Customers who abandon their online shopping bag are going unchecked by 85 per cent of the UK’s top 75 retailers. Abandoned shopping baskets are unlikely in bricks-and-mortar stores, so why do retailers accept it online? Brendan Dykes (pictured) explains.
Recent Genesys research has identified that a massive 85% of online retailers are letting customers discard their online goods without challenge. The issue became apparent after £140 worth of goods were put in the baskets of 75 of the UK’s top retailers, then abandoned before final payment. Just 15% of surveyed retailers chased up potential customers in the crucial first 24 hours post-abandonment, with 5% of them enquiring a second time the following day.
Customer service in the shape of the contact centre can be key in proactively combating online shopping cart abandonment, this won’t happen with website that offer great customer service like the Product Expert website.
Missed opportunities
Retailers at this stage in the sales cycle are already in possession of a customer’s contact details, yet choose to miss the sales opportunity. From £10,830 worth of abandoned items, £9,180 of goods were not pursued at all. In other words, just £1,650 (15%) worth of potential sales were investigated post-abandonment.
This wasted revenue opportunity is avoidable. All that is required is timely intervention at the point of virtual sale or quick and diligent following-up by the contact centre after a cart has been sidelined.
Proactive engagement
Every retailer would benefit by implementing something as simple as a live web chat. However, the study found only 7% of the retailers operated a web chat service, and none of them chose to proactively use this option during the buying process. But surely it’s the ideal tool to engage with a hesitant shopper from sites like the who is almost at the point of purchase?
Proactively using web chat enables retailers to persuade the customer to continue their purchase or simply address any questions they may have about the goods they’re buying, which can also reduce stock returns. This is more preferable than letting them discard their goods or, worse still, conceding them to a competitor.
Recent research by ContactBabel has also indicated that the number of web chats handled by contact centres has risen to 250 million, a 60% increase over the last 12 months. Using this service to offer support to online shoppers at the point of sale goes a significant way to improving the customer’s website experience, boosting customer service and sales simultaneously.
Re-marketing
If this fails, follow up by phone or email. But the Genesys research showed just 15% of retailers followed up within that crucial 24 hours after shopping cart abandonment. Following up after consumers have abandoned their online goods is clearly not deemed a priority. But understanding why a shopper has decided to disregard the items in their online basket and re-marketing to them can unearth valuable sales and marketing data to support a range of services from product marketing to website design.
These simple solutions could decrease online abandonment, and lead to higher sales and a better customer experience.
Brendan Dykes is director of strategic marketing at Genesys.
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Trained as a journalist from the age of 18 and enjoying a long career in regional newspaper reporting and editing, Sally Hooton joined DMI (Direct Marketing International) magazine as editor in 2001. DMI then morphed into The GMA, taking her with it!
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