It’s quite common for online retailers to abandon a transaction immediately before purchasing a product, despite its high quality and attractive price. A common cause of this behavior is poorly written order forms on the e-commerce platform’s website. Confused text, complex terminology, and a lack of a user-friendly interface often prompt visitors to quickly close the form.
Only a simple, clear checkout process, implemented with competent microcopywriting, can eliminate the problem of prematurely completed orders and reduce the losses to sellers from this phenomenon.
Checkout is the most critical part of the purchase process. It requires correctly filling out form fields, specifying the delivery type, and confirming the transaction. However, unclearly worded or confusing terms and requirements can significantly complicate this step for the buyer. Importantly, even the slightest doubt or misunderstanding can lead to abandonment.
In many cases, order forms objectively contain unclear field requirements and are overloaded with unnecessary requests. It’s unclear to the buyer why they are being asked for their email address, place of residence, full date of birth, and other information unrelated to the service being provided. It’s worth noting that unnecessary fields only increase the risk of abandonment.
To reduce the number of cancelled transactions, merchant service owners should:
Divide an overly long order form into several parts, allowing the user to complete them step by step. These methods make the order form more understandable. As a result, the customer will see only the store’s reasonable requirements.
Unfortunately, even fields that seem clear at first glance sometimes raise questions from customers if they are not accompanied by explanations. A high-quality, clear placeholder is not a replacement for the field name, but an example of its correct completion. A placeholder eliminates unnecessary questions for the customer, allowing them to provide the necessary information without errors.
It is crucial that the order form adheres to clear input formats for the phone number, address, and post office. If the system constantly rejects a completed field, citing an incorrect format, then users can only expect irritation. Therefore, it is better to define the correct entry method in advance.
When creating a form, be sure to:
Error messages are equally important: how can you provide guidance and reassurance instead of irritating? In the event of an incorrect entry, you should not only inform the user of the error but also explain how to correct it. For example, if a phone number is entered incorrectly, the prompt should immediately indicate the required format, for example: “+38 0XX XXX XX XX.” Such messages will help the user complete the order quickly and smoothly, while emphasizing that the interface is designed to serve their interests.
The prompt text should never be critical. After all, the purpose of such messages is to assist the user and provide comprehensive information that will eliminate the need to resolve the issue themselves or contact technical support.
Purchase confirmation is a crucial procedure, during which online store customers weigh everything especially carefully. To answer potential questions in advance, it’s a good idea to include brief information about delivery, payment security, and the company’s obligations next to the form. The accompanying text should include the following:
This text will reduce the number of potential questions the customer may have, motivating them to complete the order quickly.
The design of call-to-action (CTA) buttons and the confirmation screen deserves special attention. The form submit button should contain a specific call to action. A simple “Checkout” text is unlikely to be appropriate here. Better options would be:
After the order is successfully completed, the confirmation screen should display a clear message. The buyer should be informed of the order number, the delivery date, and the steps required to receive it.
Therefore, simple, clear text at each stage of the checkout process will undoubtedly facilitate full communication and understanding between the consumer and the company offering the service. This is why a specific amount and action on the button perform better than abstract ones. Attention to detail will definitely reduce the number of abandoned shopping carts on your website. At the same time, your online store will attract more potential customers.
