Record low for checkout abandonment in Q1 2015

Abandonment rates on online retail checkout pages have long been considered to be stubbornly high, but we have recently seen a consistent improvement in this area. In 2013, the average checkout abandonment rate was 35%, but this fell to 30% in 2014.

The Quarterly Benchmarking results also reveal that sales through mobile devices (smartphones and tablets) accounted for 42% of total UK online retail sales in Q1, up from 40% in the previous quarter. This is up from 34% in Q1 last year.

58% of traffic to online retail sites now comes via a smartphone or tablet device, up from 53% in the previous quarter and 48% in Q1 last year.
 
Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG: “Reducing abandonment at the checkout is a clear focus for online retailers and, despite the fact it has come down significantly, just over a quarter of online shoppers still do not complete their purchase after reaching the checkout page. There are any number of reasons why shoppers might abandon at that point – particularly in relation to trust, convenience or delivery options – and the investment made in improving these areas appears to be paying off.
 
“The pace of change for the online retail industry is extremely rapid. Three years ago mobile devices accounted for 1 in 5 visits to retail sites and today almost 60% of consumers browse the web on smartphone and tablet devices. It is clear that investing in optimising sites for mobile users needs to be a key focus for many retailers.”
 
Alex Smith-Bingham, Head of Digital, Consumer Products and Retail, Capgemini “The growth of mobile sales is no doubt a key factor in the drop in the abandonment rate at the point of checkout. Retailers have invested a huge amount in optimising their sites for mobile and developing applications that will make it easier than ever for customers to make purchases on the go, at the click of a button.

“However there is still room for improvement in terms of the technology on offer. For example, mobile payments could be a lot smoother and the identification of potential purchase items through mobiles easier. As the mobile shopping experience becomes ever more intuitive and immediate, I expect abandonment rates to continue to fall.”

Editors Notes:
The figures above are all taken from the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking, an additional reporting tool that is open to all participants in the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index. The Quarterly Benchmarking tracks over 40 key performance indicators across 7 categories, leading to unique insights into the performance of the UK e-retail sector. Around 40 retailers currently participate in the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking, including B&Q, Ben Sherman, Blacks, Brora, Cartridge People, Clarks, Debenhams, Deckers, Dunelm Mill, Freeman Grattan Holdings (Freemans, Grattan, Look Again, Kaleidoscope, Curvissa, Swimear365, Witt International UK), Get The Label, House of Fraser, JD Sports, John Lewis, LK Bennett, M and M Direct, Marks & Spencer, Millets, Moss Bros, New Look, Notonthehighstreet.com, Schuh, Silentnight, Size, Sparkling Strawberry, Super Group, The Body Shop and The White Company.

The quarters run as follows:
–    Quarter 1 – February to April
–    Quarter 2 – May to July
–    Quarter 3 – August to October
–    Quarter 4 – November to January

About IMRG
IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) is the UK’s industry association for e-retail. Formed in 1990, IMRG is setting and maintaining pragmatic and robust e-retail standards to enable fast-track industry growth, and facilitates its community of members with practical help, information, tools, guidance and networking. The strength of IMRG is the collective and cooperative power of its members. For more information please visit http://www.imrg.org/ or email membership@imrg.org
 
About Capgemini
With more than 145,000 people in over 40 countries, Capgemini is one of the world’s foremost providers of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. The Group reported 2014 global revenues of EUR 10.573 billion. Together with its clients, Capgemini creates and delivers business and technology solutions that fit their needs and drive the results they want. A deeply multicultural organization, Capgemini has developed its own way of working, the Collaborative Business Experience^TM, and draws on Rightshore^®, its worldwide delivery model.
 
Learn more about us at www.capgemini.com.           
                                                                        
Rightshore^® is a trademark belonging to Capgemini