Hidden charges at checkout put off online shoppers

E-commerce research by Webcredible has suggested that hidden charges at the checkout are the most likely thing to lead to online shoppers abandoning purchases.

The research polled more than 1,200 online users between March and May 2010 on why they would abandon an order when shopping online.

The poll revealed that 41 per cent of online shoppers would abandon an online basket if faced with hidden charges at the checkout while 29 per cent claimed that being forced to register to make a purchase would make them drop out of a purchase.

Webcredible said the results reflect current concerns surrounding the economy with customers put off by extra costs that they feel are unjustified and were not explained at the outset of the purchasing process.

Online security and privacy is also a concern with online shoppers also deterred by having to submit details they feel are unnecessary to make a purchase.

The results also revealed that other reasons customers abandoned online purchases were a lengthy checkout process, no clear delivery details and not having a phone number provided on the website.

Eleven per cent of respondents said they would abandon an order because there were no clear delivery details, 10 per cent stated a lengthy checkout process would be the reason they would drop off, and eight per cent were put off by having no phone number provided.

Trenton Moss, director at Webcredible, said: 'Consumers are becoming increasingly demanding online and with the online shopping sector becoming more competitive, companies must realise that the slightest unexpected process or charge can lead to a user dropping off and going to a competitor's site.

'Many of the reasons identified for abandoning an online purchase can be rectified through following basic usability guidelines, and e-commerce sites must ensure their buying process is as closely aligned to user needs as possible, or they risk losing sales to competitors.

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