The Pursuit of Making Money OnlineBuy Now Versus Add to Cart
Ecommerce November 6th, 2007
This is an Ecommerce topic that has been debated over and over again, but I feel that since this is an Internet Business blog It should be covered here as well!
What “Buy Now” says to me:
1. I’m committing to a purchase that I may not be fully ready to commit to.
2. This feels like a big step, am I really ready to check out?
What “Add to Cart” says to me:
1. I’m going to add this to my shopping cart, and keep browsing your ecommerce website.
2. I don’t have to check out now - I can do it when I’m good and ready.
Is either option necessarily right or wrong? No. But most people I talk to on all ends of the spectrum prefer the “add to cart / basket” method, and I hardly doubt that this is by coincidence.
Your Thoughts?
I’d like to know your thoughts on the shopping text debate. Do you own an ecommerce website? Do you use Buy it Now, or do you opt for Add to Cart… and if so, why?
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November 6th, 2007 at 8:21 pm
I like the add to basket because then it allows you to purchase more than one item. If you have a buy it now how can people buy anything else?
November 7th, 2007 at 3:42 am
Sure this is a valid point, but for some questions like this, there is an alternative - why not use both?
Then you are left with a few possible scenarios:
- the buyer is an existing customer, or they are not
- they are an impulse buyer, or they are not
- they are buying more than one item, or they are not
If the buyer is an existing customer, then they are likely already logged in with a relatively long-term cookie. If not, a sensible eCommerce package will generate an account for them in a nice way as they make their first purchase. That’s just generic.
If the potential customer is an impulse buyer, then the “buy it now” button is a great feature - this is a call to action, which is a great way to a sale. If they’re not, they can use the other button, and “add to cart” and continue shopping, and/or “think about it a bit”.
In the above scenario, any type of buyer that requires more than one item will know intuitively from the interface options that if they want to check out right now, they can click “buy now” if they’re making their last purchase, or “add to cart” if they want to continue. Impulse buyers buying single items are still catered for with the “buy it now” button (”Stop saying ‘buy’ in there!”)
Essentially, by providing both “add to cart” and “buy it now”, you’re adding an extra (user friendly, in my opinion) step to the checkout workflow. The logical progression is: browse, put in cart, go to checkout, review, pay, wait for goodies! Why not add an extra step in that workflow, which is basically, “stuff this in the cart and let’s get outta here!” ?
November 7th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
I think some “buzz” words do send up flags to consumers or help alleviate the stress of buyers remorse. I think add to cart was a great idea..similar to adding to a real life shopping cart; you are most likely going to buy it but you can always put it back
. Anything that alleviates the stress from the purchase is a bonus for both parties.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Dan - I completely agree. Alleviating the stress of the consumer is a sure fire way to encourage a positive shopping experience.
November 9th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
But these are the essential for any payment gateway. Do you have any suggestion then ?
November 9th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
I prefer “add to cart” as it suggests commitment and allows the shopper to do more shopping. GoDaddy is big on this, but I don’t fall for their other marketing tactics (various website enhancements, buying domains I don’t want, etc.)
November 12th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I usually opt for the “Add to Cart” version when building a site, and I tend to recommend the same to my clients. Anything to reduce customer anxiety is a good thing.
November 24th, 2007 at 9:07 pm
That is a good point. I certainly prefer the add to cart button. Buy it now is too much of a commitment.
Having both sounds good, but I think it might look a little strange.