Do you own an e-commerce store and often observe customers adding products to their cart, but ultimately not completing the purchase? You're not alone. The average shopping cart abandonment rate in online stores is an alarming 70%. This means that out of 10 potential customers who add items to their cart, as many as 7 leave without completing the purchase.
Why Customers Abandon Shopping Carts – and How to Fix It
This issue causes e-commerce stores worldwide to lose billions of dollars. While a certain level of cart abandonment is a natural phenomenon, understanding the causes of this behavior is key to increasing your revenue.
Most Common Reasons for Incomplete Purchases
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Just browsing the store (48%) Many customers browse your store without the intention to purchase immediately, similar to physical stores. These visitors may return if they are interested in your offer.
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Too high additional costs (21%) Shipping, taxes, and other fees that appear only at checkout are the most common reason why customers do not complete a purchase. Additionally, 11% of customers abandon the cart because they do not see the total costs upfront.
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Need to create an account (11%) Customers who do not want to go through a lengthy registration process often prefer to leave. Offer the option to purchase as a guest.
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Lack of trust in the website (17%) Insufficient security or distrust of payment methods are reasons why 17% of customers abandon the cart. Up to 11% have direct concerns about the security of their data.
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Slow delivery (10%) Customers want fast delivery. If delivery options are slow, 10% of them decide not to purchase.
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Long checkout process (18%) A complicated and lengthy checkout deters 18% of customers. Ensure that forms are simple and clear.
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Dissatisfaction with store policies (8%) Unclear or unfavorable return conditions cause 8% of customers not to complete a purchase.
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Technical errors on the website (7%) If your site is slow or crashes, customers will leave.
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Payment rejection (4%) A malfunctioning payment system or card rejection leads to cart abandonment.
Emotional purchases and the impact of social media Cart abandonment also depends on the source of traffic. Customers coming through search engines have a lower abandonment rate (76%) because they already have a clear intention. On the other hand, social media has the highest abandonment rate (91%) because shoppers often act impulsively.
How to Minimize Cart Abandonment
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Simplify the checkout process.
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Clearly communicate total costs and delivery time.
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Provide secure and trustworthy payment options.
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Offer the option to purchase without registration.
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Optimize the site to be fast and reliable.
- Tip for the bold: when impulsive shopping through social media, don't push too hard, but guide the customer to complete the purchase as quickly as possible. After all, a smaller purchase is better than none.
Understanding and addressing these causes can help you increase conversions and improve the customer experience in your e-commerce store.
