8 Ecommerce A/B Testing Ideas for the Cart Page (With Examples)

Most ecommerce stores are currently struggling with a common issue that is seriously impacting their conversion rates: cart abandonment. 

As marketers, we can’t just ignore the numbers. The average cart abandonment rate for online shops is roughly 70% and it’s more than obvious that this is a serious issue. Before starting an email campaign to reduce cart abandonment, make sure that you’ve done everything to optimize your cart page. 

We’ve put together eight ecommerce A/B testing ideas for the cart page you can implement right away and start reducing your store’s cart abandonment rate. 

1. Add a progress indicator bar to list the checkout steps and set clear expectations from the start

Users going through a long, complicated checkout process without knowing when it will end will most likely get frustrated and abandon the purchase. 

This is why it’s essential to let visitors know the exact steps they need to take in order to finish placing the order. It’s all about usability. You should offer a seamless user experience throughout your entire website, let alone the checkout. Navigation should be intuitive and simple – visitors should be able to complete a task on your website fairly quickly without encountering difficulties.  

2. Reserve cart for a limited amount of time to create urgency and prompt users to act

Some people might think that fear of missing out is just a marketing fad – a buzz word that marketers like to use so they can impress their clients with their vast knowledge. But it’s not. 

FOMO is in fact a real concept and it has its origins in cognitive psychology. It’s considered to be one of the most common cognitive biases that affect our daily lives and influence our decision making. In our case, we can use FOMO to prompt users to take a desired action. 

Test adding a widget on the cart page that reserves items for a limited time. For instance, ASOS tells users explicitly that they only have one hour to finalize the purchase. 

Pressured by this deadline, people will checkout immediately because FOMO kicks in. What if they abandon the cart now with the thought of returning a few days later but the items will have been sold out by then? Or maybe they won’t be available in their size or color of choice. FOMO urges buyers to take immediate action instead of abandoning the buying process.

3. Display shipping costs, delivery time and returns policy

Failure to offer clear information regarding shipping costs, delivery time and returns policy are some of the main reasons users abandon a purchase before initializing the checkout process. 

I’m sure that you’ve already included all this information in your FAQ. However, you need to reiterate it throughout your website, especially on critical pages that represent crucial steps in the conversion funnel.

As you can see in the example above, Apple lets customers know the delivery time, what’s the nearest pickup point, and the shipping costs. This is one of the most promising A/B testing ideas for the cart page you should seriously take into consideration if you are to start your own cart optimization process.

4. Cross-sell items on the cart page

Suggesting related items on the cart page is a great way of boosting your AOV (Average Order Value), so it’s definitely something worth testing. As you can see, Flat Tummy offers buyers the chance to achieve the best results by featuring products that can enhance the whole experience. 

Each suggested product has an ‘Add to Cart’ button to make the process effortless and offer users the possibility to add more items to their order without leaving the page and browsing the ‘shop’ page again.

5. Suggest a safe and reliable user experience by displaying third party trust badges

You can’t expect people to spend money on your website if they don’t trust you. If you want to build a strong relationship with your customers, you need to work on credibility before anything else. There are multiple ways in which you can alleviate user anxiety.

The most common practice is by displaying social proof, such as the number of happy customers, prestigious publications that have praised your brand, reviews or client testimonials, so on and so forth. 

However, when it comes to checkout, we’re discussing another type of trust. It’s actually security. People need to know that it’s completely safe for them to make payments on your website – that you won’t hack their cards and empty their bank accounts. 

Reassure people that they are protected and their data is not under threat by featuring trust seals on cart even before they enter the checkout process itself. It helps with putting their minds at ease and lays the foundation for a frictionless buying process. 

6. Implement Express Checkout option with PayPal

Not every visitor wants or has time to create an account just to place an order on your website. You need to address the needs of every single customer and offer a variety of checkout possibilities for both new and recurrent customers. 

Test implementing a PayPal Express Checkout button on your cart page to allow visitors to place an order without the hassle of creating an account beforehand.

A study conducted by Braintree reveals that ecommerce stores with PayPal Express Checkout show a 47% higher conversion rate than sites that don’t have this option.

7. Display contact information to let users know they can reach out anytime

Although you feel like you’ve already offered enough information on the product page, some people might still have questions they need answers to before actually starting the checkout process. Make sure that you’re always available for them and offer quick and practical support. 

Customer service is critical to the success of any business. So if you don’t already have a phone number, an email address, or live chat on your cart page, it’s time you ran an A/B test to see what works for you and your customers!

8. Feature client reviews and/or testimonials to boost credibility

More often than not, the cart page is where buyers start having second thoughts. They ask themselves whether they made the right choice. Maybe they still think they can get a better deal somewhere else, or maybe they aren’t convinced they are about to purchase a high-quality product. 

In order to alleviate user anxiety, you can feature testimonials and product reviews that can offer some reassurance. Social proof has been shown to be highly effective in influencing people’s decisions. Knowing that others have bought the product you’re about to purchase and they are pleased with the results convinces you that you have indeed made the right decision.

Conclusion

Because of the high cart abandonment rates, optimizing the cart page for more conversions should be a priority for everyone working in ecommerce.

These eight A/B testing ideas for the cart page can help you get started. If you need help with implementation and analysis, don’t hesitate to write us at [email protected].

By Cristina Neagu

I am a CRO specialist with a focus on consumer psychology & behaviour.

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