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.
.webp)
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.
.webp)
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.
.webp)
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.
%20(1).webp)
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.
.webp)
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.
.webp)
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?
More Cart Abandonment Articles
Cart Abandonment Pop-Up: 14 Amazing Examples (That Actually Work)
27 powerful ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment (w/ examples)
40 Abandoned Cart Email Examples that Actually Win Back Lost Customers
LOW Open Rate For Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines? 9 Possible Reasons
Prevent Shopify Cart and Checkout Abandonment: 24 Tested Ideas
Top 25 Cart Page Designs (Examples) In 2023
Mobile Cart Page: 17 Brilliant Examples (& Why They Work)
More Checkout Rate Articles
How to Customize your Shopify Checkout Page: 23 Proven Ideas
Guest checkout: Still a good choice? (+ 16 way BETTER alternatives)
Improve Magento Checkout Conversions: 12 intelligent strategies for retailers
35 Stunning Examples of Checkout Pages
Headless checkout: 6 optimization ideas to reduce abandonment (+ 3 tools to use)