Yes, offering Guest Checkout option will increase sales and more importantly customer are asking for it.
Forcing users to register before they checkout is a proven way of reducing your conversion rate or should we just say, not making the sale, at least the percentage is not in your favor. Offer guest checkout to increase sales.
Once a customer has chosen what they want to buy, the last thing that most of them want is to have to fill a big form and create an account before they can make a purchase.
Smart businesses are choosing to simply remove any mention of creating an account or registering, increasing conversion and the bottom line. They are using things like. I’ve Never Ordered Before, and I’m New Here or New to Our Site?
“Smart businesses are choosing to simply remove any mention of creating an account or registering and simply giving visitors the ability to checkout as a guest via guest checkout.
There are much better options than, SET UP AN ACCOUNT, REGISTER YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION or CREATE YOUR PROFILE You can quickly see how customers or should we say “Soon to loose Customers” will become quickly frustrated with these.
There are benefits for you if customers register. It allows you, the retailer, to begin the process of building a more meaningful relationship with your customer and to personalize their offers and site experience. It also makes it easier for retailers to ask for feedback, or for customers to leave reviews of the products they have purchased.
The problem is, customers don’t generally like registering. They see it as an obstacle, hence the value in the option offer guest checkout option.
This doesn’t mean that you should not encourage customers to register and create accounts, you just need to be more subtle about it.
Consider this, offer the option at the end of the checkout cycle by using the data the customer inputs during the checkout process to pre-fill their account registration, thus removing the barrier and hassle of an account.
Or perhaps your can give them options such as a button that says, Save Time Now (Continue as a guest) and Save Time Later (Create an Account)
You can also send buyers a follow-up email showing them the benefits of creating an account, such as tracking their order, viewing the reward dollars, seeing order history and one-click checkout.
Most buyers want these benefits but can quickly becoming irritated if their checkout process is interrupted.
Moral of this story, the order is important. Adding it to the end of the buy cycle will greatly increase sales and greatly reduce frustration.
SideKart can add a guest checkout to your eCommerce website, reducing your checkout abandonment rate and convert sales.
Call me: 815-768-6940
Greg@sidekart.com
Greg
Sidekart.com