Far more often than in the real world, website shopping carts are abruptly abandoned before money changes hands. It’s a problem undermining the otherwise growing online retail industry with reported rates of dropped sales at the virtual check-out ranging from 20 to 85 per cent.

When you understand why internet shoppers “dump” their purchases at the last minute you can vastly improve your website ordering process and increase repeat business.

Whether you are already using a shopping cart on your website, or considering adding one in the future, here are seven ways to make your “shopping cart” pages more shopper-friendly – and profitable:

1. Create confidence

Don’t hide contact details if you want people to spend money online. First-time buyers in particular may want to follow-up with a phone call, or find out where you are based. Also, clearly showing an “easy returns policy” will help reduce cart abandonment. Feature it as a click-through, ideally near the “confirm your order” button, when the question is likely to arise in buyers’ minds. Over-the-counter, exchange and refund policies are taken for granted. In the online shopping world, they are a promotional opportunity not to be missed. Customer testimonials and photos of premises can increase buying confidence too.

2. Show prices and charges

List prices with products wherever they appear, to reduce unnecessary clicks back and forth. Every second counts when browsing online. Simple distractions like hunting for costs can deter your customers from proceeding to a sale. Mystery freight costs are another common reason people abandon carts. Postage or shipping rates typically only appear on the sales confirmation page. Instead, consider listing delivery charges upfront, because even a reasonable cost can seem an unwelcome addition if people only see it at the last minute.

3. Assure security

As well as highlighting payment security, make your general privacy policy clear and accessible. In the orders section, restrict requests for personal information to those directly related to the purchase. A click-through button, “we value your privacy” taking readers to an overview could mean the difference between a confirmed and an abandoned order. Ideally, this should be accessible from every page on your site.

4. Make promises and keep them

If you promote a “quick and easy” check-out system to attract online buyers, deliver it. Many sites disappoint customers attracted to a no-fuss purchase experience, by making them work hard to get to the crucial payment page. Consider an alert message like, “three easy clicks to buy online” , but don’t promise orders at “a single click”, then take customers through page after page of registrations, passwords, confirmations or other road-blocks to fast buying.

5. Describe products with the right details and photos

Without a sales consultant to answer product and price questions, words and images need to work hard to keep the mouse clicking swiftly to the shopping cart pages and check-out. The copy style and content of product information needs to be descriptive enough to encourage a purchase without too much hesitation. For some products, it’s benefits that sell because they solve a problem; for others, like IT gadgets, it’s specifications that count. And again, this is a place to highlight return, exchange and refund policies.

6. Offer several payment options

Provide as many types of payment facilities as you can. A buying experience soured by a limited number of payment options might prevent a return visit. People tend to remember upsets at the final leg of their buying process. Think of credit card, PayPal and any other easy and securely available facilities as an investment in repeat shopping and better word-of-mouth referrals.

7. Move with the times

Browse the big name shopping websites regularly in case your system is missing new features that savvy shoppers are enjoying elsewhere. Ecommerce software advances as quickly as any other online technology. For example, some sites ask for an email address early on and if the cart is abandoned, a follow-up reminder message is sent, sometimes even asking why the sale was halted. As long as your customers won’t find this intrusive, consider upgrading to include this feature if cart abandonment rates are a concern.

It’s difficult to know just how much influence the increasing green movement and environmental awareness has on the consumer’s decision to purchase. It varies very much with the product and the desire of the consumer to have the product. Brand marketers have paid a lot of attention to the sales potential of being able to label the packaging used on a product as ‘environmentally friendly’. But when it comes to packaging environmental considerations rate generally as only as of secondary interest for shoppers whose primary concern is the overall package appearance and functional concerns.

That’s not to say that a marketing message about how green your packaging is isn’t worth developing but it does work best, not in isolation, but when the sustainable packaging message is just one part of a broader environmental brand position. While consumers may not purchase a product simply because it comes in environment-friendly packaging, a blatant disregard for environmental responsibility may be a negative in choosing among alternative products. As consumers’ expectations for corporate sustainability efforts continue to increase, it seems those companies who ignore the green wave, both in their product and its packaging, may miss out on sales.

There could be an even more compelling reason, though, to start thinking about green packaging. As companies across many industries, from computer makers to shoe retailers have discovered, green, or as it is sometimes referred to, sustainable packaging, can reduce production and distribution costs. Computer maker Dell, for example, estimates it will save more than US$8 million and eliminate approximately 20 million pounds of packaging material over the next four years from using green packaging techniques.

That’s a major turnaround in perception. Until recently critics of sustainable packaging pointed to higher cost as a reason for companies to avoid its adoption. Yet a recent article in Industry Week mentions many companies who now use sustainable packaging to achieve cost savings.

The most common path toward savings is by reducing packaging waste, as was the case with Dell. But other industries have used sustainable packaging solutions to cut transportation and storage costs and even reduce the use of ancillary inputs such as water. A simple change to the design of the gallon milk jug, adopted by Wal-Mart and Costco, is a case in point. The new rectangular and stackable design saves space and makes milk packaging, transport, and storage more efficient. This new convention, combined with their shape, allows 4.5 gallons of milk to be stored in the amount of space it once took to store 3 gallons. This means that stores can hold more and the trucks have to make fewer trips. That adds up to less gasoline and less labor. The lesson is simple - if your packaging is simpler and more compact you stand to save money on material cost, labor, warehouse space and shipping.

The appeal of using reusable packaging is also growing. Reusable packaging eliminates one-time use shipping supplies. For example, instead of using wooden pallets to stack and transport products companies are switching to reusable plastic pallets. Another common reusable packaging option are plastic boxes made from recycled plastic in place of corrugated cardboard boxes. Though plastic is usually associated with unsustainability, in this context it has the green advantage:  they get reused many times over whereas most damaged wooden pallets end up in landfills after far fewer uses; most plastic pallets are made from recycled material; and most of them can themselves be recycled thus closing the loop.

The benefits of the plastic pallets are more consistent sizing, no missing boards or nails, and a cleaner working environment due to less wooden debris. Companies who are having deliveries rejected because their wooden pallets are in poor condition, have suffered a worker’s injury claim because they had become dangerous or lose product from spills off collapsing wooden pallets would appreciate the potential cost savings of the green plastic version.

By pursuing sustainable packaging initiatives your company will ultimately achieve three important goals:  make progress toward an environmentally sustainable production process, improve its appeal to customers and cut costs.

There are some common mistakes that managers make which disempower team members and make them seem moody and unresponsive.  It can happen with baby boomer managers and Gen Y or Gen X staff, but it’s not confined to generationally different workers by any means. Here’s how to turn a terrific team member into a frustrated poor performer.

1. Failing to agree on how the manager and team will work together

Don’t launch in with your helpful advice and ideas; first have a chat with your team about how they would like to be given feedback and suggestions.  Even better, ask them what they already know about the task before you begin putting your ideas in.

2. Failing to empower team members to do their work effectively

Recognize how annoying it is to continually interrupt someone when they're focused on their work. Micro-managing is very disempowering.

3. Failing to recognize and acknowledge good work

The good news for employers who are tightening their budgets is that out of all the ways to motivate employees to be more productive, a recent survey showed 62% say acknowledgement and recognition for their contribution is enough. Yet only 44% of respondents said this ‘pat on the back' culture exists in their workplace. Say thanks for a good job – every time.

4. Failing to respect the personal space of others

Invading somebody's personal space is a big leadership ‘no no’. This may be standing behind somebody, watching them work on the computer, getting too close to them... even searching through things on their desk.

5. Being rigid and inflexible

Avoid being rigid about the way things are done, just because that's the way it's always been done.  Be open to suggestions. There may be a new way of doing something that is an improvement.

6. Failing to recognize the impact of your  behavior on others

Many people are oblivious to the impact of their own behavior on others. Be aware of negative body language around you. If you’re not sure you’re good at picking up body language cues, read up on it in books like Body Language by Alan Pease which explains what to watch out for.

7. Not listening and speaking over the top of others

Not listening is one of the biggest mistakes a manager can make. Talking over the top of somebody makes it even worse. Managers need to show interest in what others have to say.

8. Assuming the reason for someone's behavior

Ask questions about what is wrong, or why a person feels the way they do; don’t assume you already know.  You could very well be completely off track.

If you think about it, you’ll realize you probably have access to information that can help you predict and plan for your business.  Your customers and suppliers are great sources. Retail suppliers can fill you in on consumer tastes and buying trends; IT customers can enlighten you about new technologies, and your accountant business advisor will help you with financial and economic trends.

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