Online retailing is increasingly becoming more competitive as retailers and web developers beef up the effectiveness of their ecommerce websites and online shops.
To stay ahead of your competitors, here are five key elements that every eCommerce platform should have in its checkout system.
1) Clear security measures
Buyers need reassurance that the information and funds they provide during checkout are safe and that there is a guarantee of purchase fulfilment. Security is one of the prime features of any eCommerce system.
Customers feel safe if they see an indication of third-party security reinforcement on the checkout page. Therefore, make sure to display identifiable security seals and third-party security services logos on every page of your ecommerce checkout system.
2) Clear shipping and delivery costs
It is so important to show any shipping fees upfront. The customer does not want any nasty surprises once they have entered most of their information only for them to be shocked at the cost of delivery.
If not clearly visible this can easily break a sale and cause a customer to abandon their basket.
Think about your shipping options and how to make it profitable for you but also entice the customer to buy, such as offering click and collect and buy online, pick up from store.
3) Offer account login AND guest checkout
Not everyone will have an account or want to create one, so make sure to avoid any unnecessary steps that may force a customer to register and offer the ability for your customers to checkout without creating an account.
For those people who don't create an account, as it can sound tedious and lengthy slowing down the buying process, what can you do to make it easy for them? How about the ability to create the account 'whilst' entering their details rather than before, so there is no duplication by the customer.
And if they do already have an account make sure it pre-fill their details automatically, saving them time and making the repeat buying process easy for them.
4) Allow for different payment options
Include as many payment options as you can to reduce cart abandonment at checkout. Cover all the major credit and debit cards, as well as easy payment gateways like PayPal.
However, remember that some customers are still uncomfortable with making online payments altogether, so include an option for the few who might want to call in to make their order payment the old-fashioned way.
5) Easy navigation and ability to edit basket
Easy navigation on an eCommerce platform builds good user experience and avoids click frustration, especially among new visitors. Make sure they know exactly where they are in the buying process.
Ensure that it's easy for buyers to see each step in the eCommerce checkout process and indicate where a customer needs to go next. Utilise different fonts and colours to help key elements to stand out and influence the customer to progress through the checkout.
And make it easy to "change my order" in the eCommerce checkout system, as customers can change their minds, and by providing a quick and simple way to adjust their order such as ‘remove’ and ‘change quantity’, will give buyers full control over their selections.
Try a professional eCommerce solution
With our eCommerce platform and online shop builder, you have everything you need to run your online retail business smoothly.
And if you're looking to sell at events, exhibitions, festivals, pop-ups or in-store, the combined epos system and ecommerce platform should give your business a significant competitive edge by enabling you to sell multi-channel and managing everything from just one place.
Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help grow your ecommerce business grow.
Try ShopTill-e for free for 14 days or book a demo to explore the benefits of this great ecommerce platform for your business.
What retailers are saying about ShopTill-e.com
"Earlier this year I made the decision to transfer my online store over to ShopTill-e and I am so pleased that I did. Not only is it super easy to add all your products to the online store and navigate your way around, the Epos system is brilliant too. The biggest draw though is the support you receive, they really are brilliant and on hand for any technical issue big or small. I cannot recommend them enough."
