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E-commerce

What is Cart Abandonment Rate?

Cart Abandonment Rate measures the percentage of users who add items to a cart but do not complete checkout. It helps identify purchase friction points.

Full FormCart Abandonment Rate
CategoryE-commerce
UnitPercentage (%)
Higher IsWorse
FORMULA

How to Calculate Cart Abandonment Rate

Cart Abandonment Rate measures how often users leave without completing checkout. It highlights friction in the purchase process. A high rate indicates usability or trust issues, making it critical for ecommerce optimization. Improving it increases revenue.

Cart Abandonment Rate Formula
Cart Abandonment Rate=
Abandoned Carts
Total Initiated Carts
× 100

Simple Example

If 240 carts were abandoned out of 1,000 created:

Cart Abandonment Rate = (240 ÷ 1,000) × 100 = 24%
1,000
Carts
240
Abandoned
24%
Rate

Marketing Platforms that supports Cart Abandonment Rate

These platforms provide the data needed to measure or calculate Cart Abandonment Rate in Two Minute Reports.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Cart abandonment rate measures the percentage of shoppers who add items to their online shopping cart but leave without completing purchase, calculated as: (1 - (Completed Purchases / Shopping Carts Created)) × 100. If 100 shoppers create carts but only 30 complete purchases, abandonment rate is 70%. This metric is critical for e-commerce because abandoned carts represent high-intent customers who were close to purchasing. The average cart abandonment rate across industries is approximately 69-70%, meaning only 30% of initiated checkouts complete. Understanding and reducing abandonment directly impacts revenue—even small improvements can substantially increase conversions without additional traffic acquisition costs.
While average cart abandonment across industries is 69-70%, 'good' varies by industry and device. Fashion and apparel see 72-75% abandonment. Home goods average 70-75%. Travel and hospitality face 80-85% due to high price points and comparison shopping. Mobile cart abandonment runs 85-90%, significantly higher than desktop's 65-70%. B2B e-commerce with long consideration periods might see 80%+ as normal. Rather than comparing to averages, focus on continuous improvement. Reducing abandonment from 70% to 65% increases conversions by 17% ((30→35)/30). Track abandonment by traffic source, device, and cart value to identify specific opportunities. Even world-class optimization can't eliminate abandonment completely since some shoppers aren't ready to buy.
Cart abandonment stems from multiple friction points and concerns. Unexpected costs surprise customers—high shipping fees, taxes, or handling charges revealed at checkout. Complicated checkout process requires too many form fields or steps. Forced account creation frustrates customers wanting quick guest checkout. Security concerns about payment information safety. Limited payment options don't include customer's preferred method. Slow website or checkout page load times test patience. Comparison shopping—customers use carts to save items while checking competitors. Lack of trust signals like security badges and return policies. Poor mobile experience makes checkout difficult on phones. Unexpected delivery times don't meet customer needs. Simply browsing without immediate purchase intent. Address these systematically to reduce abandonment and recover lost revenue.
Reducing cart abandonment requires optimizing checkout experience and removing friction. Display all costs upfront including shipping and taxes to prevent surprises. Simplify checkout to 2-3 steps with minimal required fields. Offer guest checkout without forced account creation. Provide multiple payment options including digital wallets. Add trust signals like security badges, money-back guarantees, and customer reviews. Optimize for mobile with large buttons and autofill-friendly forms. Implement abandoned cart email sequences reminding shoppers and offering incentives. Use exit-intent popups with offers or shipping deals when customers move to close the tab. Provide live chat support during checkout for immediate help. Show progress indicators in multi-step checkouts. Enable saved carts so customers can return easily. Test checkout flow continuously to identify and fix friction points.