CRM Tool Seeks to Reduce 'Abandonment'

Seldom will shoppers fill up their carts and then leave them at the cash register, never to return. But this happens all the time on the Web. That's why CRM Metrix, a marketing software company, announced its Abandonment Tracker product today.

Here's how the Web-based tool works: Web sites serve up a short pop-up survey to visitors who've indicated that they might be ready to bolt, such as when registration or customer services processes have been abandoned. The tool can be configured for specific conditions. For instance, the pop-up survey might not come up when a visitor, after filling out a Web shopping cart, decides to review the return policy -- that visitor is likely not performing an abandonment activity.

Abandonment Tracker can also be used to track conversion rates of certain banner advertisements. If a banner was successful converting a customer, Abandonment Tracker can log the time of day, demographics, dial-up speed, browser version and other factors. The tool reports its findings in real-time and even to handheld devices.

Certainly, abandonment is the bane of consumer-facing Web sites. Forrester Research reported that 27 percent of all Web transactions are abandoned at the payment screen.