If you’re a marketer for a professional association, chances are your primary goal in email marketing is to drive event registration. And since event registration directly drives revenue, making the most out of your email marketing strategy is vital. In order to achieve maximum results, you should learn about express checkouts: what they are, how they work, and WHY professional associations should be using them.
The #1 reason express checkouts are necessary is to reduce the problem of online abandonment. 
What is online abandonment?
It deals with the conversion of sales. Online abandonment is when a user or member begins the payment process but quits before completing it. A user doesn’t follow the payment or registration all the way through, but instead “abandons” the process.
What causes online abandonment?
One of the reasons association members don’t complete their registrations or purchases right away is that they’ve attempted to, but have gotten lost or frustrated during the countless steps along the way. This could be because:
They forgot their password (#PasswordsSuck): Many payment processes require a user to first have a member profile. Nothing is more frustrating than being forced to remember multiple account IDs and passwords. If a user has forgotten his user information, chances are he will abandon the process.
The process takes too long: Entering payment information often takes 7 clicks and 109 keystrokes!! Who has the time or the patience for that?
It isn’t convenient on a mobile device: These days, 70% of emails are opened on mobile devices. The payment or registration process is tedious enough on a desktop. Trying to complete it on a mobile device? Forget it. Don’t assume that mobile readers will come back later and register using a device more suitable to filling out online forms. Studies have shown that only 2% ever read an email the second time. You have only one chance–make it count.
It’s not that users don’t try to complete the process. They simply abandon it when they cannot complete it with ease. In addition, a user might not even begin the checkout process if he so much as anticipates the difficulties he may encounter along the way.
This is where express checkouts come in.
The problem isn’t necessarily in generating member interest in an event; it’s in capitalizing on that interest by providing an easy method for payment. If given the option for a simple, easy, and instant payment method, a member is much more likely to follow through with the process. The solution? Express checkouts such as @Pay’s two-click express technology.
How does it work?
Let’s say for example, that we have an association–the National Association of Chiropractors–that is sending out emails for a conference:
Or, say there is an upcoming webinar, and the NAC sends out registration emails:
They can include express checkout CTA buttons in a Luncheon invitation email…
…or in a Gala invite.
And when it comes time to collect membership dues, the NAC can collect payments online right away.
In just two clicks, members can register for an event or pay their dues DIRECTLY from any of the emails above.
How the @Pay 2-click technology works:
It’s simple. Let’s take the membership renewal notices that associations also use email for. If a member wishes to pay his dues online rather than write out a check and mail it, he simply clicks the button that reads, “Pay Your Dues Online.”
Once members select a payment option, an email will pop up to confirm and complete the transaction. If they wish to proceed with the payment, they simply hit “send” and the process is complete. Finally, they will receive their receipt via email. Two clicks, done.
HighRoad Solution, a company that provides email, automation and inbound marketing solutions to the not-for-profit market had this to say about @Pay’s express checkout:
“We’re offering @Pay to our association clients who offer programs such as webinars, products and dues to make the purchasing process simple and aligned with today’s expectation of an easy online shopping experience,” said Suzanne Carawan, CMO at HighRoad Solution. You can read more about HighRoad Solution here.
If registering were this simple, wouldn’t event attendance and therefore revenue undoubtedly increase?
Just like in this example with the NAC, many associations spend the vast majority of their time and money in email marketing (via HighRoad Solution). Why not make the sales process easier and allow it to happen via email versus through the organization’s website? Express checkouts WILL increase conversions and sales in email marketing because they make the process easier and more convenient for their members.
The takeaway message:
Professional associations should use express checkouts because they will ramp up event attendance and revenue by reducing online abandonment. Express checkouts such as @Pay’s two-click express technology bypass the inconveniences users encounter through traditional email marketing strategies. They are simply the most effective way to close online sales.
Related:
Unexpected Uses of Email
Adestra + @Pay Webinar: Relevance With A Purpose
Infographic: Millennials Demand Mobile Payments
Infographic: The Future of Email is Mobile