Conversions & Quick Checkout |
2/29/08 - 11am |
There is nothing wrong simplicity. It is (simply) the best way to get something done. The irony of providing simplicity to the customers is that it usually takes a complicated back-end to make it happen.
In order to design a 2-click checkout process, we have to develop the cart in such a way that all requirements are met without going back to the customer to request the data. Instead we make a couple of guesses and do our best to search for the necessary information elsewhere.
I do not think simplicity could be more important than it is in Internet Retail. Every second that you cause a customer to wait (or every time you ‘require’ them to input less than absolutely necessary information) you are allowing any doubt regarding their purchase to take root and grow.
Our research shows that customers that are most likely to purchase are on our site for a total of 61-180 seconds. First, let me state that since we are now a Google Checkout only merchant, they may be required to sign up for a GC account which could possibly take 1-2 minutes. If they already have the GC account it takes <30 additional seconds to complete the transaction.
Customers that are on our site for less than a minute are obviously not drawn enough by our sales ‘pitch’ to purchase or bookmark and return at a later time. On the other hand, customers on our site for greater than 180 seconds are less likely purchasers than the 61-180 second customers. They are not as low of converters as the 0-60 visitors, but fall roughly in the middle of the two.
Obviously, one could argue correlation/causation regarding time on site and conversions, but I sincerely believe that much of our data is aligning towards simplicity (short checkout times) being the cause of higher conversions. If we can provide all relevant information to the customer and give them the ability to checkout in under 3 minutes, all the while not requiring anything but the most necessary of information, we have the best chance at concluding the sale.
Providing the customers with a simple (quick/easy) means of purchasing is the most important aspect of a shopping cart design. Unfortunately, it is also the most difficult to foresee and develop.