What it means when eCommerce websites “remember me”
By checking the “remember me” box when logging into a website, so much more is retained than just a username and a password. At this point in time, frequent online shoppers understand that. They understand that the ease of eCommerce doesn’t come to full fruition until they’ve created an account and logged in. Without registration, return visitors will need to re-enter their credit card, billing and shipping information every single time they go to make a purchase.
The formal term for accessing saved information is persistent sessions. This is made possible with persistent cookies, which are small text files stored on a user’s computer. On a first-time visit, an online store is presented in default mode, but once an account is registered, viewing preferences and profile information is stored for access on all subsequent visits.
When it comes to eCommerce, there are persistent sessions and then there are persistent shopping carts, where previously viewed or selected items can be accessed. Both can improve a registered user’s experience by making it easier to retrieve a pending shopping cart.
Persistence pays off
Although it’s almost impossible to understand why some carts are abandoned, in many cases, the cart might not have been totally abandoned at all. Shoppers might have had every intention to return later to finish the transaction. In fact, many shoppers consider a shopping cart as more of a wish list than anything else. So while there’s no guarantee that a return visitor will purchase every item that they’d previously placed in their cart, allowing them to resume shopping will enhance their experience – especially from a convenience standpoint.
When a return visit doesn’t result in a completed transaction, persistent sessions can still reap benefits. By providing the feature, online store owners are able to better manage sales transactions by correlating shopping activities that span several sessions. Some eCommerce platforms even allow guests to take advantage of persistent shopping carts, further aiding marketers in their ability to deliver on shoppers’ wants and needs.
While guests are able to resume shopping, there are some viewing options not available to them that are available for registered customers. Those options include viewing order history, accessing previous billing and shipping information, as well as obtaining certain coupons, promotions and eligible contracts.
To take advantage of persistent sessions, eCommerce site owners must, of course, enable the feature. They must also create the “remember me” check box on the logon and registration page. To get help setting up persistent sessions, feel free to contact the team at NetSphere Strategies. We have experience assisting online retailers with everything from developing UI/UX strategies to integrating the most powerful eCommerce platforms available.