Let's quickly go through the following checklist to make sure your store is ready for the influx of customers:
1) Load time
The slower the load speed, the lower the CR rate. Customers are likely to abandon their cart if a website loads too slowly. Check your store speed using Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to make sure your Shopify store is working the way it’s supposed to.
2) Mobile optimization
The vast majority of people use mobile devices to complete various everyday tasks, including shopping. If you don't provide a high-quality mobile experience, more than 60% of shoppers won’t complete their purchase.
3) Payment options, delivery, and returns
These must be as convenient as possible for your customers. Again, if they don’t satisfy customers or the terms or details are difficult for customers to find, you risk an increase in abandoned carts. So, be sure to choose a highly visible place to post this information, especially if you offer free shipping, a generous return policy, and various payment methods.
4) Sufficient inventory
It's upsetting for you and your customers to discover that a product you want is out of stock. Use as much previous data as possible to determine how many items to stock up on before your sale.
5) Fulfillment
First, post a notification in your store about possible delivery delays during the holiday season. Second, ensure you have enough employees to fulfill all the orders. Even when shoppers are warned, they still hope they’ll receive their orders on time.
6) Out of Stock
What will you do if your inventory runs out? Will you offer alternative products? Have you created a back-in-stock flow? The customers waiting for the product have already proved their intent to buy by signing up for an availability alert. To avoid losing them, use SMS notifications instead/or in addition to emails.
7) Cart recovery
As you may have noticed, many factors can lead to an increase in cart abandonment. Still, many carts are recoverable. That’s why cart-recovery campaigns are a must-have during the high shopping season.
If you’ve identified any gaps in your strategy, you still have time to adjust and improve your customers’ experience, so use it wisely.
