A study of the online purchasing conversion funnel: do messages within the experience change the outcome?

1. The Funnel Study
Shopping carts and cute baby bunnies

2. Background
 As many as 72% of shoppers abandon online shopping
carts
 Behaviorist psychology theory suggests shoppers are
increasingly concerned with negative consequences as
they get closer to completing checkout
 Previous research identified “perceived risks” that may
impact online shopping, including:
 difficulty judging product quality online
 product performance concerns
 mistrust in delivery
 misuse of personal information including credit card data
 loss of time and convenience

3. Study Focus
Primary question:
Are there any cues added during the
checkout process that could alleviate
customers’ perceived risks?
Secondary Question:
Which of the cues have the biggest
effect on checkout funnel?

4. Methodology
 Between-subject, multivariate experiment
 Seven scenarios, via embedded videos, with
specific cues introduced during checkout
 Videos assigned randomly to the 94 respondents
 Questions assessed self-reported likelihood to
complete transaction, various impressions about
the vendor; additional questions focused on online
shopping habits and online shopping perceptions

5. Key Metrics
 Which video was shown?
 Assuming the scenario shown in the video is true,
which of the following would you do right now?
 Indicators of perceived risk
 Impression of the vendor
 Influence factors: ability to gage product quality, site
security, return guarantee, free shipping, etc.

6. Analysis
 Basic Frequencies, including Crosstab
comparisons of key metrics
 Various Correlations using Which Video and What
Would You Do Now? as criterions.
 Factor analysis for 5, 7, and 10 factors.
 Various ANOVA (F) tests of key metrics, and also
filtering data by which video was shown.

7. Findings
I can haz moar data plz?

8. Self-reported shopping influences
60
Device
50
40 Payment Info
30 gauge product
quality
20
Site Design
10
Site Security
0
Privacy Policy
Cost of Shipping
N=94

9. What would you do?
Strongly disagree Disagree Not important Agree Strongly agree
undecided
leave the site without completing
the transaction
save the shopping cart and return
later
continue shopping and add more
to cart before checking out
complete this transaction
I consider I am not I am not When
online concerned concerned purchasing
shopping about giving about giving from a less-
generally out my out my familiar
safe credit card credit card vendor, I
information information look for
online * online certain signs
of security
measures
before
purchasing
N = 83

10. What would you do?
complete this
Estimated ship time
transaction
Live chat
continue shopping
and add more to cart
Satisfaction guar.
before checking out
3rd party checkouts save the shopping
cart and return later
Prominent privacy
leave the site without
Free shipping completing the
transaction
Control scenario
undecided

11. Conclusion:
Try bunnies