How should I set up my shopping cart to generate more sales?

Studies show that approximately 70% of shopping carts are abandoned before completing the sale. Here are a few things you can do to decrease the chances of this happening to you:

• Collect only the information necessary to complete the sale through the checkout process.  Save any requests for additional information or surveys until after the sale is complete.

• Use as few steps as possible to complete the sales process:

• Studies show that the following sequence generates the best results:
  Checkout button
  Shipping information
  Billing information
  Credit Card
  Confirmation
  Thank you

• Label the pages as Step 1 of 3, Step 2 of 3, etc.

• Use big buttons and make the next step obvious

• Use Checkout buttons at the top and bottom of each product page

• Make it easy to remove items from the shopping cart

• It is very important to have a security notification logo such as Verisign on the pages. Even though your shopping cart may be secure and displays the https:// or the padlock in the toolbar, the logos suggest better security to your customers.

• Provide links back to your privacy policy, guarantee, etc.

The most common cause for people to bail from a shopping cart are the shipping costs. One way to eliminate this is to build the shipping into the cost of the item and provide free shipping. It would be standard to access an additional charge for foreign orders.

Site design is also important for an increased sales ratio:

• Make sure the price is listed with the product. Don't make customers click the Buy button to find out how much the cost is.

• Use a minimum of colors on the site and keep the colors consistent to create the atmosphere for what you are selling. An example would be a men's hunting site. You would want to use earth tone colors rather than bright pastels.