Yahoo Store Tips By 1 Choice: 57% of Online Shoppers Want A Rapid Check Out Process

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Tuesday, November 03, 2009

57% of Online Shoppers Want A Rapid Check Out Process

Yesterday I had the honor of interviewing CEO and Founder of WolrdwideBrands.com Chris Malta on our new radio show eCom Experts.

Our discussion: Improving the Shopping Experience & Increasing Sales

An article posted in Yahoo Tech News yesterday states,

"U.S. online sales are expected to rise 8 percent this holiday season, with mass market retailers who can offer discounts performing best, according to Forrester Research Inc."

This is great news for online retailers. This news also means that online retailers need to make sure their website is ready for conversions.

Now, let's discuss some other interesting information.

First - download a free copy of the white paper eCommerce Web Site Performance Today.

It is a fascinating study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Akamai Technologies, Inc.

Here are some of the findings:

88% of online shoppers indicated they are likely to return to a site that is easy to use
74% of online shoppers want assurances that their information is safe
57% of online shoppers want a rapid check out process

As Chris Malta discussed during our interview, you want to relate the online shopping experience the same as when you go into a retail store.

Imagine yourself in the following scenario:

You head to your local electronics store to purchase an item for your computer that you need right away. You need to get in and get out. You are not sure which item to purchase and there is clearly no help in site. You look for someone to assist you, but they all seem to have disappeared.

You decide on an item anyway and head over to check out. The first thing they ask you is if you belong to their rewards program. When you say no, they try to convince you to join and be a part of the club. You have to sign up and be a member. All you wanted to do was purchase the item and get out of the store.

The next time you need an item from an electronics store, will you go back to the members only store or go find a new store? Will you go find a new store that has placed customer service representatives where you can find them? Will you find a new store that allows you to check out quickly?

Now let's turn this around and think about our own online stores. If a customer needs help, make sure your customer service phone number or links are clearly visible. Make sure the customer can easily find this information without having to search. When the customer finds what they need and they are ready to check out, do not require them to log in or create an account. Get the sale! Then after they have completed the check out process, offer them the opportunity to create an account and save the information.

Want more great tips on improving the customers shopping experience?

Then you have to listen to our show :)

It's only 30 minutes long and you can play it in the background while you work. I guarantee you will learn lots!

Listen now to Improving the Shopping Experience & Increasing Sales

Oh and while you are here, you may want to subscribe to our radio show via Itunes. This way you won't miss a single episode!

by: Shawna Fennell

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2 Comments:

Rob said...: Shawna - had the opportunity to listen in on the Radio show last night. The analogy of comparing the brick-and-mortar experience to the the online experience for shopping is dead on and let's face it...when you go into a real store, you wouldn't immediately turn around and leave if things didn't quite feel right. There are people watching you. You don't want to seem weird because you just ran out of the store. But that's exactly what we do in the online world. If a store so much as looks at us funny...we're gone.; 8:33 PM
Shawna Fennell said...: Rob,

Thank you for listening to our show! I hope you enjoyed it :) I agree with you completely. If you felt uncomfortable in a retail store, you would look around a bit... and then leave. Online we make a decision within a few seconds and click the back button if something feels off. The secret is making sure that our websites do not scare the cr@p out of people. The secret is making sure that our websites give people what they are looking for and especially what we claim to offer them. Make your store inviting, warm, and give them what they need to purchase from you.

Thanks for your comments Rob. Great insight!; 10:13 PM

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