10 reasons for abandoned carts in e-commerce

Abandoned carts are one of the biggest challenges facing many e-commerce businesses today. In practice, this means a situation where a customer adds products to their cart, goes through part of the purchasing process, but does not complete the transaction. The products remain in the cart and the orders are never placed.

This is a common phenomenon - it affects both small e-shops and large brands. In the e-commerce industry, the average abandoned cart rate can exceed 60-70%, which means a real loss of revenue and customers. Every unfinished transaction is a potential customer who was one step away from finalising their order.

The question arises: why do customers abandon their shopping carts in e-commerce? Sometimes it is the delivery costs that determine this, other times it is the overly long purchasing process, the lack of a preferred payment method or a lack of trust in the shop. One thing is certain, understanding the mechanisms behind abandoned shopping carts is the first step towards reducing them and recovering them effectively.

What is an abandoned cart in e-commerce?

An abandoned cart is a situation where a customer adds products to their cart in an online shop but does not proceed to checkout and complete the transaction.

In practice, this means that e-commerce shopping carts contain selected products, but the purchasing process is interrupted before the order is placed. This can happen at various stages, e.g. when choosing a delivery method or even when making a payment.

What is an abandoned cart from a business perspective? It is a lost sales opportunity. The potential customer has already taken the key step - they have shown interest in the offer, compared products, made a preliminary purchase decision and added products to their cart. However, if the purchasing process proved too complicated, expensive or did not inspire confidence, customers abandon the transaction.

It is worth remembering that abandoned shopping carts in a shop do not always mean a lack of interest in the offer. They are often the result of price comparisons, momentary distraction or technical problems on your website. That is why the abandoned cart rate is one of the key measures of e-commerce effectiveness and the quality of the entire shopping journey.

For an e-commerce owner, it is crucial not only to understand what an abandoned shopping cart is, but also to analyse at what point customers interrupt the purchasing process. A detailed analysis of user behaviour, transaction and payment data can be used to optimise the website and implement measures to increase the number of completed purchases.

See also: What is e-commerce? >>>

Why do customers abandon their shopping carts? - 10 most common reasons

Customers most often abandon their shopping carts when, at some stage, the purchasing process ceases to be convenient, transparent or cost-effective for them.

Although abandoned shopping carts in e-commerce are a common phenomenon, in most cases they are not a coincidence. They are the result of specific barriers - price, technology, logistics or trust in the shop. When a customer adds products to their shopping cart, they are already genuinely interested in the offer.

If, despite this, the transaction is not completed, it means that something has disrupted their purchasing decisions.

It is worth looking at abandoned shopping carts not as a problem, but as a source of data. By analysing your customers' shopping paths, moments of payment interruption or failure to complete an order, you can precisely identify bottlenecks.

Ready to learn the 10 main reasons for shopping cart abandonment in e-commerce?

#1 - High delivery costs

High delivery costs are one of the most common reasons for shopping cart abandonment.

The customer adds products to the cart, goes through almost the entire purchasing process, and only at the checkout does he see an additional fee. If the delivery costs are too high or were not clearly communicated beforehand, customers abandon the order.

A lack of transparency in shipping costs reduces the credibility of the shop and increases the rate of abandoned shopping carts. Clear communication and free delivery, e.g. for orders above a certain amount, can effectively encourage customers to complete their orders.

#2 - Unexpected additional costs

Unexpected additional costs are the moment when abandoned shopping carts in e-commerce grow the fastest.

The customer sees an attractive price for the products, adds them to their cart, and only when finalising the transaction do hidden additional fees appear - for packaging, commissions for the selected payment method or compulsory insurance. Such unexpected costs cause frustration and a feeling of lack of transparency.

As a result, customers abandon their orders and the abandoned cart rate increases. A transparent pricing policy and clear information about the total cost at the beginning of the shopping journey significantly reduce this risk.

#3 - Complicated purchasing process

If the purchasing process is too long, requires many steps, repeating data or switching between subpages, customers abandon their carts before payment. A long purchasing process increases the risk of distraction and a decrease in motivation to complete the purchase.

Simplifying the purchasing process, reducing the number of form fields, and clearly dividing the stages is one of the easiest ways to reduce the number of abandoned carts in your shop and increase the number of orders.

#4 - Negative reviews and lack of trust in the online shop

Lack of trust in e-commerce often prevents transactions from being completed, even if the customer is interested in the offer.

Before making a payment, customers check reviews, return policies and the credibility of the shop. Negative reviews, lack of contact details or unclear payment information reduce the sense of security.

In e-commerce, trust directly influences purchasing decisions. Elements such as social proof, security certificates, a clear return policy and secure payments (e.g. payment cards or BLIK) increase the chance of completing an order and reduce abandoned shopping carts.

#5 - Lack of preferred delivery or payment method

The lack of a preferred delivery or payment method often prevents the transaction from being completed, even though the customer is ready to buy.

Customers have their habits - some choose fast online payments, others payment cards, BLIK or deferred payments, i.e. PayPo. If a convenient option is missing in e-commerce, the purchasing process is interrupted at the payment stage.

The same applies to a limited choice of delivery methods. The lack of a parcel locker, a specific courier or collection point may cause customers to abandon their order and choose a competing online store that offers greater flexibility.

#6 - Poor UX on mobile devices

More and more customers are adding products to their shopping carts and making payments on their smartphones. If your website takes too long to load, the forms are illegible, and the buttons are difficult to click, the purchasing process becomes frustrating.

Lack of responsiveness, problems with auto-complete, or an overly complex checkout process cause customers to abandon their shopping carts before completing the transaction. Optimising your website for mobile devices is not an option today, but a necessity in e-commerce.

#7 - Technical problems in e-commerce

Technical problems are one of the most costly reasons for abandoned shopping carts.

Errors in the shopping cart, non-functioning buttons, frozen payments, or error messages during order processing effectively interrupt the purchasing process. Even a temporary technical problem can prevent a customer from returning to your shop.

Regular testing of the shopping path, payment monitoring and quick response to failures help reduce the cart abandonment rate and increase the number of successfully completed transactions.

#8 - Forcing registration/account creation

The need to create an account before purchasing is a common reason for cart abandonment.

Not every customer wants to go through the registration process just to complete a one-time transaction. Forcing customers to create an account lengthens the purchasing process and increases the risk of them abandoning their purchase before reaching the payment stage.

The option to purchase as a guest and simplified forms significantly increase the chances of completing an order and reduce the number of abandoned shopping carts in the shop.

#9 - Unclear return policy

An unclear return policy reduces trust and blocks purchasing decisions.

Customers want to know what will happen in the event of a complaint or product return. A lack of clear information about deadlines, costs or the return procedure may mean that, despite adding products to the cart, the transaction will not be completed.

A transparent return policy, visible at the shopping stage, increases the credibility of the shop and reduces the number of abandoned shopping carts.

#10 - Logistics and long delivery times

Long delivery times are one of the key reasons why customers abandon their shopping carts.

If the estimated delivery time is too long or unclear, customers will abandon their order and look for an alternative. In e-commerce, the speed of order fulfilment often determines the choice of shop.

Clear information about delivery times, the option to choose a faster delivery method, and efficient logistics help reduce abandoned carts.

Summary

Abandoned carts in e-commerce are the result of specific barriers in the purchasing process - from high delivery costs and lack of trust to technical problems and long delivery times.

Every unfinished transaction means lost orders and a real drop in revenue. At the same time, abandoned shopping carts are a valuable source of data about your customers' behaviour. By analysing the moments when payments are interrupted, the length of the shopping path, or the choice of delivery methods, you can identify bottlenecks and implement effective corrective measures.

In practice, the following are of key importance:

• simplifying the purchasing process,
• transparent communication of costs,
• various forms of payment and delivery,
• optimising the website for mobile devices,
• building trust - through social proof, a clear return policy and clear information about delivery times.

In the context of e-commerce, customer recovery and abandoned shopping carts are also playing an increasingly important role – but that's a topic for another article.

Want to recover abandoned shopping carts more effectively?

Automatic email, SMS or web push reminders allow you to remind customers that products are waiting in their shopping cart.

With a consistent customer profile, segmentation and personalised communication, you can effectively encourage customers to complete their transactions and even offer an additional discount or free delivery as an incentive to finish their purchases.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

What is a shopping cart?

A shopping cart is a feature in e-commerce that allows customers to add products before finalising their purchase. It is a place where users collect selected products, check their value and proceed to checkout.

How to recover abandoned shopping carts?

Recovering abandoned shopping carts involves re-engaging customers who have interrupted the purchasing process.

The most common methods are automated emails, text messages, push notifications, or remarketing ads that remind customers of their unfinished transaction and encourage them to complete it. Marketing automation activities help reduce the number of abandoned shopping carts and improve segmentation and personalisation.

To recover more carts, you can: offer customers free shipping, simplify the purchasing process, improve e-commerce UX (especially on mobile), or eliminate technical errors.

Abandoned carts – what are they?

Abandoned carts is a term used in e-commerce to describe situations where a customer adds products to their cart but does not complete the transaction and does not place an order.