According to recent e-commerce reports, more than half of potential customers simply leave a website with items in their online shopping carts. MarketLive reported 62 percent, SeeWhy listed 83 percent and MarketingSherpa said 59.8 percent.

A plan was put in place by Smashing Magazine two years ago to determine if e-commerce sites are making some fundamental mistakes in the web design, guidelines or rules that were making it difficult for customers to purchase their items. A usability study was established to strictly focus on what the consumer's perception was at checkout.

From the cart to the completed order, how was their entire experience. Using a “think aloud” protocol, information from the computer screen was documented and notes regarding the subject’s behavior was then analyzed later.

In all, test subjects accessed 15 e-commerce sites and were given approximately 500 scenarios to test theories of what entices and deters shoppers en route to their final purchases. For starters, checkout processes need to be linear. When there are steps within steps, this can confuse even the savviest of online shoppers. The good news is streamlining is easy.

When it comes to form field labels, use descriptions. Without them these fields can be a bit ambiguous. During the testing, many users found this area to be the most troublesome and a clear reason many abandoned their shopping carts. E-commerce sites should provide a clear explanation for fields using short descriptions or even examples next to each label.

E-commerce sites should also avoid contextual words like “continue” or “back” and visually reinforce any sensitive information fields clearly on the payment page. In today's world of identity theft and hackers, customers want to know that their credit card information is secure and safe, even if there is no real safety component enforced on the site.

Overall, the study showed that website creators need to be clear, precise and remove any and all confusion for the customer. Don't assume that the user is not intelligent but cater to all age levels and education levels. Using one columns for different fields and removing the “apply” button is a quick fix for eliminating confusion.

If a customer manages to survive the site and is almost finished, to be toppled with more confusion, the deal is gone. Shipping information should always be set as the default for the billing address, which gives the customer the option of changing that particular information. And last, but not least, is to really take care of error indicators. Test subjects found understanding error messages on several e-commerce sites a big deterrent to continue their shopping.

Quick ways to optimize your shopping cart for increased conversion:

• Keep Shoppers Engaged - Once a Customer shops for an item, there’s a good chance that he/she may want something else. It’s always a good idea to cross-sell other items to them with ability to quick shop. The sections like new arrivals, bestsellers or related products can be incorporated. If they have been taken to their shopping cart, be sure to provide a “Continue Shopping” button that will allow them to shop more.

• Simple Checkout – The simpler the checkout process the higher the conversion rate. Shopping carts should be designed with simpler checkout process, eliminating the hassle of clicking through multiple pages.

• Providing Convenient Checkout Options - Don’t force customers to register onsite in order to purchase something unless there is necessity to do so. 80% of carts are abandoned due to compulsory registration. If there is a real necessity to do so, it would be wise to clearly indicate the intent behind it.

• Shipping Estimations – Provide Customers the ability to estimate their shipping cost up front so they are aware of their running total rather than getting shocked by the huge price at the end. This gap in formation is leading factor in shoppers abandoning their cart.

• Make it Concise & Clear – Shoppers online are usually confused with the different shipping options available. Ensure that few shipping options are provided with clear indication of price and the estimated delivery times. Also, if a customer has the same shipping and billing address, let them totally skip the billing address form.

• Keep Distractions Away –While customers move through the checkout process they should be kept away from any distractions by avoiding any banners or unnecessary options.

• Response Time – Make sure the page loads quickly. Slow loading pages annoy customers and make them go off the website, abandoning the cart. 

• Give Customers a Reason to Buy – People usually don’t want to be the first to buy a product unless they get some positive feel about the product. Having reviews and rating, comments, recommendations for products help to develop this feeling for customers.

• Give Customers a Reason to Come Back - There are instances where the customer could not complete a purchase and abandoned the cart at the last moment. In such a case providing them with an ‘add to wish list’ or ‘save my cart’ option becomes smart. Taking it a step further, an email can be sent out to them reminding them of their incomplete purchase.

• Provide Ease of Safety - Security dilemmas are also a reason for abandonment of the majority of carts. Placing security badges on the website and throughout the checkout stages helps build confidence in customers, knowing that their transaction is safe.     

• Create Value for Customers – Customers will return to your website and spend more if they get something of value for their time spent. Creating loyalty programs like ‘reward programs’, ‘free gifts’, ‘special discounts’ etc. that can encourage more spending.