Cart abandonment is an important concern for businesses that accept payments online. Recent studies indicate that over 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before the purchase is finalized. But cart abandonment isn’t just about lost sales—it’s a sign of deeper issues that might be plaguing the buying journey.

Businesses that sell to customers online need to understand the root causes and ramifications of cart abandonment. This phenomenon reflects customer experience, trustworthiness, pricing strategies, and a range of other important factors affecting a company’s viability. Once you understand the complexity associated with cart abandonment, it’s easier to craft solutions that can drive conversion rates up and steer potential customers back to the checkout page.

This article provides an in-depth exploration of cart abandonment, its indicators, and practical solutions. Armed with insights and strategic perspectives, businesses can transform this challenge into an opportunity, refining their online platforms to cater to customer preferences.

What’s in this article?

• What is cart abandonment?
  
• Why does cart abandonment happen?
  
• What cart abandonment can indicate for businesses
  
• Why cart abandonment is an important concern for businesses
  
• How to reduce cart abandonment
  
• How Stripe can help
  

What is cart abandonment?

Cart abandonment refers to a scenario where potential customers begin an online transaction—for example, adding items to their online shopping cart or starting to sign up for a subscription service—but leave the website without completing the transaction.

Why does cart abandonment happen?

Cart abandonment can potentially lead to lost revenue and missed opportunities. Understanding its causes in depth can provide actionable insights for businesses. Some of the key reasons for why cart abandonment happens include:

• Unexpected costs
  When shoppers encounter unexpected fees, especially those added late in the checkout process, it can deter them from finalizing their purchase. These could be shipping charges, taxes, or handling fees that the business didn’t communicate transparently.

• Complex checkout processes
  A lengthy or confusing checkout can be off-putting. Customers prefer simplicity, especially when making online transactions. If there are too many steps or the process isn’t intuitive, shoppers might abandon their carts.

• Mandatory account creation
  Forcing customers to create an account before purchasing can be a deterrent. While capturing customer data is beneficial for businesses, some shoppers might not have the patience or might be wary of sharing more personal information than necessary.

• Limited payment options
  Modern customers expect multiple payment methods, including digital wallets; buy now, pay later (BNPL); bank transfers; and various credit card options. If a business only offers a few, it might not cater to all customer preferences.

• Security concerns
  Online security is a top concern for customers, and they often will drop out of a shopping experience if there’s any indication of security risks. If a website doesn’t appear trustworthy, or if there are no visible signs of secure payment methods, customers might hesitate to provide their payment details.

• Website performance issues
  Slow loading times, crashes, or other glitches during the checkout process can cause customers to abandon their carts out of frustration.

• Ambiguous return policies
  If customers are unclear about how they can return products or get refunds, they might be hesitant to finalize their purchases. Clear, favorable return policies can instill confidence.

• Out-of-stock items
  Sometimes customers add products to their cart only to find out later that the item is unavailable. This can result in immediate cart abandonment.

Businesses should address these factors strategically, focusing on improving the customer experience, offering transparency, and making sure that customers have an easy, secure shopping journey throughout checkout.

What cart abandonment can indicate for businesses

Cart abandonment doesn’t just signify missed sales—it can also indicate other business aspects that need attention. These issues could include:

• Customer experience inadequacies
  A high rate of cart abandonment might hint at friction in the checkout process. Perhaps the steps are too cumbersome, the website loads slowly, or mandatory account creation discourages potential buyers.

• Pricing discrepancies
  If customers consistently add items to their carts but fail to finalize the purchase, it may be worth analyzing if pricing is competitive. Hidden fees, high shipping charges, or a perceived lack of value can deter customers from completing a purchase.

• Payment process bottlenecks
  A limited range of payment options, concerns about payment security, or tedious payment input fields can act as deterrents. Businesses need to optimize for trust and convenience in this important step.

• Trustworthiness concerns
  The absence of trust signals—such as verifiable reviews, security badges, or clear return policies—might instill doubt. Building trust is key during online shopping experiences, especially when potential buyers are indecisive.

• Lack of persuasive elements
  Elements such as scarcity indicators, clear value propositions, or time-bound offers can sway decisions. Without these elements of persuasion, customers—especially new visitors—might hesitate to buy.

• Website performance issues
  Unexpected crashes, error messages, or mobile incompatibility are immediate red flags for customers. They can cause cart abandonment and might also discourage customers from returning.

• Misaligned marketing messages
  If promotional content promises something that the site doesn’t deliver, customers might feel misled and abandon their carts. Consistency in messaging is key to maintaining trust throughout the buying journey.

• Product presentation flaws
  Insufficient product details, low-quality images, or lack of product reviews can make customers hesitant. These elements play an important role in simulating an in-store experience online.

• Inventory issues
  Out-of-stock notifications after a product has been added to the cart can frustrate users. This highlights a need for better stock-prediction algorithms or real-time inventory tracking.

Cart abandonment is a diagnostic tool, presenting clear indicators of where to make strategic improvements. As businesses aspire to improve their operations, understanding these nuances is important.

Why cart abandonment is an important concern for businesses

Cart abandonment has major implications for business operations, marketing, and finance:

• Direct revenue loss
  Each abandoned cart represents missed revenue. For businesses operating on thin margins, even a modest reduction in abandonment rates can translate into significant earnings.

• Inflated marketing costs
  Consider the resources spent to get a customer to the website: advertising budgets, SEO efforts, content marketing, and more. When a cart is abandoned, the return on these investments diminishes, making customer acquisition more expensive.

• Missed opportunity for repeat business
  Completing a purchase is often the beginning of a relationship between the business and the customer. Abandoned carts can mean missing out on future purchases and potential customer lifetime value.

• Inventory management challenges
  Abandoned carts can skew inventory forecasting. Businesses might anticipate demand based on items added to carts and might allocate stock accordingly. Abandonments can lead to overestimations, resulting in unnecessary holding costs or even obsolescence.

• Feedback void
  Completed purchases often lead to customer reviews or feedback. Abandoned carts leave a void in understanding customer preferences and areas for product or service improvements.

• Competitive disadvantage
  In competitive, global markets, customers have many choices. Persistent cart abandonment issues can provide competitors with an advantage, especially if they’ve streamlined their checkout processes or addressed the factors causing abandonment.

• Impacted brand perception
  Regular abandonment might indicate larger customer experience issues. Over time, this can lead to a perception that the brand doesn’t prioritize customer ease and satisfaction.

Addressing cart abandonment is not just about recouping lost sales—it’s also about refining the broader shopping experience. Businesses can use customer feedback, even negative feedback such as a cart abandonment, to improve operations and build a strong brand reputation.

How to reduce cart abandonment

Reducing cart abandonment is an ongoing challenge that requires strategic planning and careful, consistent execution. Below are recommended strategies that directly address the most common reasons why shoppers abandon their carts:

Address unexpected costs

• Transparency is key: Clearly display all fees—including shipping charges and taxes—early in the checkout process.

• Free shipping offers: Consider providing free shipping to alleviate one of the biggest unexpected costs that deter customers.

• All-inclusive pricing: Bundle costs together and offer a single, all-inclusive price.

Simplify the checkout process

• Reduce steps: Minimize the number of steps to complete a purchase.

• Progress indicators: Use a progress bar to show customers how far they’ve come and what’s left in the checkout process.

• Autofill and easy corrections: Make use of autofill options for information and allow customers to make easy corrections without restarting the process.

• Offer one-click checkout: One-click checkout is specifically designed to reduce cart abandonment. It’s about as simple as a checkout can be.

Deal with mandatory account creation

• Guest checkout option: Offer a guest checkout feature so customers can make a purchase without creating an account.

• Quick account creation: If account creation is necessary, simplify the process.

• Post-purchase account creation: Allow customers the option to create an account after their purchase is complete.

Expand payment options

• Diverse payment methods: Incorporate various payment options, including digital wallets; buy now, pay later; and multiple types of credit cards.

• Local currency: Provide currency conversion options for international customers.

• Payment plans: Implement installment payment options for higher-cost items.

Elevate security measures

• Visible trust signals: Display third-party security certifications and badges.

• Data encryption: Use high-level encryption technologies for secure data transfer.

• Multifactor authentication: Offer two-step verification options for added security.

Optimize website performance

• Speed up load times: Optimize images and scripts to improve loading times.

• Regular testing: Conduct regular performance checks to identify and fix any issues that could cause slowdowns or crashes.

Clarify return policies

• Accessible information: Make your return policy easily accessible from the cart page.

• FAQ section: Include a frequently asked questions section about returns and refunds to preemptively address concerns.

Manage stock effectively

• Real-time inventory updates: Display real-time stock levels on product pages.

• Email notifications: Allow customers to sign up for restock notifications of out-of-stock items.

• Alternative recommendations: Suggest similar products when a desired item is out of stock.

For most businesses, minimizing cart abandonment is complex but achievable.

How Stripe can help

Reducing cart abandonment is a top concern—and a deeply complex one—for businesses trying to refine their online sales processes. Stripe addresses this challenge through a variety of features designed to simplify and improve the customer checkout experience.

From one-click checkouts and mobile optimization to supporting local payment methods, Stripe focuses on creating optimized checkout pages that work effortlessly for both businesses and their customers. Here’s a brief overview of how Stripe does this:

• One-click checkout
  When a customer decides to make a purchase, they are often discouraged by lengthy checkout processes that require multiple steps. Stripe’s one-click checkout, Link, mitigates this issue. After an initial transaction, Stripe securely stores customer information, allowing them to check out in the future with a single click. This reduces the time commitment required from customers, encouraging them to finalize their transactions.

• Mobile optimization
  With a significant percentage of online shopping now conducted via mobile devices, mobile optimization is necessary. Stripe’s mobile-ready capabilities make it simple for customers to complete transactions on the go. The interface is designed to be intuitive on smartphones, reducing the likelihood that a cumbersome mobile experience will lead to cart abandonment.

• Local payment methods
  Stripe supports more than 135 currencies and local payment methods, allowing businesses to cater to a broad range of customers. Offering familiar payment options can increase trust and encourage shoppers to complete their transactions, reducing the chances of cart abandonment.

• Fraud detection
  Customers are more likely to abandon their carts if they encounter security warnings or other issues that make them doubt the safety of the transaction. Stripe employs advanced machine learning algorithms for fraud detection, making transactions more trustworthy and less likely to be abandoned.

• Dynamic payment flows
  Stripe’s APIs allow businesses to create flexible, customized payment flows that suit the specific needs of their customer base. Customization options, from splitting payments to offering subscription models, allow businesses to better meet customer expectations. When customers find the payment process is tailored to their preferences, they are less likely to abandon their cart.

• Performance analytics
  Understanding why customers abandon carts is half the battle. Stripe offers comprehensive analytics tools that provide insights into customer behavior. By analyzing this data, businesses can identify weak points in their checkout process and make any necessary adjustments.

Learn more about how Stripe facilitates the creation of highly customized checkout pages that are resistant to cart abandonment.