ABANDONMENT ISSUES? THERAPY RECOMMENDED...

Do you feel abandoned? Do shoppers come by, make a quick connection - and then just leave you hanging, longing for more?

It's not you, it's me. Wait...no, it's you.

It's always you. The online shopper is under no obligation or desire to romance you. They've got hundreds of options to choose from. If you want e-retail romance, you've got to kindle the fire.

Analyzing your abandonment issues

For purposes of addressing abandonment, we begin by tracking and classifying your abandonment issues. I'm going to discuss four different types of abandonment here that you should track and monitor:

• Single Page Abandonment - I asked for her number, and she just laughed! If more than 10-15% of your visitors view only a single page on your website, and then leave - you have single page abandonment issues. Maybe it was your pickup line, or maybe you're just dull. Either your marketing efforts are reaching the wrong crowd, or your merchandising isn't drawing your shopper in and making them want to continue the date.
  

• Pre-Cart Abandonment - We talked for a while, then she yawned and said it was getting late. If less than 5% of your shoppers are creating shopping carts, you have pre-cart abandonment issues. Maybe your pickup line was fine, and she found you interesting and attractive...at first. After a few minutes of chatting, she knew you weren't Mr. Right. Maybe your shoppers are finding your selection, value, usability or credibility severely lacking.
  

• Full Cart Abandonment - Dinner went well, but then she kissed me on the *cheek* and said goodnight! If more than 40-50% of your shoppers are fully abandoning their carts - not even stepping into checkout - you'll want to address your substance. Either the shopper was not sure they wanted the product you were offering, or they thought they could get a better deal - or they're just not sure they're comfortable buying it from you.
  

• Checkout Abandonment - After our date, she came back to my house. But as we walked to the door, she turned and ran! When the shopper steps into checkout, they're consciously committing to buy. If they turn and run now, you have problems during checkout. Maybe your house didn't look like a safe place, or maybe the life-size picture of your ex-girlfriend turned her off. Typically, less than 10% of total abandonment should happen during checkout.

Abandonment - it's everybody's problem

Shopper abandonment is a constant fight for any online retailer. When a shopper leaves your site without making a purchase, they've abandoned you. And that hurts...your wallet!

Even if you track and monitor abandonment, and your numbers look better than those in the list above - you have room to improve. If you could reduce cart abandonment another 5%, how much impact would that have on your bottom line?

That's why successful online retailers are always seeking to improve their abandonment numbers - no matter how good they might already be.

You might feel less abandoned if they show sincere interest

You can't convert everyone. Even a typical successful small retailer only converts 3-5% of shoppers coming to their site into an order.

It's not always about you. (I know I said otherwise before, I was trying to make a point, dammit!). Sometimes, the shopper is just not ready to buy your product - they might just be researching with the intention of making a purchase later.

If you have good retention mechanisms - ways to get the shopper to provide you their contact information, and permission to email them in the future - it can soften the blow of not getting the order right now.

You will want to retain as many non-converting shoppers as possible - and then follow up to monetize them in the future.

Get help. Support is out there.

If you're suffering from abandonment issues, it's time to see the therapist. Suite Spot Commerce can help you determine where your abandonment issues lie, and why you have them. Once you're aware of them, you can fix them.