Cart abandonment is one of the most frustrating parts of running an ecommerce store. You do everything right. You attract the right customers, they browse your site, add products to their cart... and then vanish without checking out.
On average, 70% of shoppers abandon their carts before completing a purchase. That’s a massive chunk of potential revenue slipping through the cracks. However, many of these lost sales can be recovered.
The trick is understanding why customers leave and making it ridiculously easy for them to stay and complete the purchase.
Why Do Shoppers Abandon Their Carts?
Let’s understand your customer's journey toward the cart.
When a customer first browses your site, they find something they love and simply add it to their cart.
However, after that, they pause (that’s why you’re here). Maybe it’s an unexpected shipping fee, a lengthy checkout form, the sudden realization that they have to create yet another account, or they are having second thoughts. The end result is that they’ve closed the tab.
The reality is that some reasons behind cart abandonment are inevitable, but many are fixable. Few of the most prevalent yet avoidable reasons behind abandoned carts include:
- Sticker shock: The final total (after taxes, fees, and shipping) is higher than expected.
- Complicated checkout process: Too many steps, confusing navigation, or unnecessary form fields create frustration.
- Mandatory account creation: First-time buyers don’t always want to commit to an account just to make a one-time purchase.
- Limited payment options: If their preferred payment method isn’t available, they might just give up.
- Security concerns: If your site doesn’t feel trustworthy, they won’t enter their credit card details.
- Distractions: Life happens: Something as simple as a phone call or a second thought can pull them away before they complete their purchase.
8 Ways to Reduce Cart Abandonment
Now, let’s talk about practical ways to lower your cart abandonment rate and recover lost sales.
1. Make Checkout Stupidly Simple
Every extra step in your checkout process is an opportunity for your customer to leave. So, step in your customer’s shoes and reduce as many steps as possible. For instance, Do they really need to enter their phone number or billing address if it’s the same as the shipping address? Probably not.
Amazon perfected the one-click checkout because they know speed matters. You are not Amazon, but you can still:
- Remove unnecessary form fields.
- Offer guest checkout (forcing account creation is a conversion killer).
- Add a progress bar so customers know how close they are to finishing.
A smooth checkout keeps shoppers from overthinking their decisions and leaving.
2. Be Upfront About Costs
Nothing kills a sale faster than an unexpected shipping fee at checkout. If possible, show all costs early, either on the product page or in the cart preview.
Better yet, consider offering free shipping over a certain amount. It’s a psychological nudge and a tried and tested upselling trick that makes people more willing to spend a little extra just to avoid paying for shipping.
3. Make Customers Feel Safe
People won’t enter their credit card details if they don’t trust your site. Security badges like SSL certifications, “Verified by Visa,” or PayPal guarantees can make a huge difference.
Another trustworthy thing is a clear return policy. If shoppers know they can return something hassle-free, they’re more likely to take the plunge. Take Temu for instance, apart from their marketing, it’s their free shipping and hassle-free return that has majorly convinced customers to shop from them.
4. Let Them Pay However They Want
Not everyone uses credit cards. Some prefer PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or even installment payment options like Klarna or Afterpay. So, give your customers that carte blanche because offering multiple payment methods removes one more reason for people to leave.
5. Use Exit-Intent Popups (But Don’t Be Annoying About It)
You’ve probably seen exit-intent popups before, those little messages that appear when you try to leave a site. When done right, they work!
Instead of being pushy, use them strategically. Offer a small discount, free shipping, or a time-sensitive deal in exchange for their email. Even if they don’t buy now, you can still follow up later.
6. Follow Up with Smart Email Reminders
If someone leaves their cart, they’re not necessarily gone forever. A well-crafted email entailing pain points, benefits, and CTA can bring them back. The best abandoned cart emails:
- Feel personal (use their name, mention the product they left behind).
- Offer an incentive (like 10% off or free shipping).
- Have a clear call-to-action (“Complete Your Order” with a direct link to checkout).
Timing matters, too, so send a gentle reminder within a few hours, then follow up in 24-48 hours if they still haven’t checked out. However, you need to stay wary of spam keywords in emails to avoid having your emails land directly in the spam folder.
7. Retarget Them with Ads
Ever looked at a product online and then seen ads for it everywhere? That’s retargeting, and it works because it reminds people about something they were already interested in.
Running retargeting ads on Facebook, Instagram, or other customer-heavy platforms can bring hesitant shoppers back and push them over the edge to buy.
8. Make Sure Your Site Loads Fast
Slow sites kill conversions. If your checkout page takes forever (more than 3 sec) to load, people will leave.
Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check your site speed. If it’s slow, consider:
- Compressing images
- Using a content delivery network (CDN)
- Minimizing unnecessary scripts
A fast-loading site creates a frictionless shopping experience, which means more conversions. And even minor improvements in conversion rate can have a huge impact on revenue.
Too Long Didn’t Read?
- Streamline checkout by removing unnecessary steps, offer guest checkout, and display a progress bar to reduce friction.
- Be transparent about pricing by showing all costs upfront, including shipping fees, to prevent last-minute surprises.
- Build trust and security with SSL certificates, well-known payment options, and a clear return policy to reassure hesitant shoppers.
- Recover lost sales with exit-intent popups offering discounts and abandoned cart emails that feel personal and time-sensitive.
- Optimize site speed by compressing images, minimizing scripts, and using a CDN to prevent slow-loading pages from driving customers away.
How many sales are you losing to abandoned carts? Reduce the number by taking 5 minutes to review your checkout experience as the first step.
Don’t Let Checkout Delays Cost You Another Sale
Every second a customer hesitates at checkout is a lost sale, so don’t wait any longer and get started with work.
In case you don’t have a cart recovery strategy or tackling all these changes feels too overwhelming, simply reach out to us for our free consultation. At Webecommercpro, we’ve been helping brands reduce abandoned carts and maximize revenue for over a decade. Our services include:
Checkout process & cart analysis to identify friction points
Ad retargeting to bring shoppers back
Email marketing & automation for effective follow-ups
Site speed optimization to reduce drop-offs
CRO and more to improve conversions
Don’t let another customer slip away. Take time out to review your checkout process right now or let us handle it for you.
