I can’t believe it’s the end of another year. In 2009, I was sure checkout optimization would explode. In 2010 I was sure again, and really started to see a lot of momentum build. As we enter 2011, I’m seeing a lot of really smart and exciting things happen in the space. I just wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to everyone that has kept me involved and let me be a part of it!

Now to the good stuff. Link time! (Note – you can get more timely links to new content by following me on Twitter. I’ve been doing a pretty good job at tweeting cool stuff for like, three or four days in a row now.)

New Checkout Optimization Content

131% Increase in CR!

Do you ever doubt the power of the one page checkout? Check out these test results from The Corkscrew, an online wine retailer. Going from 6 steps/pages to 1 increased conversion rate by 131.2%.

Test your intuition by seeing which ecommerce store template got 34% more add to carts at “Which Test Won?”

Cart abandonment and recovery is really getting a lot of specific focus over the last week or so. Here are some tips, along with the resource they have been pulled from:

If your site has the “continue shopping” and “proceed to checkout” buttons next to each other, make it easier for prospective buyers to distinguish one from the other by creating physical space between the two buttons. [FutureNow]

Some online merchants have tested exit pop-up surveys for anyone who abandons a cart. Because these are frequently blocked by security software, you may have better luck sending a follow-up email. [OPEN Forum]

We recommended to feature their reassurances more effectively, as well as a satisfaction guarantee.  We also recommended featuring the free shipping information here.  Finally, we recommended that they improve the look and feel of their buttons to “proceed to checkout” and “continue shopping.” [FutureNow]

Reduce steps. If you don’t have a one page checkout, see what you can do to get one. If you can’t, then at least try to reduce the number of clicks visitors need to perform to complete an order and be sure they always know where they are in the process (step 1 of 2, etc). [FutureNow]

[On cart recovery e-mails...] Consider the emotional impact of images (like the woman smacking her forehead). A quick and cheap way to gauge customer sentiment is to submit your images to 5 Second Test, which will expose them to users who will provide feedback on the impression they give. [GetElastic]

Still not satisfied? More:

• Cart conversion tips from Dr. Mike Baxter
• Banking big bucks with Future Now
• Showing % discount on buttons from GetElastic
• 2 ideas for reducing abandonment from GetElastic
• 5 tips for a good digital goods checkout from GetElastic

That’s what I have for now. See what I’m saying? Lots of awesome stuff. GetElastic and FutureNow are really churning out some winning content here… I guess I’m going to have to start posting again

Thanks again for a great year, for all the comments and e-mails, for the opportunities, and for being a part of this community!