Checking Out – Are You Making It Hard To Buy From You? – #16 1 Minute Social Media Moment

I’d been waiting in two queues for five minutes each. Finally I reached the cash desk and they needed a phone number.

I just wanted to buy something and they were making it really hard. The experience reminded me of many e-commerce experiences I’ve had.

Watch the video below to find out more:

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve abandoned a website because of their checkout system. There was the time when I found the perfect swimsuit but was put off buying because the site I was purchasing from wanted my date of birth. There was the Christmas gift I’d tried to buy but there was no way of finding out how much shipping was before going through the purchase procedure.

As someone who used to run an e-commerce business, I know how easy it is to ignore the checkout process, to not think it through. A seamless checkout experience will ensure you’ll get more sales and less abandoned shopping baskets.

Here’s a few things to do to ensure you are offering good customer experience:

1. Get a friend to test the buying process. Watch over their shoulders as they go through the system and ask them afterwards how they found it.

2. Ensure you’re not asking for too much at checkout. Is all the information you are asking for completely necessary?

3. Make sure the FAQ section of your site is easy to find from the shopping cart and contains all the answers to common buyer related questions.

4. Consider adding live chat so that those who are stuck can get in touch immediately.

Your Turn

Have you had problems checking out online or in real life? Do you have any tips to share for offering a better e-commerce experience? Let me know in the comments below.