All Businesses are a Little Bit Ecommerce

Most service businesses don’t think they have an ‘abandoned basket’ problem – that’s something we’re used to hearing happens with ecommerce brands, isn’t it?

Well, yes, it is – but it happens to all business types (whether you have a basket on your website or not)…

When a digital customer adds products to their basket but then gets distracted, changes their mind, or decides they don’t want to pay for delivery (urgh, don’t we all hate paying delivery fees?!), then the purchase disappears into the digital void.

Service businesses experience the exact same behaviour, we just call it something else. It looks like enquiries that never progress, discovery calls that go nowhere, proposals that get ghosted, half-completed website contact forms, people who engage with your content but never book, or prospects who disappear after asking for pricing.

Whether you run an ecommerce business or a service business, people rarely move through a buying journey in a straight line.

Understanding why people hesitate can help service businesses improve their marketing far more effectively than simply trying to generate more leads.

The problem

One of the biggest misconceptions is assuming silence means disinterest. In reality, buyers often pause because:

• they’re overwhelmed

• they’re comparing options

• they need internal approval

• the timing is no longer right

• they’re unsure what happens next

• they don’t fully understand the value yet

In ecommerce, brands actively try to recover these lost sales through abandoned basket emails, reminders, reviews, incentives, and simplified checkout journeys.

Service businesses, however, often do… nothing.

The enquiry arrives, the proposal gets sent, then silence. And instead of improving the customer journey, many businesses simply focus on finding more leads to replace the ones that disappeared.

Removing friction

Abandoned baskets are useful because they reveal friction.

The same principle applies to service businesses - if prospects repeatedly disappear at the same stage, it’s usually a sign that something in the journey needs attention.

For example, if people abandon your contact form, it may be that it asks for too much information, or it feels too time-consuming – or it could be that you haven’t tested it on mobile and it’s too difficult to complete.

If people ghost you after you’ve sent a proposal, it may be that it overwhelmed them with too much information, or it focused too heavily on features instead of outcomes. Sometimes, if the proposal was overly complex, it can create decision fatigue, or it might just lack clarity on the next steps.

If discovery calls don’t convert, there may be a mismatch in expectations, unclear communication, or too many options presented at once.

These aren’t always sales problems – they’re often experience problems.

Accidental friction

One of the biggest differences between ecommerce brands and service businesses is measurement.

Online retailers obsess over conversion rates because they can see exactly where people drop off.

Service businesses tend to rely more on instinct when reviewing what’s working and what isn’t, but the customer journey still matters just as much.

Small moments of friction can occur without businesses realising:

• slow response times

• confusing pricing

• vague service descriptions

• too many package options

• inconsistent messaging

• unclear onboarding processes

If people don’t know what happens next, how long things take, what results to expect, or whether they’re making the right decision, they’re more likely to… do nothing!

Follow the funnel

One thing ecommerce brands understand very well is that hesitant buyers often need reassurance, not pressured follow-ups or urgency.

Thoughtful nurturing matters, to meet people where they are and move them towards ‘checkout’.

By following up with helpful content, instead of “hey, just following up on my proposal to see if you’d like to go ahead”, you can improve confidence and convert hesitant buyers.

Some good examples of helpful follow-up content:

• FAQs

• case studies

• testimonials

• behind-the-scenes processes

• examples of client results

Timing matters

Another useful lesson from ecommerce is recognising that timing matters.

Many people abandon baskets with every intention of returning later (I have way too many open tabs on my phone that I’m saving for the ‘right’ time!).

Service businesses often assume that if someone doesn’t move forward immediately, the opportunity is gone, but buyers can stay in consideration mode for weeks or months - especially for higher-value services.

That’s why consistent visibility matters - not aggressive selling or constant pitching, just remaining useful, relevant, and memorable.

Because when the timing does become right, people usually return to the businesses they already trust and recognise.

Social media followers that never seemed interested and then on day drop into your DMs? They saw you – and remembered you - they just weren’t ready to act until now.

Stop making new leads the only priority

Generating leads is important, but many businesses focus so heavily on attracting new enquiries that they overlook the opportunities already sitting in front of them. The goal shouldn’t always be ‘more leads’, but ‘fewer lost opportunities’.

Sometimes growth doesn’t come from increasing traffic or posting more content – it can come from simplifying the buying process, improving communication, reducing uncertainty, and strengthening your follow-up to make their decision easier.

Ecommerce brands learned long ago that abandoned baskets are part of the customer journey, not necessarily the end of it.

Service businesses can learn the same lesson. Because often, the people who disappear aren’t saying “no”, they’re saying “not yet.”