Cart abandonment occurs when a customer adds products to their shopping cart but exits the site before completing checkout. The cart abandonment rate is calculated as: (Carts Created - Purchases) / Carts Created × 100. Average rates hover around 70%, meaning 7 out of 10 carts are abandoned.
Common reasons for abandonment include unexpected shipping costs, complicated checkout processes, required account creation, security concerns, comparison shopping, and simply getting distracted. Understanding why customers abandon helps prioritize fixes.
Brands combat abandonment through abandoned cart emails, exit-intent popups, simplified checkout, transparent shipping costs, guest checkout options, and retargeting ads. Tracking abandonment by step (cart, shipping info, payment) identifies specific friction points in the funnel.