CCAvenue

The online retail industry has seen a major boom in the recent years. E-commerce has been part of our lives for a long time. Despite this, cart abandonment is still a big issue and needs to be sorted.

When addressing abandonment we must think of the process from the customer's perspective. They want to be sure that they are making the right choice; they want to know they can trust the retailer; they want to know about all the costs, they want to know about delivery options and they want to enter as little data as possible. The customer's concerns may be at odds with those of the retailer but the more the retailer pushes its needs, the less likely the customer will feel comfortable.

Even before they get to the checkout, ensure a customer can make an informed choice about the products on offer. You do not want them to enter the checkout process feeling uncertain about their choice or about the potential for regret of not making another selection. However, assuming the sales environment is conducive to making the customer feel informed and assured then we have to address the checkout process.

Picture this. A customer visits your website, and adds a product to his shopping cart, and at the last minute due to some unknown reason, he decides to abandon the transaction. He goes through the entire process of entering all the necessary details etc. However, when he reaches the point of checkout, he quits the transaction. If this carries on with more than one customer, then you will be at the losing end. It is imperative that you hold onto all the customers that visit your website and see them through until they make a purchase. It may not be possible for you to achieve a 100% success rate, but with CCAvenue's bill invoice payment collection facility (http://www.ccavenue.com/demos.jsp#4) you can retain most of your customers and stop them from navigating away from your website.

If incase a customer abandons the shopping cart, you will still have all the details fed into your system. Therefore, what you can do is, simply check the product/transaction details that the customer has chosen, and then prepare a specialized invoice through your CCAvenue M.A.R.S account. This detailed invoice can be sent directly to the customer and it saves him from the trouble of entering all the details again. This is your chance to convince the customer to go ahead and make the purchase.

Once you get the usability of your website right, you have crossed Level 1 of the cart abandonment challenge.

	Streamline the checkout process and eliminate unnecessary steps.
	Indicate how many steps are involved and signpost where exactly the user is in the process.
	Simplify forms to collect only the minimal data required.
	Use automatic postcode look up to reduce the consumer's workload.
	Follow best practice in form design in terms of visual layout.
	Use simple understandable labels and questions - if a user has difficulty understanding what is asked from them they will find it hard to answer - at all times reduce customer burden.
	Do not hide costs; do not give the customer an unexpected nasty surprise at any stage of the process.
	Clearly state delivery costs. Make it easy for customers to get in touch with you and show a real world address and alternative methods for contacting you.

Congratulations. You have now reached Level 2 of the cart abandonment challenge. You may now proceed.

	Allow users to carry the item with them through the checkout process. If you watch real customers in retail stores, they often re-assess their purchase decision right up to the point of payment. Even if they do not change their mind, the ability to re-assure themselves that they have made the right decision is important. Let them see what it is they have chosen. Most likely, they invested some time deciding on which item from a range of options to select, therefore keep the item in full view to help reduce doubt.
	Use techniques to create a sense of urgency and the need for immediate action. The classic "limited stock" or "only 2 left" increases the fear of potential loss if they do not act now. A similar effect is achieved by giving a time window within which to order to ensure a speedy, free or next day delivery.
	Employ persistence - let customers keep things in their basket. Therefore, even if they abandon today they can come back later and pick up where they left off.
	See if you can implement a one-click purchase process, or at least a super streamlined process. This only works well for sites where customers are making regular or habitual purchases, but it again reduces customer burden. Do your best, and do not let usability issues that can easily be resolved be the reason for abandonment.