Are you struggling with low conversions despite driving solid traffic to your website? Do you see customers filling carts but never checking out? Cart abandonment is likely the key issue that’s damaging your performance. It’s an important metric in eCommerce, directly affecting your sales and ROI. When users add products to their carts but fail to complete the purchase, something along their buying journey has created friction. You need to identify what’s turning your shoppers away, whether it’s unexpected fees, a complicated checkout, or limited payment options.
This blog will explore the latest cart abandonment statistics you should know in 2025 and their underlying causes. More importantly, you’ll learn what actionable steps you can take to recover lost sales and improve user experience.
How Much Is Cart Abandonment Costing You?
According to the Baymard Institute, over 70% of online desktop shopping carts are abandoned before checkout. This indicates serious underlying issues for eCommerce businesses. Let’s put this into perspective: If your store generates INR 15,000 in monthly sales, successfully converting just 25% of those abandoned carts could boost your annual revenue by INR 67,500.
Here’s how cart abandonment affects your business:
- Reduced Return on Investment (ROI): Marketing campaigns and social media promotions drive traffic, but if those visitors don’t convert, you’re left with high acquisition costs and poor ROI. Monitoring how these efforts translate into actual sales is essential.
- Declining Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Cart abandonment isn’t limited to first-time shoppers. When loyal customers fail to complete purchases, it can lower their long-term engagement and reduce overall CLV. It’s a key metric for sustainable growth.
- Margin Erosion: Many businesses resort to aggressive discounting to combat cart abandonment. While this may temporarily boost conversions, it can squeeze profit margins and strain inventory management systems.
Globally, cart abandonment costs brands about USD 18 billion in sales revenue annually.
The Top Reasons Shoppers Don’t Complete Purchases
Let’s explore the reasons why customers are abandoning carts.
Hidden Costs at Checkout
The number one reason for cart abandonment is the appearance of unexpected costs at the final stage, particularly shipping fees and international taxes. 48% of customers abandon their carts because of additional and hidden charges at checkout. Shoppers want full cost transparency upfront, and any surprise charges erode trust and drive customers away.
21% of users leave when they can’t easily calculate the total cost early in the process. You must display all additional charges upfront. Use cost estimators and cost preview widgets early in the process before users reach the final checkout page. Include shipping, taxes, and discounts visibly in the cart summary. Avoid surprises, and cart abandonment will drop.
Trust and Security Concerns
Nearly 19% of users abandon carts due to doubts about a website’s data security, while 25% of shoppers abandon purchases over credit card trust issues. Your customers are highly likely to doubt outdated designs, unclear policies, a lack of SSL certificates, and unfamiliar checkout processes. Clear signals of trust, like updated trust badges, professional design, and encrypted checkout processes, are essential to minimise cart abandonment.
Limited Payment Options
Modern customers expect flexible payment methods, from UPI and e-wallets to Buy Now, Pay Later services. 13% of users abandon carts if they don’t see their preferred payment option. If your eCommerce website only accepts debit or credit cards, you may lose sales from many shoppers. Offer various payment methods, including credit cards, UPI, digital wallets, mobile wallets, and region-specific options. Make the payment experience seamless to reduce cart abandonment.
Mandatory Account Creation
Almost 26% of shoppers will abandon their carts if forced to create an account before checkout. That’s why you should allow guest checkout. Offer social login options or email sign-up after purchase. Make account creation optional, not mandatory.
High Final Price
Price sensitivity is real. If the final cost feels too steep, shoppers hesitate or walk away. If your traffic is high but conversions are low, offer incentives like limited-time discounts or free shipping. Showcase your product’s value clearly to justify the price.
Better Prices from Competitors
Shoppers compare prices across sites. If they find a better deal elsewhere, they’ll leave unless you give them a reason to stay. Highlight your value-adds, including fast shipping, hassle-free returns, loyalty rewards, or superior customer service. Leverage social proof like verified reviews and testimonials to build trust among potential customers.
Complicated or Lengthy Checkout Process
If your checkout process is long and confusing, about 22% of shoppers may abandon their carts. You must simplify the checkout process by ensuring there are not more than two or three steps. Eliminate unnecessary form fields. Allow auto-fill and smart suggestions. Using a one click checkout solves all these problems in one go. A faster, smoother checkout means more completed sales.
Slow or Limited Delivery Options
21% of cart abandonments stem from unsatisfactory shipping. If your delivery is too slow or lacks flexibility, shoppers may avoid purchasing. Offer express shipping, delivery scheduling, or pickup options. Communicate estimated delivery dates early and clearly.
Currency Mismatches
If you’re selling internationally but only show one currency, shoppers may leave in frustration. Use automatic currency detection or provide a switcher. Ensure your payment gateway supports multiple currencies and payment types.
Website Issues or Poor Navigation
A slow, buggy, or confusing site experience will chase customers away. Optimise your site for speed and mobile use. Keep navigation clean and intuitive. Organise content under clearly labelled menus and offer breadcrumbs for easy tracking. Add banners or pop-ups sparingly to highlight offers or updates.
Unfriendly Return Policy
An unclear or rigid return policy causes 18% of shoppers to abandon their purchases. Draft your return policy prominently. Make it simple, flexible, and customer-friendly. Clear terms reduce hesitation and build confidence. Try our free return policy generator.
Difficulty Applying Coupons or Discounts
8% of shoppers leave if they can’t find or use a promo code. Offer automatic discounts or visible promo fields. Allow one-click application of available offers. Consider a promo code pop-up or autofill suggestion for convenience.
Cart Abandonment Performance Metrics
Measure the right cart abandonment metrics to improve conversions and recover lost sales. Here’s a breakdown of the key performance indicators you should consider:
1. Cart Abandonment Rate (CAR)
This tells you what percentage of your shoppers add items to their cart but leave without completing the purchase.
CAR = [(Total Abandoned Carts) / (Total Initiated Carts)] × 100
If your CAR is high, it’s a sign that something is turning users away early in the checkout journey. A low CAR means your checkout flow is better at holding user intent.
2. Checkout Abandonment Rate
Unlike general cart abandonment, checkout page abandonment digs deeper, focusing on users who made it to the checkout page but didn’t complete the payment.
Checkout Abandonment Rate = [(Number Who Abandoned at Checkout) / (Number Who Reached Checkout)] × 100
Use this metric to uncover friction points in your checkout experience. To reduce this rate, offer diverse payment methods, minimise form fields, and flag errors in real time.
3. Time Spent on Checkout Page
This measures how long customers spend at checkout before leaving or buying. More time isn’t necessarily good if customers are lingering. They may be confused or hesitant. Long checkout times usually signal too many steps or unclear instructions. Simplify your layout and remove unnecessary form fields to speed up the checkout process and reduce abandonment.
4. Checkout Form Completion Rate
This shows the percentage of shoppers who start filling out your checkout form and go on to complete it. A low completion rate often means the form is too long, lacks autofill support, or isn’t mobile-friendly. Implement real-time validation and keep the mobile checkout page design intuitive to help users navigate quickly.
5. Checkout Exit Rate
This tells you how many users exited your site directly from the checkout page, without converting. High exit rates often point to major issues like hidden fees, limited payment options, or a lack of trust indicators. You can address this with transparent pricing, trust-building signals, and accessible support like live chat or FAQs.
6. Recovery Rate
This important metric tracks the percentage of abandoned carts you successfully recover through follow-up strategies such as email reminders, push notifications, or retargeting ads.
Recovery Rate = (Recovered Carts / Total Abandoned Carts) × 100
A strong recovery rate means you’re effectively re-engaging customers and converting lost opportunities into sales. Ensure timely and personalised follow-up messages, and provide incentives like discounts or free shipping to encourage buyers to return.
Industry-Specific and Device-Based Cart Abandonment Trends
User experience varies significantly across devices, and so do abandonment rates. Here’s what the data shows:
- Desktop: 73.07% abandonment
- Mobile: 85.65% abandonment
- Tablet: 80.74% abandonment
Smaller screens lead to frustration, harder navigation, longer load times, and tedious checkout flows. If your mobile website isn’t fully optimised, it could cost you a significant portion of sales.
Different industries face different behavioural patterns, price sensitivities, and checkout barriers, which lead to different cart abandonment rates.
| Industry | Cart abandonment rates | Reason |
| Automotive | 85.97% | High-ticket purchases and complex configuration options make users hesitant. You’re dealing with long research cycles and low urgency. |
| Travel | 82% | Users compare prices, browse deals, and often leave due to unclear costs or long booking forms. Simplifying the booking process is essential. |
| Luxury & Fashion | 68% – 88% | Luxury shoppers (88%) are often browsers with low immediate intent. The fashion industry’s share is closer to 68%, but it is still impacted by size uncertainty and return anxiety. |
| Home furnishing | 90.5% | Because of high price tags and longer decision cycles. Shoppers often hesitate, browse repeatedly, and delay checkout. |
| Jewellery | 84.5% | Because of high price tags and longer decision cycles. Shoppers often hesitate, browse repeatedly, and delay checkout. |
| Retail | 67% | General retail struggles with shipping fees, slow websites, or frustrating checkouts. A clean UX, competitive pricing, and flexible returns can help here. |
| Grocery | 52% | One of the lowest abandonment rates. Shoppers come with high intent and clear needs, which means your job is more about convenience than persuasion. |
Proven Strategies to Reduce Cart Drop-Off Rates
Here’s how you can optimise every stage of the buying journey to turn browsers into buyers and recover lost sales.
Simplify and Streamline the Checkout Process
A complicated or lengthy checkout process is one of the biggest drivers of cart abandonment. To avoid this, minimise the number of steps required to complete a purchase. Enable guest checkout to let users skip account creation, use autofill to speed up form completion, and keep the process intuitive. Adding a progress indicator can also help. Customers are more likely to complete the purchase when they see how far along they are.
Be Transparent About Pricing and Policies
Hidden fees and unclear return policies are major turnoffs. Display all additional costs like shipping, taxes, and service fees upfront so there are no surprises at checkout. If exact amounts aren’t available early, provide an estimated range. Additionally, communicate your return, refund, and exchange policies using simple, easy-to-understand language. This builds trust and reduces last-minute hesitation.
Offer Multiple and Flexible Payment Options
Offering a limited range of payment options can cost you sales, especially if your audience spans different regions or demographics. Offering popular, local payment methods can boost conversions globally. Make sure your payment system is secure and showcases trusted payment icons to reassure customers.
Personalise the Shopping Experience
Personalisation enhances engagement and drives conversions. Use first-party data to show relevant product recommendations, highlight current offers tailored to the customer, and suggest items based on browsing history or cart contents. Recognise returning visitors by greeting them with pre-filled forms and personalised messaging. The more tailored the experience, the more likely shoppers are to follow through with their purchase.
Use Cart Recovery Strategies That Convert
Abandoned carts don’t necessarily mean a lost sale. Consider it a second chance to engage further with your customers. Set up automated abandoned cart emails with personalised messaging, product images, and limited-time offers. Use retargeting ads across social media and web platforms to remind users of their cart. Additionally, deploy exit-intent popups to offer a small incentive (like free shipping or a discount) just before a customer leaves the website.
Enhance Trust and User Experience
Trust and usability go hand in hand in eCommerce. Show product thumbnails and essential details throughout the checkout process to reassure buyers about what they’re purchasing. Displaying social proof by including customer reviews, star ratings, and testimonials can reduce potential customers’ doubts. Ensure your website loads quickly and has smooth navigation, and the entire experience, especially on mobile, is hassle-free and easy to understand.
Incentivise Completion and Build Loyalty
A well-timed incentive can sometimes make a significant impact. Offer perks like free shipping above a certain order value, a discount on the first purchase, or reward points for completing an order. They can help convert indecisive shoppers. Long-term, loyalty programs can keep customers coming back and reduce repeat abandonment by creating value beyond a single transaction.
Commit to Continuous Improvement
Reducing cart abandonment isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. Regularly monitor user behaviour with tools like Google Analytics, heatmaps, or funnel tracking to identify drop-off points. Ask for feedback after purchases or abandoned carts to learn where the experience could be improved. Consistently run A/B tests on your checkout pages, and use CTAs and recovery campaigns to refine and optimise what works best for your audience.
How Shiprocket Checkout Is Revolutionising Cart Recovery in India
Shiprocket Checkout is transforming the way you recover abandoned carts and boost conversions. With a streamlined, lightning-fast checkout process and smart automation, we simplify the buyer journey, reduce friction, and drive real results. Whether you’re dealing with high RTOs or increasing cart abandonment rates, we deliver a customer-first experience designed to convert more browsers into buyers, faster than ever.
Here’s why your eCommerce business should use Shiprocket Checkout:
- Complete the entire checkout process in just 40 seconds.
- Enjoy a 60% surge in conversions and a 25% drop in cart abandonment with an optimised one-click checkout experience.
- Reduce RTOs by 30% with strategic tools like address validation, COD discouragement, and buyer verification.
- Delight shoppers with a seamless, no-code integration that includes simplified logins, multiple payment gateways, and accurate pre-filled addresses.
- Understand buyer behaviour, track trends, and refine your marketing strategies through advanced analytics and campaign optimisation tools.
- Access 10,000+ unique discount configurations, generate bulk discounts, and monitor performance with insightful analytics to drive buyer engagement.
- Tailor every aspect of the checkout page, from colours and buttons to discount banners and shipping rules.
- Reduce losses with COD filters, prepaid incentives, and address risk filters that minimise return rates and increase net revenue.
- Win customer trust by providing accurate delivery dates, reducing post-purchase anxiety and enhancing the overall shopping experience.
Conclusion
You can’t eliminate cart abandonment completely, but you can control many of the factors that lead to it. By simplifying your checkout process, offering multiple secure payment methods, and minimising friction points, you make the path to purchase smoother. Optimising your website for speed, clarity, and convenience encourages users to follow through. You should also dig deep into your conversion data. Separate casual browsers from those lost due to poor UX or avoidable barriers. When you understand why users abandon carts, you’re in a strong position to reduce those numbers and boost conversions.
