General

If you ask any eCommerce business store owner, one thing that keeps them up all night is the high shopping cart abandonment rate. Shopping cart abandonment costs e-commerce businesses a whopping $18 billion every year.

As we have helped many store owners reduce their shopping cart abandonment rate and boost conversions, we decided to share actionable insights and proven strategies to help you win back those lost sales in 2025.

What Is Cart Abandonment?

Let’s break it down. Cart abandonment happens when a shopper adds items to their online shopping cart but leaves your website without making a purchase. It’s frustrating, right? But don’t worry—understanding why it happens is the first step toward fixing it.

Why Do Customers Abandon Their Carts?

Think about it. Why do you abandon an online purchase? High cart abandonment happens for various reasons, and here’s a breakdown with percentages:

• Unexpected Costs: 48% abandon their carts due to surprise fees like high shipping costs or taxes.
• Complicated Checkout Process: 22% leave because the process feels too cumbersome.
• Account Creation Requirements: 26% of shoppers abandon when forced to create an account.
• Lack of Trust: 25% worry about payment security or website credibility.
• Limited Payment Options: 13% leave when their preferred payment method isn’t available.
• Delivery Was Too Slow: 23% abandon when expected delivery times don’t meet their needs.
• Website Errors or Crashes: 17% leave due to technical issues.
• Distractions: Life happens—phone calls, notifications, or a change of heart.

How to Calculate Cart Abandonment Rate

Before diving into solutions, you’ll want to know where you stand. Here’s the formula to calculate your cart abandonment rate:

Cart Abandonment Rate = [1 - (Completed Purchases / Total Carts Created)] * 100

For example, suppose 600 shopping carts are created, and 200 are successfully converted into completed purchases:

Cart Abandonment Rate = [1 - (200 / 600)] * 100 = 67%

In this case, the cart abandonment rate is 67%.

How to Reduce Cart Abandonment and Boost Sales

Since cart abandonment is not something you can control directly, you have to think of unique ways, from improving the checkout process to customizing the cart process. Eventually, it convinces your prospects not to leave without completing the purchase. Following are 10 such cart abandonment strategies that can be used to get good results.

1. Streamline the Checkout Process

Ever felt frustrated filling out a never-ending form? That’s exactly how your customers feel with a clunky checkout. Simplify it and you’ll see your abandoned cart rate decrease instantly:

• Reduce Form Fields: Only ask for what’s necessary.
• Offer Guest Checkout: Don’t force customers to create an account.
• Enable Auto-Fill: Make it easy for repeat buyers.

HelpGrid Tip: Use heatmaps to identify where customers drop off during checkout and fix those pain points.

2. Be Transparent with Pricing

Imagine finding the perfect product only to discover surprise fees at checkout. It’s a dealbreaker. Build trust by:

• Displaying total costs upfront, including taxes and shipping.
• Offering free shipping thresholds to incentivize bigger purchases.
• Clearly stating return policies to reassure shoppers.

HelpGrid Tip: Add a cost breakdown on your product pages to keep things clear from the start.

Ready to tackle cart abandonment head-on?

HelpGrid specializes in solutions that turn abandoned carts into conversions. Book a call with a HelpGrid Expert today!