Solving 6 Checkout Pain Points: Tips for Traveling E-commerce Entrepreneurs

E-commerce has become an integral part of the retail industry, and this has held especially true during the COVID-19 lockdown when people were forced to find alternative ways to buy essential and non-essential products. According to Statista, global e-commerce sales have reached USD 5.8 trillion in 2023, and this figure is expected to grow 39 percent over the next few years. Projections are due to surpass USD 8 trillion by 2027. 

Now that the world has opened up again, it’s also an exciting time for traveling e-commerce entrepreneurs to explore new shores while keeping a grip on their business activities. But the burdens of running an e-commerce business don’t stop while the boss is away traveling, and one issue a traveling entrepreneur should always have their finger on—no matter where they are in the world—is cart abandonment. 

Danish research firm Baymard Institute estimates that in 2023, 70.19 percent of online carts were abandoned. In other words, for every 100 potential customers who visit an online store, 70 will have left without buying anything. Most of the reasons for cart abandonment had to do with the online checkout process, or the final step to converting a visitor into a paying customer. 

Today’s work-from-anywhere generation of entrepreneurs now knows the challenge of not being able to close deals with their customers face to face. The good news is that technology can improve upon the online checkout process and gear it better towards conversions. Here’s a briefer on six pain points commonly encountered in the online checkout process, as well as how technology can help the contemporary traveling entrepreneur complete more sales: 

1) Limited Payment Options

One of the quickest ways to turn away potential customers is to offer only limited payment options. Today’s consumers are used to the flexibility afforded by a variety of payment options. Aside from credit cards and debit cards, digital payments should also be offered by an e-commerce site as alternative methods of payment. In the Baymard Institute survey on the reasons behind cart abandonment during checkout, 11 percent of the respondents mentioned the lack of payment options as the culprit. 

An e-commerce entrepreneur should implement modern payment gateway solutions to accommodate traditional cashless transactions like credit cards and debit cards, as well as more current payment methods like digital wallets and QR codes. It only makes sense given the fact that customers want to be able to shop anywhere and pay using the most convenient real-time methods. 

Take the case of the Philippines, where digital wallet penetration is projected to reach 63.4 percent of the population by 2025. Leading financial technology (fintech) companies like Maya Business have created the best payment gateway philippines traveling entrepreneurs can count on. Be sure to onboard a trustworthy payment solution for your website, and you’ll worry less about payment issues even when you’re away from business headquarters. 

2) Lack of Guest Check-Out Process

Forcing customers to create an account before checkout can be a significant deterrent to purchases, especially for first-time visitors. Like you, customers may be on the go and not want to take the extra time to create and manage yet another account on another website. 

To reduce friction at checkout, an e-commerce website should utilize guest checkout technology to provide the option for customers to check out without a dedicated account. This encourages spontaneous purchases and increases the chances of a satisfying customer experience—one that may earn the website repeat business in the future. Incentivize account creation, on the other hand, by offering customers perks like account-exclusive discounts or rewards points when they take the extra time to create an account on your site. 

3) Hidden Fees and Charges

Nothing frustrates customers more than encountering unexpected costs during the checkout process. These unexpected costs can come in the form of hidden fees or undisclosed shipping charges, which can lead to cart abandonment and erosion of trust. The Baymard Institute study cites hidden fees and extra costs to be the number one reason online customers don’t complete their online checkout, as answered by 47 percent of respondents.  

Don’t wait until after you’ve planned your next trip to settle this issue if need be. Use available website technologies to provide customers with upfront pricing along with their estimated shipping cost at checkout. You can also feature a real-time shipping calculator on your website to inform your customers exactly how much their total shipping cost will be.

4) Security Concerns During Checkout

With so many scams and cybersecurity threats operating online, e-commerce customers are understandably wary about entrusting their information to unknown websites. They are particularly worried about their credit card security and being victim to hacking or phishing schemes. 

To alleviate their fears, your business must be able to implement advanced security measures and ensure strict compliance with data security standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and MasterCard 3D Secure. Make it your goal to use your website’s security features to safeguard your customers’ data and provide them with a secure checkout environment—one that you yourself would want if you were ever shopping for goods while traveling. 

5) Complicated Navigation

Navigating through a labyrinth of checkout steps can frustrate even the most patient customers. Not only will it increase the likelihood of cart abandonment; it will also tarnish the overall shopping experience.

You will want to remedy this problem by employing intuitive user interfaces and guided checkout wizards on your e-commerce site. These will ensure that customers can easily go through the entire retail cycle, from browsing to checkout, in a smooth and straightforward manner. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes, and you’ll realize how much of a difference these technologies will make, especially for those who are also on the go.   

6) Lengthy Forms

Lengthy checkout forms pose a significant barrier to completing purchases, particularly on mobile devices where typing can be cumbersome. Using features like autofill and dynamic for field validation, businesses can address this pain point and reduce the time and effort required to complete the forms. 

Ultimately, a short and easy-to-answer form will make the checkout process more efficient and user-friendly. If it’s something that you yourself can clear on your mobile phone while traveling, it’s likely good enough for your customers. 

The right technologies—implemented by the right solutions providers—can help contemporary e-commerce entrepreneurs improve their checkout processes. Take the time to explore and onboard these technologies so that you can improve your checkout experience, no matter where in the world you’re currently doing business.