How to reduce cart abandonment

01Why people abandon carts

Baymard Institute's cart abandonment research documents an average rate of 70.22% across 50 studies. In its US survey, 42% of abandoners were just browsing and not ready to buy. Excluding them, these were the main reasons people gave:

02Fix surprise costs first

The single biggest fixable cause is discovering extra costs at the last step. Show shipping cost (or a shipping calculator) on product pages and in the cart, mention taxes clearly, and avoid adding fees at the end. If you can, build shipping into prices or set a free-shipping threshold that raises average order value.

03Make checkout short and familiar

1. 1Guest checkoutOffer account creation after purchase, not before.
2. 2Fewer fieldsAsk only for what you need to ship and charge; use address autocomplete.
3. 3Familiar payment optionsCards, digital wallets and, if your buyers use it, PayPal. Stripe vs PayPal covers the trade-off.
4. 4Clear progressShow how many steps remain.
5. 5Mobile firstLarge tap targets, the right keyboard for each field, no tiny text.

04Build trust where it matters

Shoppers on a small, unfamiliar store need reasons to trust it with their card. Show real reviews near the add-to-cart button, a clear returns policy, recognizable payment logos, a real contact method and secure checkout. Professional design matters too: Nielsen Norman Group describes how attractive designs are perceived as more usable and trustworthy, in its aesthetic-usability effect article.

• Reviews with photos on product pages.
• Returns and delivery information before checkout.
• Payment provider logos and HTTPS.
• An about page and a real contact email or phone number.

05Measure your own checkout funnel

Before changing anything, find where your shoppers drop off. Most store platforms and analytics tools show how many people view a product, add it to the cart, start checkout and complete payment. A big drop between cart and checkout points at surprise costs or a missing guest option; a drop inside checkout points at a long form, payment problems or errors on certain devices. Fix the biggest drop first, then measure again over a few weeks, since daily numbers swing a lot for small stores.

• Product view to add-to-cart: product page, price and photos.
• Cart to checkout start: shipping costs, account requirements.
• Checkout start to purchase: form length, payment options, errors.

06Recover the carts that do get abandoned

Most store platforms can email shoppers who started checkout and left. A reminder within hours, showing the items and a link straight back to the cart, recovers some sales; a second reminder a day later can help. Discounts in reminders work but can teach customers to abandon on purpose, so use them sparingly. How to get your first sale online covers getting the traffic in the first place, and is Shopify worth it? covers the platform features that help here.