If you run an ecommerce store, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of seeing a shopper browse your site, add products to their cart, and then… vanish. It’s not just you.
What is the Average Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate
Across industries, the average shopping cart abandonment rate hovers around 70%. That means for every 10 potential customers who show clear buying intent, only three follow through.
Reducing cart abandonment is largely about capturing missed revenue, but it’s also important for improving the overall customer experience so more shoppers feel confident and motivated to complete their purchase.
Top reasons why customers abandon online carts
Before you can fix the problem, it’s important to understand what’s driving it. Shopping cart abandonment occurs when a user adds one or more items to their cart but leaves before completing the checkout process. This could happen because they were comparison shopping, got distracted, or encountered friction that made buying feel inconvenient or risky.
- Streamline the Checkout Experience
- Eliminate Surprise Costs
- Offer Diverse Payment Options
- Build Customer Trust
- Speeding Up the Buying Process
- Use Scarcity and Urgency Ethically
- Recover Lost Sales with Emails
- Continuously Test and Iterate
Not all abandonment is equal. Some shoppers are in the early stages of research and never intended to buy right away. Others are fully ready to purchase but hit a roadblock: unexpected shipping costs, a clunky checkout process, or a lack of trust signals. While you can’t prevent every instance, addressing the biggest pain points can dramatically improve your ecommerce conversion rate.
Simplify and Streamline the Checkout Experience
One of the most common reasons shoppers bail is a complicated checkout process.
If you make people jump through too many hoops, they’re far more likely to walk away. Simplifying the path from cart to confirmation can yield one of the highest returns on your optimization efforts.
Instead of forcing users through multiple pages, consider implementing a single-page checkout that captures all necessary information in a logical, easy-to-follow layout. If you must keep multiple steps, use a progress indicator so shoppers know exactly where they are in the process. Remove any unnecessary form fields. Do you really need someone’s company name for a residential purchase?
Another major friction point is forcing account creation. Offering a guest checkout option can be a game-changer for lowering cart abandonment rates, especially for first-time buyers. You can always prompt them to create an account after purchase by highlighting the benefits, such as order tracking or loyalty rewards.
And don’t forget the mobile experience. A significant percentage of online purchases now happen on phones, so every form field, button, and loading animation must be optimized for smaller screens.
Eliminate Surprise Costs and Be Transparent with Pricing
Few things derail a purchase faster than unexpected costs appearing at the final step. If your shipping fees, taxes, or handling charges aren’t visible until the last page, you risk triggering “sticker shock” that sends shoppers looking for alternatives.
Nearly half of all shoppers abandon their carts due to extra costs, mainly shipping, taxes, and fees.
The solution is transparency. Display shipping costs early (ideally on the product page) or offer a calculator so customers can estimate total costs before they even add items to their cart. If you offer free shipping over a certain threshold, make that incentive clear and visible throughout the browsing experience. Not only does this reduce abandonment, but it can also increase average order value as shoppers add more items to qualify.
Offer Diverse and flexible payment options
Every customer has their preferred way to pay, and if your store doesn’t offer it, you’re adding an unnecessary barrier. Some prefer entering their credit card directly, others want the speed and security of PayPal, and mobile shoppers may gravitate toward Apple Pay or Google Pay.
Adding multiple payment gateways is about convenience and trust. Recognizable, secure payment options reassure customers that their transaction is safe. For higher-ticket items, offering buy-now-pay-later services like Afterpay or Klarna can help convert shoppers who might otherwise hesitate.
Build customer trust through the buying process
Ecommerce is built on trust. Shoppers can’t physically see or touch your products, so they need to feel confident that what they’re buying is legitimate and that your store will deliver on its promises.
Trust signals can take many forms. A secure website (HTTPS), visible SSL certificates, and familiar payment processor logos show that transactions are protected. Customer reviews and testimonials provide social proof that others have had positive experiences. Clear, easy-to-find return and refund policies reduce anxiety for shoppers worried about getting stuck with something they don’t want.
Even the design of your site plays a role. A professional, modern layout makes you look established and reliable, while outdated or sloppy design can raise red flags.
Speeding up the buying process
In a world where attention spans are short and competition is one click away, page load time matters. Research shows that every second of delay can significantly reduce conversions. If your checkout pages are slow to load — especially on mobile devices — shoppers may decide the wait isn’t worth it.
Improving site speed can involve compressing images, minimizing unnecessary scripts, and using a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure fast loading worldwide. Keep checkout pages clean and uncluttered so they load quickly and keep the focus on completing the purchase.
RECOVER LOST SALES WITH AN ABANDONED CART EMAIL STRATEGY
Even with a perfect checkout experience, some shoppers will still abandon their carts. That’s where abandoned cart recovery tactics come into play.
Automated email sequences are one of the most effective tools. A well-crafted email sent within a few hours of abandonment can remind the shopper what they left behind, address objections, and sometimes offer a small incentive to complete the purchase. Including product images makes the email more compelling and personalized.
Retargeting ads can also be powerful. By showing the abandoned product to shoppers as they browse other sites or social platforms, you keep your brand top-of-mind and encourage them to return. SMS reminders, used sparingly, can be effective for logged-in customers who’ve opted in to receive them.
USE SCARCITY AND URGENCY ETHICALLY TO ENCOURAGE ACTION
When shoppers know they can come back anytime, many will delay their decision and often never return. Creating urgency can help overcome hesitation. This can be as simple as displaying low-stock alerts (“Only 3 left!”) or as dynamic as running flash sales with countdown timers.
However, urgency must be used honestly. Fake scarcity can damage trust if customers realize it’s manufactured. The goal is to motivate action without manipulating your audience.
CONTINUOUSLY TEST AND ITERATE YOUR CHECKOUT PROCESS
Lowering shopping cart abandonment rates is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. An e-commerce marketing agency can help you identify opportunities throughout your checkout process to help maximize conversion rates and sles.
Use analytics to track where shoppers drop off in the checkout process. Are they leaving at the payment step? Are they abandoning when shipping costs appear?
Run A/B tests to compare variations of checkout layouts, button colors, CTAs, and messaging. Even small adjustments like changing “Proceed to Checkout” to “Secure My Order” can impact conversions. The key is to continually refine your approach based on data, not assumptions.
Reducing shopping cart abandonment is about removing friction, building trust, and creating an experience that makes buying feel effortless. That means simplifying checkout, being transparent about costs, offering payment flexibility, and optimizing for speed and security. When abandonment does happen, proactive recovery strategies can help you reclaim lost sales.
If you treat your checkout process as an evolving part of your business — one you continually test and improve — you’ll not only lower cart abandonment but also create a smoother, more satisfying experience for every customer.
