4 Hidden UX Bottlenecks Sabotaging Your Checkout.
UX Strategy, Ecommerce Strategy
Imagine… you're driving more and more traffic to your site thanks to your effective marketing strategy but you aren't seeing that uptick in traffic translate into the same uptick in sales and revenue.
The issue could be with your website, not with your ads.
Let's take a look at the 4 most common UX bottlenecks that are ruining your chances of conversion.
Unclear CTAs and Confusing Button Labels.
You may be thinking that it doesn't really matter what your CTAs are or how you label your buttons as users will understand but we want to make the process of buying so easy for the user that they could do it in their sleep. This means adhering to certain expectations that the user will have. For once, you need to forget about your brand tone of voice and just be clear and stereotypical.
Use simple language that is expected such as:
Add to Cart
Add to Bag
Continue shopping/to checkout
Choose size
Buy Now/Pay Now
If you are unsure as to whether it is your CTAs which are stalling checkouts, A/B test button changes and make note of the results.
Lengthy Forms.
Users are lazy. They want to be able to checkout as quickly as possible. For brands this also means less time for the user to change their mind on purchasing so its a win win for everyone!
Form Autocomplete.
Ideally, you'd want to have autocomplete options coded into your website allowing users to auto-fill as many form fields as possible.
Shopify offer a Google Autocomplete integration which will begin populating a user's address as they begin to type. Many mobile devices now also allow details to be saved and populated into forms but you must make sure that your website will allow this process; especially if you are running a bespoke site.
Split Your Forms.
There is nothing more off putting for a user than being greeted with a very lengthy form all on one page. If they are browsing on a mobile, best practise indicate that they shouldn't have to scroll.
Forms should be split into sections to make them more digestible. Something like this can work well:
Add to cart > Continue to checkout
Select delivery option
Input details and address
Select payment method
Review order/check details
Order confirmation
Payment Options.
Present as many options as possible. Many user's don't want to enter all their credit card details into your form so provide Apple Pay, Google Pay and Paypal as alternatives.
Shopify users can activate different methods of payment in the Payment Provider section of your Shopify admin.
3rd party payment providers like Stripe allow a vast range of payment options from card to wallet to bank redirects (useful for international markets).
Buy Now, Pay Later.
A Buy Now Pay Later option may not be suitable for every brand but it might be something that you want to consider for higher value products.
Klarna and Clearpay are the most obvious options but Paypal Pay in 3 has been rising in popularity as a safer wallet option so ensuring that Paypal is an option on your website is really important.
Lack of Security.
Users are now very aware of privacy and the safety of their data. Especially when entering their address and payment details, they want to be absolutely sure that the information is not going to go anywhere that is doesn't need to.
This is easily addressed by:
Displaying security badges
Keeping your SSL up to date
Providing secure payment methods
Providing links to your privacy policy and data handling/cookie policy
Allowing check out as guest so that no user details are saved
