What Do Customers Expect From the Online Checkout Process?

Online shopping is the norm these days; most people don’t think twice about purchasing household essentials from Amazon, getting new outfits from clothing stores, or bidding on second-hand deals on eBay. But, while online shopping is taking over high street stores at a rapid rate thanks to its convenience and ease, customers expect a certain level of service when shopping online, particularly during the checkout process.

A checkout that is hard to navigate isn’t transparent about extra costs like delivery fees or isn’t secure is not going to make customers feel safe when entering their sensitive financial details and making a purchase. And in the highly competitive eCommerce environment, encouraging customers to complete their purchases is essential for success. So, what do your customers expect when checking out?

A High Level of Security:

First and foremost, nobody wants to enter their credit or debit card details into an unsecured website. It’s highly dangerous because it leaves this sensitive information wide open to hackers and scammers who could end up gaining access and using a customer’s money to purchase things or hack into their accounts. Make sure that your site is protected with an SSL certificate.

Guest Checkout:

Some customers don’t want the hassle of signing up for an account before they can make a purchase; in fact, this is one of the top reasons why carts are abandoned. If you’re making your customers fill out lengthy forms with all their information before they can buy a product from you, chances are you are missing out. Instead, allow a speedy guest checkout that only requires customers to enter the basic information that you need to send the product to them, and give them the option to create an account once they have paid if they wish.

Transparency:

Unexpected extra charges and fees are another huge reason for abandoned carts. Most consumers aren’t a huge fan of paying for delivery when shopping online, but if you can’t offer free delivery for any reason, this can be forgiven by making sure that they are aware of how much their total will be including delivery all the way through the delivery process. If you can offer a variety of delivery options with clear price ranges, do so. Nobody wants to get all the way to entering their payment details only to find that their total is going to be $10 extra because of a delivery fee they weren’t made aware of beforehand.

Different Payment Options:

Finally, the more options you can give your customers when it comes to how they pay for their goods, the better. Debit and credit cards are standard when shopping online but there are more ways to pay that customers expect to be able to use. Choose a reputable checkout option that allows customers to pay with a variety of debit and credit card types, along with PayPal or Apple Pay so that your customers can pick whichever option they prefer.

Transparency, security, speed, and options are the minimum of what customers expect when checking out their online shopping. The key to success lies in making the experience as convenient and as smooth as possible for your customer.

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