Lockdown 2.0 + Q4 = e-comm madness!

The nations intent to buy online has probably never been higher, so it’s a critical time to make sure your online sales machine is firing on all cylinders. Here’s your super quick reminder to keep an eye on your Add To Cart (ATC) figures v. your purchases, plus a checklist to run through if the conversion figure is worrying you.

Your ATC figure is the number of items added to a cart or basket on your website, and the conversion any online trader needs to keep a keen eye on is how this figure compares to your purchases. For low ticket items (£50/£60 or under) it’s not unusual to see a bounce rate/cart abandonment rate of around between 70%-80%. If your bounce rate is higher than this, or if it’s previously been lower but you’ve seen it creep up recently, step into your customer’s shoes and follow their journey through your website. Every stage of the checkout process needs to be frictionless and inspire trust. Here are some issues to look out for:

·      Slow page load times

·      Unclear information on payment or delivery

·      High delivery costs

·      Items persistently out of stock

·      Poor mobile experience (there is a higher cart abandonment rate on mobile than tablet or desktop)

·      Long delivery times

·      Insufficient payment options

·      Requirement to create a new user account

If any of these ring alarm bells for you start taking steps to make the user journey quicker, clearer and with fewer, ‘urgh’ moments.

If you’re confident that there are no leaks in your system, then it’s time to retarget the abandoned carts and convert them into sales. Tyre kickers aside, this is a burning hot audience and worth the spend on a bottom of funnel campaign. Providing your Facebook pixel has been set up to track your e-comm sales, you can swiftly deliver this audience some highly targeted ads. Time sensitive special offers and discount coupons have particular clout with this audience.

Good luck, and wishing you all a very prosperous end of year!