply keeping your presence up on the distracted shoppers news feed. Sometimes, not trying to 'sell' anything is the best tactic to stay in the mind of your buyers and bring them back for sales completion. Friendly posts, informative infographics or jokes can be the way to go for this!
- Expensive Shipping Costs: Ouch there is no counting how many carts are dropped because of high shipping costs. An extra chuck of change at the end of the sale can either tip the buyer past the point of price comfort or offend them on principle.
- The Solution: Flash shipping sales that are posted through social media have great power in bringing back those who were put off by shipping costs. These shipping sales tactics can include reduced shipping, free shipping on purchases of x or more, or the all-time favorite FREE SHIPPING!
- Comparison Shopping:Many consumers shop online because they compare products reviews and prices on the internet easier than they can in brick-n-mortar stores. When you're dealing with shoppers who abandon their carts because of comparison shopping, there are many ways to bring them back in for the sale.
- The Solutions: Social media can address comparison shopping in a couple of ways. If you have an eCommerce solution running your store that offers product reviews, make sure you re-post customer reviews and thank your users who post them. This keeps your site in mind as being reputable enough to allow real life comparison shopping by encouraging honest customer reviews. If it's the price comparison shopper that you're trying to woo, then they'll be lured back by the already mentioned sales, coupon codes, and shipping promotions!
Social media is basically just about keeping in touch with your customer base and keeping your brand in their mind with additional visibility. Anytime you can post something and make your fan base feel special, appreciated and remembered, it's going to help your brand. That, and the ability to offer great deals through social media, is why it is great for reducing shopping cart abandonment.
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The last bit really sums it all up: engage with customers over social mediums, and drop the sales pitch while you’re at it. It is important to ‘remind’ them that you’re there, without forcing a sale upon them. I feel that scheduling tools such as Buffer or HootSuite would be particularly useful here.
Yes, there’s definitely a fine line of keeping a presence without making your fans feel like you’re always trying to sell them something!