Forrester: Shopping cart abandonment here to stay

As long as online shoppers continue to take their time and make more effort to find the best prices they can, shopping cart abandonment rates won't decrease significantly, found Forrester. In fact, the more tools a consumer has to define a "best price" the more shopping cart abandonment will occur.

Forrester's recent study, "Understanding Shopping Cart Abandonment", found that the vast majority of consumers (88%) have abandoned an online shopping cart without completing a transaction.

But, what is it that drives a consumer to leave their shopping trolley in the aisles (multiple answers were allowed)?

Cost of shipping (44%)
Best practice suggests retailers are up-front about the costs associated with shipping yet many still frustrate customers with hidden extras during the online purchase process.

Last month, Webcredible released details of a shopping cart abandonment survey that found hidden charges to be the top reason for customers taking their business elsewhere.

Unprepared to purchase (41%)
Not all consumers are in a position to make an immediate purchase yet go through as much of the check-out process as possible to ascertain a final price.

Keep these customers in the loop by allowing them to save their shopping cart and return again at a later date to complete the purchase. A quarter (24%) of respondents to Forrester's survey said they wanted to save products in their cart for later consideration.

Price-checking (27%)
Savvy shoppers shop around and compare prices online. Many consumers will commence the online purchase process to ascertain total cost of an item including delivery.

This is another scenario whereby allowing a shopper to save their shopping cart will make the online buying process easier and encourage return visits.

Price too high (25%)
Now, more than ever, consumers are price-oriented. No matter how slick your shopping cart process or how reasonable your delivery charges may be, if your products are over-priced consumers will go elsewhere.

It is interesting to note that of the top reasons for shopping cart abandonment, most were behavioral. Therefore, no amount of shopping cart optimization could have solved the issue. Instead, marketers need to delve deeper into the role shopping carts play in today's online shopping experience.

Tags: e-commerce, online marketing, online retail, online shopping, purchase process, shopping cart