Abandonment issues: why shopping carts get left behind (and what to do about it)

This article covers the top cart abandonment reasons that could be driving potential buyers away, how to identify whether they’re affecting your online store, and what you can do about them.

What is cart abandonment and why is it a problem?

‘Cart abandonment’ is a term used to describe any online purchase that is started but left incomplete (or abandoned) before the customer checks out. It happens when someone adds items to their online shopping cart, but doesn’t complete the purchase—and the cart gets left behind.

If it sounds sad, that’s because it is. 

While cart abandonment is a natural part of online shopping, a high cart abandonment rate can be particularly frustrating for ecommerce businesses, especially when you’ve invested heavily in getting those people to your site in the first place. 

A high cart abandonment rate can cause problems for ecommerce businesses because, simply put, it represents potential customers who chose not to become customers. Abandoned carts are lost sales—and lost sales equals lost revenue.

But abandoned carts can also be a symptom of a bigger issue. A high abandoned cart rate may indicate there’s something wrong with:

• Your product

• The perception of your brand

• The customer experience you’re providing

• The user experience of your site or app

• How you stack up against competitors

• Your ecommerce funnel

Whatever the cause, if left unexamined—and untreated—the issues behind abandoned carts can compound, leading to lower profits, more budget spent trying to regain customers’ attention with retargeting, and frustrated customers who may turn to competitors.

5 common cart abandonment reasons

There are many cart abandonment reasons that could be behind those left-behind carts, but without knowing which ones are at play, it’s almost impossible to fix them.

Luckily there are a few good places to start. Here are five common cart abandonment reasons—and what to do about them.

1. Extra costs, such as shipping and taxes

According to Baymard’s research, ‘extra costs too high’ (think: shipping costs, tax, and fees) is the biggest cart abandonment reason, and was responsible for 48% of abandoned carts in 2022.

It makes sense: getting to the end of a checkout flow only to find that the total amount is more than you expected can be a nasty surprise, so try to ensure customers have all the information they need before they reach that ‘Pay now’ button.

Is your cart at risk?

Is information about shipping costs, taxes, and other fees (such as customs and duties) easy to find, or do people have to add items to their cart and start the checkout process to see how much their order is really going to cost?

 2. Forcing buyers to create an account

Needing to create an account to complete a purchase can be off-putting. Whether it’s because creating an account is a multistep process that’s overly complicated, the customers don’t have time right now, or you simply haven’t earned their trust yet, the Baymard Institute’s research suggests almost a quarter (24%) of abandoned carts happen because the site wanted customers to create an account.

Is your cart at risk?

Do people need to create an account to check out? And if so, how long is that process? Are customers exiting the checkout page instead of entering their payment details?

3. Lack of trust

Customers will only give you their credit card details after you've earned their trust. For 18% of respondents in the Baymard Institute’s survey, not trusting the site with their financial information was enough for people to abandon their carts. 

But how can you build trust? Customers are looking for signals like a consistent brand, SSL certificates, multiple payment methods, clear and accessible security information, and upfront information about returns policies. Research has also shown that incorporating social proof throughout your ecommerce store—with customer testimonials, ratings and reviews, and user-generated content—is incredibly impactful, potentially increasing the conversion rate by up to 380%.

Is your cart at risk?

Are your policies clearly stated and easy to find? Do you accept multiple payment methods? Do you have authentic customer reviews and ratings?

4. Poor user experience or technical errors

There are many factors that contribute to a poor shopping cart user experience. Maybe it’s an overly long or complicated checkout process, which Baymard’s research lists as the fifth most common cart abandonment reason. Or maybe it’s too many pop-ups, long load times, missing content, photos or descriptions that don’t load correctly…the list can—unfortunately—be endless.  

And then there are website bugs and glitches.

According to Baymard, errors and crashes are responsible for 13% of cart abandonments during checkout. But technical errors don’t just cause a poor user experience and lose a sale in the moment; they can erode trust and put people off trying again later. Luckily, a few small tweaks to your site can help you get back on track.

Is your cart at risk?

Is the user experience consistent across both desktop and mobile? When was the last time you did a full technical check on your site—particularly the journey from product page to checkout?

5. They’re just browsing

Sometimes, a browse is just a browse, and a full shopping cart can be more of a daydream than an actual commitment.

It’s a natural part of the equation for online retailers, and many customers abandon their carts before they even make it to the checkout flow. But that doesn’t mean you can’t turn at least some of these window (or browser) shoppers into repeat customers with a few clever tactics.

Is your cart at risk?

Yes! Every cart is. Sorry—but it’s not all bad news. This presents an opportunity for you to do some customer analytics, turn your insights into action, and boost your conversion rate optimization.

Understanding cart abandonment reasons is the first step to fixing them

Your customers’ actions speak just as loudly as words, so if they’re bouncing before completing a purchase, it’s probably a sign that there’s room for improvement somewhere along the buyer's journey.

Knowing why people are leaving their carts behind is crucial to reducing your cart abandonment rate and boosting sales. By identifying the top reasons behind abandoned carts and optimizing your UX to address them, you can delight your customers all the way to checkout—again and again.