How FirstStreet got fewer shoppers to abandon shopping carts

By helping shoppers find particular products faster, and reducing the number of steps in its checkout process, FirstStreet has increased by 20% the number of shoppers who complete orders after placing items in a shopping cart, Anne Richardson, director of Internet, tells Internet Retailer.

“We’re consistently working to improve our site to make it more fun and helpful,” Richardson says. FirstStreet, which operates on the web at FirstStreetOnline.com and is formerly known as TechnoScout.com, specializes in merchandising innovative products like its trademarked Balance Spectrum lamp and its Memory Foam Mattress Topper. Re-launched in July under its new name, it’s expanding its product line to include home and garden products and expand its customer base.

At the same time, it has taken several steps to make it easier to find products and complete orders, Richardson says. It has narrowed its product categories to make it easier to click to particular products, while providing more product images and specifications on each page. It also offers on each page live-chat customer service.

As customers add items to their shopping carts, they can now view the contents in the navigation bar on any page without having to click to open the cart. There is also one less step to take in completing the ordering process.

The result, Richardson says, is that customers are finding what they want faster abandoning carts less frequently. “We’ve noticed that people are getting to where they want to go faster, and our shopping cart abandonment rate has gone down,” she says. “About 20% more shoppers who access a shopping cart go on to complete their order.”