Seven ways online businesses may lose customers – and tips on how to win them back

As a business, you invest a huge amount of money, time and effort in attracting your target audience. The last thing you want is to lose customers at the final hurdle.

Selling online provides a valuable revenue stream, but today’s time-strapped consumers expect a lot from their buying experience and are easily distracted by offerings from other brands.

So, what potential areas could be affecting your business online, and what steps can you take to address them?¹

1 A complicated checkout experience
The global cart abandonment rate is an astonishing 70%, according to the online user experience researchers Baymard Institute. That’s 70% of users abandoning their filled baskets before checking out – a lot of lost sales.

As a business, it’s beneficial to make your checkout as simple as possible. The 2024 PayPal e-Commerce Index reports that 18% of those surveyed had abandoned baskets because they felt checkout was too difficult, and 24% hadn’t completed a purchase because their preferred payment method wasn’t available.

The founders of the condiment company Sauce Shop say they have been able to maximise checkout efficiency for customers since they teamed up with PayPal. “We operate two e-commerce websites, and PayPal is a great solution for us to take payments for customer orders instead of offering only a card payment service,” says co-founder and brand director Pam Digva. “Customers love PayPal as they don’t need to remember long numbers or go and fetch their card to place an order.”

2 A negative user experience
User experience is made up of different elements. Who doesn’t like a website that looks professional and is easy to navigate? A clean and intuitive design that works on mobile, with pages that load in fewer than three seconds, goes a long way.

Details of products and services can be kept engaging with snappy paragraphs, bullet points and informative visuals. And clear calls-to-action help guide buyers towards checkout.

3 Concerns over security measures
Robust security is beneficial when it comes to creating a relationship with your customers. Many shoppers are still unsure about online security, and businesses should aim to give them peace of mind.

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, which helps keep online transactions secure, and meeting Payment Card Industry data security standards could make all the difference when it comes to building trust.

If you’re concerned about creating a secure online payment page in-house, you can outsource to a third-party payment gateway, such as PayPal, which can support with creating a seamless payment process for your customers.

4 A lack of personalisation
Today, purchases are about more than a simple transaction. Tailoring customer experience begins with understanding your audience and catering your content to it. Behavioural data can be useful in getting a feel for what pages customers click on and what content they interact with. Methods for building loyalty could include offering rewards programmes or sending out personalised emails with product recommendations and discount codes. In a competitive marketplace, customers want to feel valued.

5 Lack of social media presence
Constructing an engaging social media presence helps increase your brand’s visibility and creates a connection with your audience.

You’re taking your brand to where potential customers like to spend their time and meeting them on their terms. It’s an opportunity to embrace a more relaxed tone of voice, to let your personality shine through and go beyond a simple transaction. Use of social media insights can inform future posts and help ensure you are continually learning about, and attuning to, what your audience desires from you.

6 Limited shipping options
Almost half of consumers expect to receive their online orders within three days, according to the latest UPS Shipping Excellence report. At the same time, many consumers value free delivery, even if they have to wait a bit longer.

So, look to offer several options at checkout, giving customers choices such as speedy delivery or no charge.

Be transparent about the costs and delivery times and offer a tracking service so buyers know when to expect their purchases. For businesses, PayPal shipping is a one-stop-shop – sellers can print shipping labels and work out shipping costs with the PayPal shipping calculator. And with PayPal package tracking, businesses can track packages across continents, helping to give them (and the buyers) peace of mind.

7 Not selling internationally
In today’s globalised world, customers may look beyond geography if it means they can find the product they want at the right price. But if you haven’t set up your website with features that cater for this, you might miss out on growth opportunities. You may find that international markets within your industry have less competition.

Set yourself up to accept international payments – using a respected global payments system will help give customers abroad peace of mind. Aim to offer international shipping options and if you’re targeting a specific country, look to have your website available in its language.

“With technology evolving rapidly, staying ahead in business can be tough,” says Vincent Belloc, managing director of PayPal UK. “Managing the complexities of acquiring new customers locally and internationally adds to the challenge. PayPal Complete Payments aims to remove some of the prominent barriers and promote growth.”

PayPal Complete Payments allows you to accept payments in multiple currencies from around the world, as well as alternative payments such as Apple Pay², which helps to make selling internationally simpler.

And finally …
Whether you’re selling direct to consumers or B2B, business is increasingly being done online. By instilling trust and providing a positive consumer experience, you can help increase sales, retain customers and help drive growth.

Discover more information about PayPal’s Complete Payments Solution

¹ ^{This article includes tips, suggestions and general information. We recommend that you always do your own research and consider getting independent tax, financial and legal advice before making any important decision.}

² ^{Apple Pay is a trademark of Apple Inc, registered in the US and other countries and regions.}