Why shoppers abandon carts: the top reasons, by the data

An abandoned cart is most often not «the customer changed their mind» but a reaction to specific obstacles at the moment of payment: unexpected extra costs and a too-long checkout. Both causes are measurable — and therefore manageable.

Key figures

• Around 70% of carts are abandoned before payment Baymard Institute (meta-analysis of 49 studies)
• 48% abandon a cart over extra costs that are too high Baymard Institute
• 22% abandon over a too-long or complicated checkout Baymard Institute

How many carts are abandoned at all?

The rate is high and stable: around 70% of carts are abandoned before payment Baymard Institute (meta-analysis of 49 studies) . That’s an average across dozens of studies, so read it as a benchmark, not a norm for your store — your own funnel may be markedly better or worse.

Why exactly don’t people reach payment?

The main reason is money that appears too late. 48% of shoppers abandon a cart over extra costs that are too high Baymard Institute — shipping, taxes and fees that weren’t visible earlier. The second common reason is friction in the process: 22% abandon over a too-long or complicated checkout Baymard Institute .

What do you do about it?

Both main causes are removable before the «till»: show the full cost, including shipping, as early as possible and cut the checkout to the fewest fields and steps. That’s cheaper and more effective than chasing the people who already left.

Why is chat at an advantage here?

Messengers have no long «till»: costs can be stated transparently right in the chat, and ordering reduced to a few messages. So both main reasons for abandonment — unexpected costs and a complicated checkout — disappear before they become a problem.

Where do these figures come from?

The figures come from a meta-analysis of cart-abandonment studies; each carries a primary source. Values are averaged across niches, channels and devices, so measure your own rate on your funnel rather than taking the average as fact.