Number one on my list of eCommerce conversion killers is the shopping cart registration page. It really bothers me that so many online shops ask you to “sign up” or “register” before you enter the purchase process. The topic was discussed in a recent blog entry by Bryan Eisenberg of Future Now in the US, “Why must I register before checkout?”
Now as a programmer, I understand the want and need for a nice, neat and tidy database. It’s so fulfilling to have all those records matching up together and connected to each other.
As an online shopper, nothing irks me more than filling in forms! If I can’t see the shopping cart contents, shipping options and have a peek at the payment process, then the chances are that I won’t ever finish the order. Distraction, buyer’s remorse or lack of time will win out. The order may be lost forever. . .
Of course, if you have a product that is so perfect, so rare and so amazing then the effect of this will probably be minimal. People will put up with an awful lot if the end result is worth it, but there is a better way.
Why do we even need registration?
After all, if I make a purchase from you, you’ve most likely collected all of the data that you need to do business with me. Out of that, you’ll find some fairly unique data to match me up with the next time I come shopping. Add together my email address, name and address, phone numbers, etc, and what you have is something like my identity fingerprint.
The next time I come back you’ll know it’s me, and you should be able to match it up.
How could Automatic Registration work?
See the simple example to the left. On this site, when you click on the “shopping cart” link, the cart page includes shipping options, personal details and shipping address. All of the information needed to make a decision to purchase appears on the shopping cart page. There are no confusing choices. The next page is for payment details, and then a payment confirmation page.
If it’s the first time the user has been to the shop, they will be sent an email with a password and a link to access the account. If the details entered match an existing user in the database, then an email is sent reminding them of their account password and previous purchases.
The more steps in the process and the longer it takes to check out the more likely your shoppers are going to have second thoughts about purchasing.
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