Embracing Flexible and Frictionless Buying Options for the Future

The modern customer want options and they want those options to put as few barriers between them and making a purchase as possible.

How many times have you seen an advert in your social feeds which looked interesting, so you clicked though and started adding items to the basket only to abandon the checkout process because too many steps gave you pause for thought, or too few payment/shipping options meant you couldn’t find one to suit you?

It would probably be fair to say that most of us have experienced this situation. However, it’s alarming how many otherwise digitally savvy ecommerce brands are neglecting to add options and remove sources of friction from their online retail experience.

Guests are Welcome

One thing which baffles this author over and over again is the vast number of ecommerce brands advertising on social media – and therefore safe to assume are looking to take advantage of those prone to making impulse purchases – which then force customers to create an account before checking out.

Few things are going to give a customer pause for thought than having to hand over their data and sign up for what may be a one-off purchase with a brand they’ve probably never heard of before.

Let them check out as a guest and remove that barrier to completing the purchase. You can always send a follow up email after they’ve received the goods and invite them back to open an account if they’re happy with their products. They may even be more likely to do so as they may appreciate your brand taking an active interest in the experience they’ve had.

Giving the option to check out as a guest is such an easy win. It removes a massive barrier to completing a purchase and will, more often than not, reduce your abandoned cart statistics.

Shipping and Payment

This author regularly uses eBay to purchase items for their home. Whether it’s a cooking ingredient they cannot find in a local store, or a piece of equipment necessary for one of their many hobbies, eBay is a fantastic place to buy these kinds of items.

The reasons for this are twofold.

Firstly, these items can usually be found on eBay cheaper than on Amazon and often with free shipping. Having to meet a minimum spend on Amazon to get free shipping – without a Prime membership – makes the platform wholly unsuitable for these kinds of single item purchases.

Free shipping can be a tough pill to swallow for many brands but, if Wanahong Oriental Store can send one pack of tteokbokki without charging for shipping, your brand could at least consider it as an option. The aforementioned store probably charges a little more for the product to absorb this cost, which is perfectly acceptable – people are often happy to pay a little more for specialist products.

Then there’s the actual checkout process. eBay lets you complete these purchases with just three clicks. You find the item you want, you click Buy It Now, select the payment option, checkout and its done. With Google/Apple Pay as an option you literally checkout by scanning your thumbprint and can get on with your day.

Then there are easily accessible options through payment providers such as PayPal which give customers a simple method of accessing interest free credit. Features such as PayPal’s Pay In Three feature is perfectly placed during the checkout process to potentially allay any second thoughts about making larger purchases.

Final Thoughts

Now, obviously not every brand has the resources of eBay or PayPal – we know this. However, these examples should at least give you some idea of how adjusting just a few options can reduce friction in your ecommerce buying process and reduce the number of purchases which go uncompleted.

"Nothing puts the brakes on an otherwise enjoyable shopping experience like a checkout process that is overly time-consuming or complex," says PayPal. "That’s especially true for shoppers who are looking for payment options for their purchase. These are the customers who get redirected to other sites or have to fill out long forms. It’s enough friction to start a campfire."

Ecommerce brands need to go back to the drawing board when it comes to their entire shopping experience. This way they can identify the areas – such as not allowing guest checkout – which create friction and take steps to address them and ensure there are ample shipping and payment options available to give customers the best chance of finding ones which suit them.

Flexible and frictionless buying options are sure to be part of the conversation at eTail Boston 2022, taking place in August at The Sheraton, Boston.

Download the agenda today for more information and insights.