Abandoned carts: how many sales you lose and how to win them back

An abandoned cart is a cart where the shopper added products but did not complete the purchase. Research by the Baymard Institute has shown for years that on average around 70% of carts are abandoned. It is the single biggest leak in the sales of most online stores.

Why shoppers abandon their carts

• Unexpected shipping costs at the end of checkout.
• Mandatory registration before buying.
• A checkout that is too long or complicated.
• The shopper was only comparing prices or saving products for later.
• A missing payment method, such as cash on delivery or card payment.

Measure first, then act

Without numbers you do not know whether the problem is big or small. In analytics you see every open cart with its value, products and last update time. Carts of known customers (with email or phone) are shown separately from anonymous visitors.

Five measures that work

1. 1

   Show shipping costs early

   On the product page or in the cart, not only at the last step.

2. 2

   Allow guest checkout

   Offer registration after the purchase, not before it.

3. 3

   Call or email known customers

   A personal message for larger carts gets a surprisingly high response.

4. 4

   Free shipping above a threshold

   Set the threshold slightly above your average order value.

5. 5

   Track the effect

   After every change, compare the value of open carts and the number of completed orders.

An abandoned cart is not a lost customer. It is a customer who told you what they are interested in.