What Is Cart Abandon Rate?
Cart abandon rate is a number that shows how many people add products to an online shopping cart but do not finish the purchase. It tells you what percent of carts are left without payment.
Definition
Cart abandon rate is the percentage of online shopping carts that are started but never completed.
You can use this simple formula:
Cart Abandon Rate = (Carts not completed / Carts started) x 100
Where:
- Carts started means people added at least one item to the cart.
- Carts not completed means those people did not finish paying.
Why Cart Abandon Rate Matters
- Shows lost sales. A high rate means many shoppers are close to buying but stop at the last step.
- Reveals problems. It can point to issues like high shipping cost, confusing checkout, or slow website.
- Guides improvements. When you change your checkout and the rate goes down, you know your change helped.
- Boosts profit. Turning abandoned carts into completed orders brings in more money without needing more visitors.
How Cart Abandon Rate Works
Web analytics tools count how many people:
- Add items to the cart.
- Reach the checkout page.
- Finish the payment and order.
Every cart that was started but did not reach a successful order is counted as abandoned. The tool then uses the formula to give you the cart abandon rate as a percent.
Cart Abandon Rate vs Related Terms
- Cart abandon rate. Focuses only on people who added items to the cart but did not buy.
- Checkout abandon rate. Focuses on people who started the checkout steps but did not finish payment.
- Bounce rate. Counts visitors who leave after viewing only one page and never start a cart at all.
Example of Cart Abandon Rate
Imagine an online store in one week:
- 1,000 people add something to their cart.
- 300 of them complete the purchase.
That means 700 carts were abandoned.
Cart Abandon Rate = (700 / 1,000) x 100 = 70 percent
This tells the store that 70 percent of carts are not turning into sales and they should study why people are leaving.
FAQs
Is a high cart abandon rate always bad?
Not always, but it usually means something in the buying process is making shoppers leave, such as surprise fees or too many form fields.
What are common causes of cart abandonment?
Common causes include high shipping costs, needing to create an account, slow website, few payment options, and checkout pages that are long or confusing.
How can I reduce cart abandon rate?
Make checkout shorter, show total cost early, offer guest checkout, add trusted payment methods, and send reminder emails to people who left items in their cart.
How often should I check my cart abandon rate?
Most online stores check it at least once a month and also after any big change to the website or checkout flow.
