{"id":4959,"date":"2021-08-12T09:54:19","date_gmt":"2021-08-12T09:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/?p=4959"},"modified":"2021-08-12T09:54:19","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T09:54:19","slug":"10-common-reasons-and-solutions-for-shopping-cart-abandonment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brightpearl.com\/blog\/10-common-reasons-and-solutions-for-shopping-cart-abandonment","title":{"rendered":"10 Common Reasons and Solutions for Shopping Cart Abandonment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shopping cart abandonment is one of the most common issues merchants face when selling online, with an <\/span>average of 81% of consumers abandoning their cart<\/span><\/a> before completing a purchase.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some sectors, such as travel face even <\/span>higher rates of cart abandonment, rising as high as 85%<\/span><\/a>. So what are the reasons behind the levels of shopping cart abandonment when shopping online? And what can be done to resolve the issue?<\/span><\/p>\n

What is shopping cart abandonment?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Shopping cart abandonment is when a customer begins the process of purchasing an item from an online store, but never completes it. Items that are added to the shopping cart (or basket) but never checked out are considered to be abandonment items.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whilst <\/span>cart abandonment rates<\/span><\/a> are generally quite high for online stores, it is still important to keep track of yours, and compare it to the average in your sector. A higher than average cart abandonment rate could indicate flaws on your website, cart, or business practices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Calculating the impact cart abandonment has on your business\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cart abandonment is often stated as a percentage, which is worked out by taking the number of transactions completed and then dividing it by the total initiated. For example, if one transaction was completed and ten were initiated, the cart abandonment rate would be 90% as the completed transactions were only 10% (one divided by ten).<\/span><\/p>\n

To establish whether your cart abandonment rate is impacting your business, you can compare your rate against that of your industry average. If your cart abandonment rate exceeds that of your industry average, it can have serious negative implications for your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Higher than average cart abandonment can lead to lower than predicted sales, higher storage fees, and potential financial losses. However, if you do find yourself in that unfortunate situation, you should avoid panicking or making any rash changes to your store. There are usually very rational reasons behind high cart abandonment rates, and generally, the impact of high cart abandonment can be lessened with <\/span>the right solution<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/span>Sale Cycle<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

10 reasons for people abandoning their shopping carts<\/span><\/h2>\n

Distrust and security<\/span><\/h3>\n

A common reason for people abandoning their carts is distrust in a brand or a lack of visible security. If an online store is relatively new or lacks customer reviews on buying through it, many customers may decide to look for a similar item elsewhere.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Security issues also play a part in this. Even if a store is secure, if the SSL certificate isn\u2019t visible, people may buy elsewhere due to perceiving the platform as unsafe. In order to have a high level of security on your ecommerce website remember about getting good <\/span>ecommerce web hosting.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Complexity<\/span><\/h3>\n

The complexity of the purchasing process could also turn people away before completing their purchase. Overly detailed forms, a confusing website layout, or hard to understand elements of the checkout could cause people to give up on buying through a store.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of payment options<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another frequent reason for people abandoning their carts is a lack of payment options. People like to pay in a wide variety of ways. Payment choices are often quite personal to the buyer, with some options feeling safer and more practical to them. If they cannot pay using their payment option of preference, they may decide to not complete their purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shipping or delivery costs that weren\u2019t clear upfront<\/span><\/h3>\n

This is one of the most common reasons for people abandoning their carts. By not showing the true shipping or delivery costs prior to checkout, you give customers a nasty surprise when they suddenly see a much higher price for the items they originally added to their cart. This can be off-putting for many, especially if it is a significant difference between the two prices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The length of expected shipping time<\/span><\/h3>\n

Lengthy shipping times are another common reason for users abandoning their cart. When people order online, they will almost always favor the quicker delivery option. So if your shipping takes longer than another store; perhaps due to the location of the store, buyer, or supplier, then the customer will likely look elsewhere and therefore fail to complete their purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Low purchasing intent<\/span><\/h3>\n

Many users will not complete their purchase simply because they have a low purchase intent. Perhaps they were just browsing, researching, or comparing prices to those on other stores. Carts are also frequently used as a way for customers to store products they are interested in, which could also lead to a high cart abandonment rate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lengthy purchasing process<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another deterrent for shoppers is a lengthy purchasing process. If it takes too long to get through the checkout process, many customers will give up and go elsewhere. Lengthy purchasing processes are usually caused by asking for too many details that can be attained in follow-up stages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Poorly optimized website on mobile or tablet<\/span><\/h3>\n

Websites that aren\u2019t optimized for use on all devices are also a frequent reason for cart abandonment. Shopping via a mobile website or app is an ever-developing trend, so if websites aren\u2019t clear and easy to use on smaller screens (especially when entering checkout details), you risk losing out on purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lack of checkout navigation<\/span><\/h3>\n

During the checkout process, customers may want to go back to a previous page and amend details. For that reason, checkout navigation is vital. Should a store lack checkout navigation, customers aren\u2019t able to check previous information they entered, or see how far along the checkout process they are. Both of these factors may cause them to abandon the purchase entirely.<\/span><\/p>\n

Technical issues<\/span><\/h3>\n

Technical problems are an obvious cause of cart abandonment. Any bugs can at least temporarily stop the checkout process from operating smoothly, or even completely. This in turn makes people give up on their purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: <\/span>SaleCycle<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

How to reduce shopping cart abandonment<\/span><\/h2>\n

Build trust with your buyers<\/span><\/h3>\n

Building trust with your buyers<\/span><\/a> is one of the most effective ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment. You can build trust in a few ways, including:<\/span><\/p>\n