Two strikes and you’re out: When online shoppers walk away

My Nguyen

20th Dec 2024

About two in three shoppers (63 per cent) will abandon their shopping carts after two purchase attempts, according to new research released in the US by Applause.

The company’s study of holiday shopping trends lifts the lid on why shoppers abandon their carts and require better purchasing experiences, particularly when it comes to seamless checkout procedures.

“One thing is clear from this year’s survey: continuing financial pressures mean consumers are less tolerant of poor checkout experiences than ever. With more than half of consumers only reattempting a failed payment twice before abandoning a purchase, transaction errors are something brands cannot afford,” said Luke Damian, Applause’s CGO.

The survey with more than 7200 respondents from Apac, EMEA, and the Americas showed that 15.5 per cent of more than 1200 respondents reported that they experienced several checkout defects during the period from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Two-thirds of e-commerce shoppers gave up shopping carts after two tries due to technical issues during checkout, and only 18 per cent are more likely to persevere for a third attempt. In addition, over a quarter stated that they would abandon an online cart if they encountered any bugs while browsing and another 28 per cent would give up at any point during the process.

The most common flaws in digital experiences that prevent them from executing online purchases are website crashes (43.2 per cent), difficulties applying promotion codes (34.2 per cent), inability to find items on the website (27.9 per cent) and inability to complete payment transactions (18.9 per cent).

Omnichannel options flaws persist – brands must have a seamless across all channels, including “buy online, pick up in-store” (Bopis), delivery lockers and curbside pickup, with under half leaving the brands due to unsatisfactory services. Moreover, 44 cent have faced Bopis issues, 23 per cent have received false ready-to-pickup notifications and 30 per cent have had false curbside pick-up messages this year.

Diverse payment methods, both in-store and online, are essential, as more than half reported last year that they began using new payment methods such as digital wallets, cryptocurrencies, and EFTs. According to Applause’s payments survey this year, 76 per cent of consumers whose preferred payment method is not accepted will walk away from completing transactions, and only 58 per cent of providers accept digital wallets.