Cart Abandonment Statistics (+ Ways to Improve Add To Cart Rate)

The average cart abandonment rate is 70%.

What’s worse: $18 billion in sales is lost annually to cart abandonment.

The good thing is that it's not extremely difficult to solve this problem.

In this blog, we’ve compiled a list of cart abandonment statistics—to help you uncover problem areas.

We've also covered 5 powerful ways to improve your add-to-cart rate.

Checkout

As of 2021, the average checkout flow is 5.2 steps

17% of customers abandoned during checkout because of the lengthy and complicated checkout process

24% of customers left the checkout page because they were asked to create an account

Only 42% of mobile users complete checkout as opposed to 47% of desktop users

The mobile cart abandonment rate of 85.65% is the highest among all devices

Millennials (25-34) are age group who abandon the carts the highest at 21%

The average eCommerce store loses 75% of sales due to cart abandonment

23% of customers won’t complete the purchase if they have to create an account

Offering BNPL options can improve checkout conversion by 78% and reduce cart abandonment by 10%

46% of customers abandoned their carts because the discount didn’t apply automatically

30% of shoppers will abandon their carts if they are asked to re-enter their credit card information

66% of customers prefer the checkout process to end in 4 minutes or less while 28% want it to end within two minutes

66% of online shoppers using Visa Checkout(express payment option) completed the checkout after adding items to cart

45% of online buyers use BNPL options to buy products they can’t afford

41% of online sales can be made by using APR financing

Security

31% of online buyers value safety over convenience during checkout

18% of customers don’t trust eCommerce sites with their credit card information

66% of the major US eCommerce sites don’t visually emphasize the security of their credit card fields

35% of customers will abandon their carts in the absence of trust badges

In a CXL study, McAfee(79%), Verisign(76%), and PayPal(72%) were the most trusted trust badges by customers

PayPal payments have the highest checkout conversion rate at 88.7%

In a TrustPulse study, forms with trust badges saw a 42% increase in conversion rate than those without

60% of customers abandoned their carts simply because there were no trust badges

75% of customers didn’t complete the checkout process because they couldn’t find the trust badges

54% of customers discontinue the checkout process when the payment options are limited to debit and credit cards

20% of consumers use BNPL because they don’t want to risk losing their personal data

Transparency

48% of customers cite sudden costs on the checkout page as the reason for abandonment

Including a price summary such as the cost of raw materials, construction, duties, and transportation costs marked an increase in daily sales by 44%

29% of customers expect a price match guarantee from eCommerce sites

Using a 30-day money back guarantee trust badge can increase sales by 32% in under 11 days

Cart Recovery

Abandoned cart recovery emails have a staggering 40% open rate, 21% CTR, and 50% conversion rate

The AOV of abandoned cart recovery emails is 14.2% higher than usual purchases

The engagement rate for push notifications with personalized content stands at 4-7 times higher than plain notifications

Push Notifications enjoy a 16% clickthrough rate while re-engagement mobile push notifications have a 13% clickthrough rate

44% of cart recovery emails mention the offer in the email subject line leading to higher open rates

Cart abandonment push notifications offer a 5 times higher reach compared to emails

The average open rate and conversion rate of cart recovery SMS are 15.5% and 26% respectively

90% of abandoned cart recovery SMS messages are opened within 3 minutes or sooner

The average conversion rate for cart abandonment popups is 17.12%

Average conversion rate for pop ups vary by device—Desktop(9.69%) vs Mobile(11.07%)

5 Ways To Improve Add to Cart Rate

1. Increase perceived value through product descriptions

10% of eCommerce sites have product descriptions that don’t address the user’s needs. Here are four ways to better your product descriptions by increasing perceived value:

a) Benefits over features

Taking a benefit-focused approach helps customers form mental images of their problem being solved. It evokes emotional and rational responses nudging customers to buy. Alleyoop conveys the benefits by demonstrating the properties of the ingredients.

Benefits over features in product descriptions

b) Make the customer the protagonist

By writing product descriptions that feature customers as protagonists, they can better relate to themselves.

This spikes interest in the product because of the Barnum Effect—the tendency to believe general information meant for the general public is meant for particular individuals. This makes customers make decisions while ignoring rational reasoning.

Here's an example of Brooks Running applying it in practice.

Improve add to cart rate: Make customer the protogonist

c) Before-After-Bridge

The Before-After-Bridge is a copywriting technique that explains the current problem(Before), the situation when the problem is solved(After), and how the product can make this possible(Bridge).

SquattyPotty uses the technique on its product page to persuade customers.

Improve add to cart rate: Use befor-after-bridge

2. Feature images that bring products to life

75% of customers base their purchase decisions on product images. Here are there three ways to better your product images:

a) Use white background

Product images with white backgrounds increase the visual appeal of the product while removing unnecessary distractions. White background looks good on any website and brings consistency to your product catalog. 22% of eCommerce returns happen because products delivered look different than what was shown.

b) Add natural shadows

Adding natural shadows to your product images gives them a realistic look and doesn’t come across as artificial. It keeps the product from floating and doesn’t make it look weird.

c) Use before/after images

Using before and after images on your product pages gives customers a reference point to evaluate. This is effective because of the underlying principle of Attentional Bias—the inclination to focus on a single piece of information to make decisions while ignoring others.

BootyBands features before and after images to demonstrate product credibility.

Before/After Images to improve add to cart rate

3. Use psychological pricing strategies

90% of customers actively search the internet for best price deals. Start using:

a) Price anchoring

Price anchoring refers to the practice of displaying a lower option next to a higher-priced option. Commonly, the higher price is represented with a strikethrough. This works due to Anchoring Bias—the tendency to base our decisions on the first piece of information presented to us.

Price Anchoring on product page: Improve add to cart rate

b) Limited time offer

Limited-time offers invoke a sense of urgency plus scarcity. This is because time-boxed events attract value-conscious customers because of price reductions, bundle offers, flash sales, etc. It attracts discount-only shoppers and new customers to try new products.

c) Low stock count

A low stock count on your product and category pages will trigger reordering and purchasing since it communicates the demand for the product.

d) BNPL options

Buy-Now-Pay-Later options split the financial burden into interest-free payments. eCommerce sites offering these solutions experienced a 2.1% increase in conversion rate.

4. Use trust signals

Trust signals can add credibility and trust to your website. Check out the trust signals you should consider adding to your website:

a) Easy returns

67% of customers check the returns policy before making a purchase. An easy returns trust signal such as 30-day returns eliminates risk aversion and encourages new product trials.

b) Free shipping

90% of customers opine free shipping is the number one incentive to shop online. It allows customers not to pay extra shipping charges—a leading cause of cart abandonment. Plus, it is proven to increase the average order value by 30%.

c) Certifications from regulatory bodies

Regulatory approval from federal and regulatory bodies certifies the product for consumption. It assures the customers that it isn’t harmful to their health.

TerraOrigin displays an FDA trust signal on its above-the-fold portion.

Regulatory certification as trust signal

5. Reduce checkout effort

There's a stark difference between checkout length and checkout effort. Customers are more bothered about filling the never ending form fields than the number of steps it takes to complete a purchase.

Here are a few hacks to improve your checkout rate:

a) Reduce the typing efforts

Make the checkout effort less cumbersome, by having a single name field. Customers intuitively type the full name in the first name field with 42% of customers doing the same. With typing on mobile more taxing, this can reduce frustration.

Hide Address Line 2 since it causes friction. Interestingly, 30% of customers reviewed Address Line 1 to assess if it was correct. Next, hide the coupon code since this delays the checkout process as users will search for the same on other sites.

For best practices, mistakes to avoid, and expert advice, refer the eCommerce Checkout Process Guide

b) Use floating labels

Floating labels help customers verify their information during checkout. It acts as a marker showing customers which step they are currently at. Once it is triggered, the keypad on the phone pops up leading to a decrease in mobile cart abandonment.

c) One page vs Multi-step Checkout

Consider this when choosing which checkout works best:

What are you selling? High-consideration products involve rational reasoning compared to small ticket items. A multi-step checkout works better in this case.

A horizontal Accordion multi-page works best on desktop and tablet since there is more screen space. It allows customers to view the next steps without scrolling eliminating form fatigue. Vertical accordion works better on mobile screens as customers can navigate using dropdown menu arrows.

It is easier to edit and customers can make required changes without losing data.

Single Page checkout or one page checkout facilitates a faster checkout process since they can enter all the details on the same page. It allows customers to review the order details, form fields, and other necessary information without moving back and forth.

Finally, a one-click checkout option allows customers to check out by saving the default payment details and shipping/billing information.

For more info, read Multi-step vs single page checkout, which is better for your eCommerce store?