Creating a smooth customer checkout experience is one of the most important things you need to accomplish when selling anything online, whether that includes services or products. If your checkout process is difficult to move through, customers will likely bounce from the process in search of a better experience.
We often compare online retail experiences with brick and mortar experiences because of how similar they are, and how helpful it can be to learn from those that have been doing it for years and years. If there’s one thing retail stores accomplish well, it’s the checkout experience — it’s getting easier and easier, encouraging customers to come back and purchase from that retailer.
Create A Smooth Customer Experience
The first thing you need to think about when creating your customer experience is what page they’re landing on and then optimize that page for the smoothest checkout experience possible.
There are two types of customer checkout experiences: the first being a shopping cart experience, where customers are free to add things to the cart (popular among the ecommerce retail crowd), and then there’s the squeeze page, which focused on selling one thing only.
Avoid Distractions
The last thing you want to do to a shopper is distract them away from the products you’re selling before they buy. The brick and mortar retailers have it a little easier, because once a customer is in the store they have to work their way out of it … whereas an online customer merely has to click the mouse, or leave the computer.
Distractions may include things such as Facebook and Twitter links — any link for that matter. Links are easy ways for the customer to bail, so use them with caution.
Cross Promote Relevant Products
The one type of linking you do want to practice is the type that promote related products — this is how you increase how much the customer wants. Again, the brick and mortar retailers know this well, and make use of it as much as possible. Look at any sporting goods retailer that sells shoes and you’ll find the socks conveniently located near the benches where you try on shoes or near the exist of the department.
Make It Easy to Pay
One of the most common reasons why retailers lose customers is due to a poorly presented check out area of their website as well as the lack of ability to pay. It’s crucial you accept every form of payment possible — the most common being credit card or PayPal. Remember some people are more comfortable paying by check, so you’ll need to register your DBA and open a business checking account in order to accept them.
cc image credit: Polycart