Your Cart Abandonment Rate Is Always a Challenge But There Are Solutions

The problem of abandoned carts in online shopping has been around for as long as online shopping has existed. It's an issue for every online retailer. For most businesses, it’s a problem that must be managed instead of solved and many ecommerce businesses stare at their average cart abandonment rate with a mixture of frustration and hopelessness.

From the giants of e-commerce to the smallest online operation you can find, chasing cart abandonment solutions is just a fact of life. You just have to watch as visitors to your site, add to their online shopping cart and then come this close to the finish line before deciding to leave. If you run an ecommerce site, you know the feeling.

But while you can’t totally solve this problem, you also can’t ignore it. With typical cart abandonment rates around 70%, this is an issue that demands attention. When seven out of ten potential customers walk away for different reasons, saving even one of them can deliver a massive boost to your bottom line. You will definitely be rewarded for learning why people left carts on your site behind.

That means taking a careful look at all the factors that contribute to the customer experience on your site and looking for ways to optimize. From unexpected costs to complicated checkouts to payment options and more, there are any number of things that can trigger a sudden reverse in progress toward a sale.

In this guide, we’ll look at all those factors and many others in an effort to show you just how many potential barriers your site might have right now that contribute to cart abandonment.

By understanding why shoppers abandon their carts and implementing effective solutions, you can significantly recover lost sales and win back those almost-lost customers.

Understanding Cart Abandonment

Let’s start our look at the cause of cart abandonment with a list of common reasons why customers leave what's in their cart behind and make your conversion rate lower than it would have been.

The Top 10 Common Reasons For Shopping Cart Abandonment

1. Unexpected Costs: “Shipping costs how much?” Unwelcome surprises that always come near the end of the checkout process are a very common reason behind cart abandonments. Other charges like taxes or handling fees can have the same effect.
2. Shipping concerns: Beyond the cost of shipping, customers may also be disappointed with slow delivery times or lack of shipping options.
3. Complicated Checkout Process: Lengthy or confusing checkout processes can frustrate users. There’s a reason why the button says “Buy Now” instead of “Buy After You Complete These Steps.”
4. Mandatory Account Creation: Forcing customers to create an account before purchase can deter them. First-time customers especially may wonder why they have to join your club to buy something from you.
5. Limited Payment Options: A lack of preferred payment methods may result in cart abandonment. Yes, the big names in the world of credit cards are enough for most customers but plenty of people are looking for other options like Apple Pay, PayPay, bank transfer and more.
6. Security Concerns: Doubts about website security can prevent customers from completing purchases. There are lots of ways to lose customer trust and any one of them can result in an early exit.
7. Website Performance Issues: Slow-loading pages or errors can lead to customer frustration. What kind of signal does it send when your checkout page loads forever or links go nowhere?
8. Comparison Shopping: Some shoppers add items to the cart for price comparison without intent to purchase. This a common way to compare bottom-line prices to make quick decisions that may or may not go in your favor.
9. Lack of Product Information: Insufficient product details, images, or reviews can create uncertainty and lead to abandonment.
10. Just Browsing: Many shoppers add items to their cart simply to save them for later or as the first step in their own extended buying process. Others are just virtual window shopping.

How to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment Rates

Now that we know the top causes behind cart abandonment, we can turn to solutions. Some of the problems are fixable with technical solutions, others with design solutions and still others with a change in strategy.

Each individual change you make is unlikely to solve your abandoned cart problem by itself, but taken together they create an environment where the questions and concerns that cause customers to leave early are addressed in the best way possible.

Remember that you don’t need to save every abandoned cart (and it’s impossible anyway) — you only need to reduce them by a fairly small percentage to make a huge difference in your sales, profits and success.

Here’s a checklist of measures that will reduce abandoned cart in your online store.

Top 10 Ways to Reduce Abandoned Carts

Shopping cart recovery and an increase in conversion rate are easier when you can implement as many of these as possible. They work in better in combination with each other.

1. Simplify the Checkout Process

Make progressing from choice to checkout as simple as possible. The shorter and more convenient it is, the more customers will make it to the end. Abandoned shopping carts gather at every speedbump in the road.

• Guest Checkout Option: Allow users to make a purchase without creating an account.
• Progress Indicators: Show clear steps in the checkout process.
• Auto-Fill Forms: Keep the checkout flow going by using auto-fill to speed up form completion.
• One-Page Checkout: The ideal checkout flow, it consolidates steps into a single page for simplicity.
• One-Click Payments: Enable your customers pay with just one click, eliminating the need to fill out any forms at all.

2. Transparent Pricing

What’s the point of hiding costs that the customer will eventually discover anyway? Why make customers go through the checkout process before revealing something you know they will object to? Be open about all costs right from the start and do what you can to stay competitive on price points and shipping costs.

• Upfront Costs: Display shipping fees, taxes, and other charges early.
• Free Shipping Thresholds: Encourage higher spending by offering free shipping over a certain amount.
• Price Match Guarantees: Offer price match policies to reduce comparison shopping.

3. Offer Multiple Payment Options

Convenience is the name of the game and that means providing multiple payment options. It’s easier than ever to set up new accounts with every payment method imaginable so there’s no excuse for not offering much more than Visa & Mastercard.

• Diverse Payment Gateways: Include credit/debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer and anything else your customers expect to see.
• Local Payment Methods: Cater to regional preferences for global customers.

4. Optimize Website Performance

This is often overlooked as an issue and your backend team will be able to explain the tech side if you’re interested. The bottom line is that you’re site’s speed and stability matter and you need to provide both if you want customers to stick around.

• Fast Load Times: Optimize images and scripts for quicker load speeds.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure mobile-friendly design and responsive checkout.
• Error-Free Navigation: Regularly test for broken links and errors.

5. Build Trust with Security Features

There are lots of ways to provide a secure environment for making payments and you need to offer most or all of them. Customer trust in your ability to securely handle credit card information is an absolute must. Make sure that shopping online feels safe at all times.

• SSL Certificates: Implement secure browsing with HTTPS.
• Trust Badges: Display security seals and accepted payment logos.
• Secure Payment Gateways: Use recognized industry leaders that customers know.

6. Abandoned Cart Recovery Emails

There are multiple ways to follow up when a cart is left behind. Don’t be afraid to reach out with a tailored email campaign and ping customers to remind them of what they started. You might even throw in an incentive to come back and finish the job. See more on this below.

• Timely Follow-Ups: Send reminder emails within hours of cart abandonment.
• Personalized Messages: Customize emails with product images and names.
• Discount Incentives: Offer discounts or free shipping to encourage purchases.
• Scarcity Tactics: Highlight low stock to create urgency.

7. Exit-Intent Popups

Say what you want about popups, but you see them because they work. There’s nothing wrong with asking “Are you sure…?” before letting someone leave something behind in a cart. Customers expect this kind of interaction and you can only gain from making the effort.

• Targeted Offers: Display discounts or special offers when users intend to leave.
• Email Capture Forms: Collect emails for future marketing efforts.
• Engaging Content: Use compelling visuals and text to grab attention.

8. Retargeting Ads

We don’t have to explain how retargeting works or why you should use it. Returning to an abandoned cart might be the best use case for retargeting and it should be a top priority in your digital marketing toolbox.

• Dynamic Retargeting: Show users ads featuring products they viewed or added to the cart.
• Cross-Platform Ads: Use social media and search engines for broader reach.
• Limited-Time Offers: Include countdown timers or urgency cues.

9. Progress Indicators

• Show Checkout Progress: Make it easy to see how many steps are left.
• Remove Anxiety From the Experience: Reassure shoppers that they’re almost there.
• Improved User Experience: Progress indicators contribute to a smoother and more positive checkout experience.

10. Wishlists

• Saving ideas for later: Instead of forcing them to add an item to a cart, give shoppers a place where they can easily retrieve those items later.  
• Remarketing opportunities: Wishlisting an item encourages customers to return and complete a purchase and provides opportunities for targeted marketing campaigns.
• Valuable Data: Get valuable insights into customer preferences and product popularity that can inform inventory management and marketing strategies.

Using Email to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

We covered this briefly above, but the subject of email follow-ups for abandoned carts deserves more attention since it’s a must. An abandoned cart email dedicated specifically to getting customers to complete the purchase waiting in their online cart isn't just a way to recover otherwise lost revenue. You're also genuinely helping online shoppers who may have been stopped from making a purchase for reasons that have nothing to do with you. They may have placed items in their cart with a real intent to buy before being distracted by any number of things. Many customers who abandoned their shopping earlier than you would have liked will appreciate the reminder.

Here are a few tips for using email marketing when customers abandon their cart and leave your site behind.

Best Practices for Cart Abandonment Emails

• Timing is Key: Send the first email within an hour of cart abandonment. This is when the shopper's interest is still high and your open rate can be too.
• Send a Series of Emails: Send a series of 2-3 emails spaced out over a few days.
• Personalize the Emails: Use the shopper's name and mention or show the abandoned items added to their cart.
• Offer Incentives: Provide a discount code or free shipping, for example, to incentivize shoppers to complete their purchase.
• Use Compelling Subject Lines: Use subject lines that create a sense of urgency or curiosity.
• Keep it Concise: Keep the emails short and to the point, include a link that takes them to their cart page.
• Include a Clear Call to Action: Use a clear and prominent "Complete Your Purchase" button.
• A/B Test Your Emails: Test different subject lines, email content, and incentives to optimize your email performance.

Recovering Abandoned Carts with Easytools

Another way is to chose a solution, that has a built-in checkout recovery features. It’s a challenging art to do this in a way that doesn’t alienate customers and isn’t too pushy. Perhaps that’s why so few solutions offer this option.

With Easytools, you have that opportunity, and for a small fee, we can recover transactions that would otherwise have very little chance of being completed. We do this through our customer support team and automated mechanisms. It’s like having a dedicated team for recovering carts that works even while you sleep. Learn more and try this option—sign up for a free account.

You Can Minimize the Effects of Shopping Cart Abandonment

Cart abandonment happens and is a standard challenge for online businesses, but it's not an impossible one. By reevaluating the shopping experience and implementing effective solutions like those listed above, you can significantly reduce cart abandonment rates and recover lost sales. Small changes in the shopping journey can have a huge impact on your average shopping cart abandonment rate.

Remember that there’s no single silver bullet that will solve the problem of abandoned carts but progress can be made by combining the strategies we’ve covered here. By taking a proactive approach to cart abandonment, you can turn almost-lost customers into loyal buyers and boost your bottom line.

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