Home / Blog / Where ecommerce checkouts lose buyers
Where ecommerce checkouts lose buyers
About seven in ten carts are abandoned. Some of those shoppers were only browsing. Many left because of something you can fix.
Most carts never check out.
Direct answer: Ecommerce checkouts lose buyers mainly to surprise costs like shipping and fees, forced account creation, long forms, slow pages, too few payment options, and a lack of trust at the moment of paying. Showing total costs early, offering guest checkout and wallets, and putting reviews and returns beside the buy button recover many of these orders.
The size of the problem
Baymard Institute's running average of documented studies puts cart abandonment at about 70%. Their surveys also find that extra costs, required accounts and long checkouts are among the most common reasons shoppers give for leaving.
Fixes that recover orders
- Show the total early. Put shipping and fees in the cart, not the last step.
- Offer guest checkout. Let people create an account after they buy.
- Cut fields. Ask only what you need to ship and bill.
- Add wallets. Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay remove typing on phones.
- Put trust beside the button. Reviews, returns and secure-payment signals at the moment of paying.
- Follow up. A cart email within hours brings some shoppers back.
Map your store's own drop-off with the tool on our ecommerce conversion rate optimization page. For store builds, see our Shopify web designer page, and for bringing shoppers back, retargeting.
Source: Baymard Institute, cart abandonment rate statistics.
Questions people ask
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
Baymard Institute's running average of documented studies is about 70%, though it varies by industry and device.
What is the fastest checkout fix?
Showing the full cost, including shipping, before the final step, and offering guest checkout.
Want us to find your leaks?
A free strategy session with a real person. We look at your site, your traffic and your numbers, then tell you plainly what would move them.