Abandoned baskets litter the online isles ... Why? Because the customers' buying process is more than just having the ability to put something in a shopping basket or fill in a form. It's more than the simple usability of buttons and boxes. For example, there is an unstated and often unchallenged e-commerce myth that customers select and buy goods in the same session. This is nearly always wrong. Why do you think there are so many abandoned baskets? You didn't really think this was about a last minute security wobble, did you?!

Customers will not buy from the first site they see

Typically customers will not buy from the first site they see. They will visit a number of others, and purchase later, often in a different session on a different day. So if your site assumes customers buy first time and you do not give customers a chance to come back you are squandering a warm lead.

There are exceptions of course. Trusted brands like Amazon will often take money first time, but they are the exception rather than the rule. And if we accept that Amazon and its simplistic sales process is an exception rather than the rule, then the online sales process is turned on its head - all products will be subject to different sales processes, and all will have to fit to the customers buying process.