The Pros and Cons of One-Page Checkout
Shopping cart abandonment is an epidemic in online retailing, with some companies reporting that more than 60% of checkouts end without a conversion.
Preventing even a relatively small percentage of these abandoned carts would significantly improve revenues and profits.
While purchase price and shipping costs are the leading reported causes of shopping cart abandonment, ease of use is close behind.
One increasingly popular method used to slash cart abandonment rates is to introduce single-page, Ajax-driven checkout forms that combine the convenience of a single page format with asynchronous form validation.
Single-page checkout is faster and easier so that more customers convert.
When you’re trying to decide if your checkout process should be a single page or several pages, consider the analogy of a supermarket. When shopping, consumers always gravitate towards the shortest checkout lanes or fastest cashiers. By definition, a single-page checkout is faster than a multi-page checkout if for no reason other than there are no additional pages to load.
Single-page checkout forms, particularly those that use javascript to march shoppers through the process, also provide better step-by-step visibility. Shoppers know what they must do and where they are in the process.
If you have ever filled out a long online form, clicked submit, and then had the form erase everything they input and return a message like “address not valid,” “passwords don’t match,” or “please answer question #2,” you will understand the value of AJAX.
AJAX addresses this issue by validating the form while the shopper fills it out. Server calls - if needed - are made asynchronously without reloading the page or potentially erasing the form. Users get feedback as soon as a form field is complete (when they click into the next field), not once the form is submitted. In some cases, the javascript might be able to do the form validation without connecting to the server at all.
The PROS of Using a Single Page, AJAX Checkout Process
The CONS of Using a Single-Page, Ajax Checkout Process
While there is generally no reason to use a multi-page checkout, there are things to consider when using Ajax.
Preventing even a relatively small percentage of these abandoned carts would significantly improve revenues and profits.
While purchase price and shipping costs are the leading reported causes of shopping cart abandonment, ease of use is close behind.
One increasingly popular method used to slash cart abandonment rates is to introduce single-page, Ajax-driven checkout forms that combine the convenience of a single page format with asynchronous form validation.
Single-page checkout is faster and easier so that more customers convert.
When you’re trying to decide if your checkout process should be a single page or several pages, consider the analogy of a supermarket. When shopping, consumers always gravitate towards the shortest checkout lanes or fastest cashiers. By definition, a single-page checkout is faster than a multi-page checkout if for no reason other than there are no additional pages to load.
Single-page checkout forms, particularly those that use javascript to march shoppers through the process, also provide better step-by-step visibility. Shoppers know what they must do and where they are in the process.
If you have ever filled out a long online form, clicked submit, and then had the form erase everything they input and return a message like “address not valid,” “passwords don’t match,” or “please answer question #2,” you will understand the value of AJAX.
AJAX addresses this issue by validating the form while the shopper fills it out. Server calls - if needed - are made asynchronously without reloading the page or potentially erasing the form. Users get feedback as soon as a form field is complete (when they click into the next field), not once the form is submitted. In some cases, the javascript might be able to do the form validation without connecting to the server at all.
The PROS of Using a Single Page, AJAX Checkout Process
- More conversions - Single-page checkouts have been proven to significantly improve sales conversions, boosting a merchant’s bottom line.
- Better page performance - While dozens of factors contribute to page load times, using a single, AJAX-powered checkout form should improve user experience. This is important since many studies suggest consumers won’t tolerate slow loading pages.
- Better customer satisfaction - With better performance and no annoying form validation issues, customers should enjoy a better overall shopping experience.
- Advanced Interactivity - Once a merchant has decided to add AJAX, it’s possible to make the page more interactive, which again, may improve customer experience.
The CONS of Using a Single-Page, Ajax Checkout Process
While there is generally no reason to use a multi-page checkout, there are things to consider when using Ajax.
- It won’t work without javascript - AJAX depends on javascript, if a user has javascript disabled, the page will revert to server-side validation.
- Some browser functions won’t necessarily behave as expected - Because AJAX does not reload a page to update content the browser's back button will not bring the user back to an early step in the checkout as might be expected. There is a work around, but it requires more development time.
- AJAX requires more upfront investment - Because AJAX will increase development time, merchants may have to pay a little more or use more development hours.
Comments
Post a Comment