10. Reducing purchase anxiety
Purchase anxiety can be high when buying online — especially when lack of space can make comparisons more difficult on mobile. This is how you can reduce anxiety in the most challenging of phases.
The 3 e-commerce anxiety peaks
The typical consumer often experiences purchase anxiety during three stages of online shopping.
💡 A/B test adding reviews
Genuine product reviews can help the consumer find the right product that meets their specific needs. Reviews also act as a persuasion technique, reassuring with social proof that real people vouch for the product’s quality.
💡 A/B test adding a product comparison
Product comparison is crucial for making difficult purchase decisions. Avoid making visitors scroll or swipe between pages when comparing products — forcing them to memorise different product specs. Read the Nielsen Norman Group research on how to use product comparison tables on mobile.
Comparisons must be enforced within the scope of the eye span
Edward Tufte,
Statistician and professor
💡 A/B test free delivery, free returns and clarifying your delivery date
61% of visitors will abandon a purchase if there are extra shipping costs at the checkout*. Remove the fees and calculate if the increase in conversions will cover the extra costs.
(*) The Average Checkout Flow Has 14.88 Form Fields Twice as Many as Necessary, 2016, Baymard Institute
💡 A/B test simplifying the checkout process
27% of purchases are abandoned because of long or complicated checkout processes. A simple checkout can lead to big wins. Try the following:
Allow visitors to checkout as guests
State why you need an email or phone number
(e.g. delivery)
Use numeric keyboard triggers for numbers and fields text keyboard for text input
💡 A/B test using Google Pay to get close to one-click buying
Emojis are popular because typing on mobile devices can be tedious. Yet many online stores still require shoppers to type 120 taps in average on a small screen before completing a purchase. With Google Pay, visitors can complete their purchase with just a few taps of their screens.
Average amounts of taps for a checkout:
Required taps with
Google Pay:
Google Pay is a free service that allows visitors to be logged in and pay with just a few clicks — read more here.
| ✓ | Logged in and ready to pay |
| ✓ | One API that enables web & app |
| ✓ | Integrate in just a few days |
| ✓ | Available globally |
| ✓ | Checkout in a few clicks |
| ✓ | Higher conversion rates |
| ✓ | Future proof |
| ✓ | No fees |
Start A/B testing your mobile site today
Google Optimize is a free tool that will help you begin A/B testing today. Get testing to start delivering more mobile conversions.
Now let’s learn how to prioritise tests in chapter 11!
Prioritising tests
