Have you ever tried something new in business and been surprised by the results? I know I have. In fact, it’s one of the very best ways to learn something new.
Today every business would like to succeed online. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start. Online success requires a new set of habits and actions that reduce the ‘friction’ of the buying process, to make it as easy as possible for customers to buy online.
In this article, we’ll look at a formula that boosts online sales by reducing common customer “pain” points.
P-R-A-C-T-I-S-E-S
“To perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to
improve or maintain one’s proficiency.”
‘Practise’ is the verb of the noun ‘practice’
P – Payment
Customers like to have flexibility in payment options. Up front, it is worth presenting the payment options available- whether its PayPal or credit card (and more recently Bitcoin) before they start their purchasing process.
R – Required
Some forms are very long. Often the seller doesn’t need all of the information requested in the form. Every field in the form requires the customer to make a decision whether they’re willing to supply the information. All of these points create ‘friction’. So, to avoid ‘form abandonment’, ensure the difference between ‘required fields’ and those ‘not required’ is clearly marked to the buyer. Even better- remove ‘not required’ fields altogether.
A – Achievement
Online buyers – just like offline buyers – purchase products in order to achieve an outcome. Whether the outcome is to feel younger by buying a skin care product or feel more intelligent by getting the latest non-fiction book. Often when we’re asked to buy online, we’re hit with a bland form, with nothing to remind us of the outcome we’ll receive by purchasing online. At the start of the form (and during the form if its long), remind the buyer what they’re getting for their time. This could be through photos or reinforcing text that reminds them of the outcome they’ll achieve (eg. “you’re two steps away from your dream getaway experience”).
C – Cost
We all want to know the cost of our purchases. From my marketing days, “Perceived Value = Perceived Benefits – Perceived Costs”. When customers reach our shopping cart, we need to disclose information that helps customers calculate cost. Such information can include the $ price of the goods they’re about to purchase, as well as potential shipping costs. It can also include any discounts they’ll receive on their purchase (discounts reinforce to customers they’re receiving ‘good value’) or any offers that may be available by purchasing multiple products (eg. ‘free shipping for purchases over $50).
T – Time
No one likes to start an online form only to find it will take them 30 minutes to complete. ‘Time’ is especially important for multi-page, complex forms. Setting customer expectations is important. A simple message at the start of the form (eg. this will take 5 to 10 minutes to complete) goes a long way to reassuring people. Even if some customers abandon the form before starting it, as least those that complete it will be happy about the process. In addition to online shopping carts, this same technique works very well for encouraging use of online surveys.
I – Information
The small ‘i’ symbol in forms has now become synonymous with flagging ‘help’ or ‘tips’ signals at points throughout the online purchasing process. If there are specific fields which may seem ambiguous to the customer (either because the person doesn’t understand what the field means, or because they may be concerned with supplying this information), supplying ‘help’ text will reduce this friction.
S – Sequence
‘Sequence’ is important in creating transparency for customers. In doing so, you are setting out clear steps they need to follow to reach their outcome. Sequence also refers to any information that will help the buyer at these stages: i) before they start the purchase, ii) during the process, iii) after the process. A great example is when purchasing airline tickets online. Often the airline tells people upfront that they’ll need their passport details in order to complete the process.
E – Eliminate
Every piece of information on a website is processed by buyers, whether consciously or unconsciously. Because of this, all this information is a potential distraction during the buying process. When a person is at the start of our shopping cart, there’s only one thing we desire them to do – start the buying process. By ‘eliminating’ information on the page that is not relevant to the buying process, we help the user focus on the task of completing the online checkout without distraction.
S – Security
Many research programs investigate online customer behavior and shopping cart processes. When researching common concerns for online shopping processes, time and time again, people say ‘security’ is their top concern. A simple way to remove this concern is to make sure our online shopping process always reinforces the security of the form.
Put it to the test
As an exercise, you might like to give it a try. Think about any recent purchases you’ve made online, and take a look at that website one more time. See if the website’s shopping cart fulfills these habits. If not, consider if the shopping cart could be improved by filling in the gaps.
