The arrival of smartphones has radically changed e-shoppers’ purchasing habits. The number of people buying online using their mobile phone has increased considerably over recent years. Nevertheless, mobile surfers can be very indecisive and fickle. It takes just a few moments to lose a sale. With this in mind, the payment process must be simple and intuitive to encourage consumers to see the purchasing process through to the end. The customer experience, comfort and security are the 3 key factors when it comes to converting sales.
The rise of m-commerce
More and more e-shoppers are using their mobile phones to make purchases. In 2018, 17 million consumers opted to do so, i.e. 26% of the population. This trend was particularly noticeable among young people under the age of 35 years old1. Optimizing your payment process is therefore crucial.
The purchasing experience on a mobile phone is very different to that encountered on the desktop. Mobile surfers are looking for more fluid interfaces with short response times due to the problems of dropped connections or difficulties in getting away from people to ensure privacy.
A simple, intuitive and more interactive user interface
To simplify the payment process optimizing the user interface (UI) is a must. A user-friendly, interactive and functional interface is a key factor and can be a decisive aspect when it comes to generating sales!
The purchasing experience, right through to the final checkout process, must be uncluttered and minimalistic to make browsing as simple as possible for the mobile surfer. So it’s important to strip away any aspects of your application, PWA or mobile website which adversely affect the consumers’ concentration or the overall clarity. For example, you can simplify the shopping cart page with information at the top of the page, retaining only the most essential, while prioritizing action buttons related to the payment process.
Focusing on the different order-related aspects will increase your conversions, which means more sales.
The choice of payment method
Of all the different reasons for abandoning a shopping cart, a lack of clear information concerning delivery costs is often mentioned. But to the same extent, and accounting for half of all abandoned carts, we also find the payment methods. A survey by YouGov highlights the loss of conversions when the preferred payment method isn’t available at the checkout stage.
Secure payments
Security is also a key factor affecting conversions and this is particularly the case when we’re talking about purchasing using a mobile phone. Although it’s become increasingly commonplace to shop using your smartphone, mobile surfers remain reluctant to supply their bank details. Take particular care to always display the “secure payment” wording: this shows that you’re serious and is viewed as a sign of professionalism by your customers.
You can also opt for “mobile payment” solutions such as Google Pay, Apple Pay or Amazon Pay, which offer added comfort and security for the surfer.
For example, if you’re using the Amazon Pay solution and your customer has already made a purchase on the Amazon website or a partner website, his bank details are already saved and stored in the solution. Once he’s logged in, all you need to do is confirm his payment using a security code.
Thanks to these solutions you can:
- Reach more customers
- Reduce the number of cart abandons
- Guarantee payment with just one click
Bearing in mind that a third of sales are made using mobile phones, offering your customers a simpler and secure purchasing experience wherever they may be is today a vital precondition to ensure the success of your e-commerce business.
article by Lucile Lahaine.
1 Source: FEVAD
