Reducing Friction is Key to Increasing Sales

We are all experienced online shoppers. In 2024 , across Europe alone, we spent nearly €900 billion and this is forecast to grow to €1.4 trillion by 2027 . As such we have all experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of ecommerce websites. The best sites are clean, fast, with clear pricing, compelling offers and a buying process that makes it quick and easy to check out. The worst on the other hand always seem to revel in making it as difficult as possible.

Cart abandonment is the bane of all online retailers with an estimated 70% of shopping carts abandoned. The biggest problem for brands is that those abandoning customers are going to buy somewhere and your competitor is only one click away, so how can you keep customers with you and not lose out on wallet share?

The top five reasons for cart abandonment are:

• Extra costs
• Forcing buyers to create an account
• Lack of trust
• Poor user experience
• Just browsing

Account creation is a major turnoff

Almost 26% of cart abandonments are because sites require accounts to be set up https://contentsquare.com/guides/cart-abandonment/reasons/) and this leads directly into the third most common reason – lack of trust.

Shoppers are increasingly wary of sites which try to over-collect customer data or force users into complicated sign-up processes.
Put simply they just want to find, buy and get on with their lives.

Adding multiple complicated steps into a process increases friction and damages your sales and the user experience of your brand.

Capturing customers and building loyalty

It is well-established that capturing new customers is expensive. Studies suggest that acquiring new customers can cost between 5 to 7 times as much as retaining an existing one so retailers should always focus on ensuring that customers have a reason to return.

Of course, targeted discounts are a great way to capture customers and build loyalty but if the process of applying for those discounts is complicated, annoying or intrusive then those carefully promoted discounts could be wasted.

Targeting the student marketplace

The student market across Europe is ideal for retailers wanting to build loyalty early. These users have massive buying potential and are digital natives, used to working almost entirely online. But they are also very technically aware and wary of sites that they do not trust. Retailers therefore have to ensure that the processes for tempting student buyers are as simple, reliable and frictionless as possible.

This is where InAcademia can help smooth the process of entering the student market.
InAcademia has been designed to meet the needs of both students and retailers to support the best possible user experience.

• Simple – The student does not need to create a separate account with a third party, doesn’t need to share photos of student IDs or personal information with retailers.
• Fast – InAcademia works in real-time with responses in seconds. There is no need to manually verify details or scan ID cards. This speed reduces friction in the sales process and helps reduce abandonment.
• Secure – InAcademia leverages the student’s institutional ID service to provide retailers with only a simple yes/no answer for their “studentness”. No personally identifiable information is shared with the retailer. The student sees their normal institution sign-in screen, giving them confidence in the verification process and improving trust with the retailer.

Find out how InAcademia can support your business here.