Definition: Cart Abandonment

What is cart abandonment?

Cart abandonment is a term used in eCommerce to describe a situation where a customer adds items to their online shopping cart but fails to complete the purchase.

What are the causes of cart abandonment?

There are many reasons why a shopper might abandon their cart, such as:

• Unexpected additional costs (shipping, taxes, hidden charges, etc.)
• Long and complicated checkout process (mandatory account creation, too many form fields to fill out, etc.)
• Limited payment options (only accept certain credit cards; no alternative methods like Apple Pay or Google Pay, etc.)
• Technical issues on the checkout page (slow loading time, website errors, page crashes, etc.)
• Security concerns
• They changed their mind at the last minute
• They are not ready to complete the purchase yet but intend to do so at a later time

Businesses can take steps to reduce cart abandonment rates by optimizing their checkout process, providing clear and transparent pricing information, offering incentives or discounts, and following up with personalized email reminders to encourage shoppers to complete their purchases.

By tracking and analyzing cart abandonment data, businesses can gain insights into the factors that are contributing to cart abandonment rates and adjust their strategies accordingly to improve conversion rates.