Cart Abandonment Rate
Definition
The percentage of shoppers who add items to their cart but leave without completing the purchase. E-commerce's biggest conversion challenge.
What is Cart Abandonment Rate?
Cart abandonment rate measures how many shoppers add products to their cart but don't complete the purchase. If 100 people add items to cart and only 30 buy, your cart abandonment rate is 70%.
The average cart abandonment rate across e-commerce is around 70%, meaning most carts never convert to orders.
Why Cart Abandonment Matters
Every abandoned cart represents a potential sale lost. These aren't cold visitors – they showed enough interest to select products. Something stopped them from buying.
Reducing cart abandonment is often the fastest way to increase revenue without spending more on traffic.
Calculating Cart Abandonment Rate
Abandonment Rate = (Carts Created - Completed Purchases) / Carts Created x 100
Common Reasons for Cart Abandonment
| Reason | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Unexpected costs | Shipping, tax, or fees appeared at checkout |
| Account required | Forced registration before purchase |
| Complicated checkout | Too many steps or fields |
| Security concerns | Site didn't feel trustworthy |
| Just browsing | Using cart as a wishlist, not ready to buy |
| Found better price | Comparison shopping |
| Payment issues | Preferred method not available |
| Site errors | Technical problems at checkout |
Reducing Cart Abandonment
Show Costs Upfront
Display shipping costs early. No surprises at checkout.
Offer Guest Checkout
Don't force account creation. Let people buy, then offer account creation post-purchase.
Simplify Checkout
Fewer steps, fewer form fields. Remove friction.
Build Trust
Security badges, reviews, clear return policies.
Multiple Payment Options
Offer card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Klarna – whatever your customers expect.
Exit Intent Popups
Offer incentives when users try to leave.
Abandoned Cart Emails
Follow up with reminders. Often recovers 5-15% of abandoned carts.
Benchmarking
Average abandonment is 70%, but varies by device (mobile is higher), industry, and price point. Focus on improving your own rate rather than hitting an arbitrary benchmark.