The average cart abandonment rate hovers around 70%, according to pretty much any study in the field. It's a figure that's alarming the first time you see it, but the useful part comes next: the most common reasons repeat themselves over and over, and all of them have a known solution.
Shipping costs that show up as a surprise
It's the number one reason in most surveys: the user sees a price, reaches checkout, and there's a shipping cost they weren't expecting. Showing it as early as possible (or offering free shipping above a certain amount) cuts this particular kind of abandonment a lot.
A checkout with too many steps
Every extra screen is one more chance for someone to think better of it. Allowing guest checkout, without forcing an account, and reducing the number of steps, helps noticeably.
Not enough trust at the last moment
If the user doesn't recognise your brand or doesn't see clear security signals (HTTPS, payment badges, a visible returns policy) they're more likely to back out right before entering their card details.
Too few ways to pay
Not everyone wants to pay by card. Offering PayPal, wallets, or instalment payment widens how many people find it comfortable to finish the purchase.
What's already left can still be recovered
This is where remarketing (showing ads to people who visited without buying) and the automatic "you left something in your cart" email come in, recovering a far from negligible share of those seemingly lost sales.
How to measure it properly before acting
Tools like Google Analytics 4 let you set up a step-by-step checkout funnel: how many people reach each screen and how many drop off. Without that data, any change is a blind bet; with it, you know exactly which step to focus effort on, instead of needlessly redesigning the whole checkout process.
Before changing anything blindly, look at exactly which checkout step loses the most people: with that information, you'll know what to fix first.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal to have such a high abandonment rate?
Yes, 60-70% is the industry average. The realistic goal isn't reaching 0%, but shaving off a few percentage points, which at volume usually translates into a noticeable sales increase.
Does the abandoned-cart email actually work?
Yes, it typically recovers between 5% and 15% of the carts it's sent to, especially if sent within the first hour and combined with a small incentive (free shipping, a discount) in a follow-up email.
Should I chase 0% abandonment?
No, and chasing it can lead to adding friction (forced sign-ups, excessive validation) that actually drives more people away. The goal is to optimise the avoidable causes, not eliminate every legitimate buyer hesitation.