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Improving the Payment Process for Online Customers
(This is a contributed post)
When it comes to encouraging your customers to make a purchase, convenience and ease of use are two important factors that you absolutely need to consider. If the payment process is confusing or convoluted, then you can bet that your customers aren’t going to be happy with your store. In fact, if it’s too annoying to deal with, they might just go with a competitor even if the product is inferior or more expensive.
So whether you’re a retail store with an online storefront or if you’re an exclusive online-only company, we’ve put together some tips to help you improve the flow of your payment process.
Don’t force your customers to make an account
It’s annoying for customers when you force them to make an account for your website before making a purchase. Most consumers don’t want to hand out their details, so make sure you implement a quick guest checkout service to let people buy your products without forcing them to sign up.
Offer a range of different payment methods
Make sure you work with a payment processing company to offer as many different payment methods as possible. Whether it’s PayPal, credit and debit cards or even cryptocurrency, it’s vital that you offer a variety of payment methods to attract a wider audience.
Save your customer’s cart when possible
By using website cookies, it’s possible to save your customer’s cart. This means that if they leave your store and come back in the future, they’ll still have their items saved. This makes it easy for them to continue where they left off and potentially make a purchase.
Make error messages simple to understand
If you have to include error messages, such as if your customer entered an invalid card number, make them easy to understand so that they’re not confusing your audience or overcomplicating things. Tell them what the error is, what’s gone wrong and how to fix it.
Don’t ask for too much from your customers
Businesses try to leverage their payment processes by adding more items and offers at the end. At times, this can be an entire step in the payment process and it can be a huge nuisance to shoppers. Stop trying to ask your customers for too much. Help them make a purchase quickly and easily so that they enjoy the shopping experience and are more likely to return.
Make sure your customers feel safe and secure
Reassurances are important as many people find it hard to trust unknown merchants. By complying with security standards and ensuring your website security certificate is up to date, it gives your customers more peace of mind when purchasing from you.
Direct your customers through a clear payment process
When creating a smooth payment method, it’s vital to follow the principles of good website design to ensure that your customers aren’t frustrated with the overall flow and navigation of your site. This helps to direct them through a simple and straightforward payment process.
