Tip: Move registration to the end of the check out process…

Have you ever been to an e-commerce site which has forced you to register right at the beginning of the checkout process? How did that make you feel? Websites that put this registration step right at the front of a check out process will be losing customers unnecessarily.

When someone has made a purchasing decision, they want to get the job of checking out down as quickly and easily as possible and don’t want anything to get in the way. Asking people register gets in the way and can present a trust question in the customers mind, i.e. “why is this company forcing me to do this?” and “what will they do with my personal information?”.

If you’ve made a business decision that all people that do business with you MUST register then seriously consider changing it.For some products and services registration may be essential but for most consumer purchases, especially lower ticket items, the demand to register is simply not justified.

Make it easy on your customers by allowing them to go through the checkout process unhindered and then provide the option of registering at the end. Why is this better? Because by the end of the checkout process the customer is now more satisfied, they’ve accomplished their goal and are more receptive to the idea of registering. On the final order confirmation page you can clearly display the benefits of registering in a trustworthy and persuasive manner.