KPIMarketing

Cart Abandonment Rate

Percentage of online shoppers who add items to their basket but do not complete the purchase

What is Cart Abandonment Rate?

Cart abandonment rate is the percentage of online shopping sessions in which items were added to the cart but no purchase was completed. It shows how many potential sales are lost between choosing a product and paying for it.

It is one of the most closely watched measures in eCommerce because those shoppers have already shown strong intent. Reducing it is often the fastest way to increase online sales without paying for more traffic.

How this KPI is measured

Function: Marketing
Sub-function: eCommerce
Industry: All Industries
Type: Lagging
Impact: Operational
Unit: %
Measurement frequency: Daily / Weekly
Formula: (Sessions with abandoned cart / Sessions with items added to cart) × 100

How to calculate it

Divide the number of sessions with an abandoned cart by the number of sessions in which items were added to the cart, and multiply by 100.

For example, if 5,000 sessions added items to a cart and 3,500 ended without a purchase, the abandonment rate is (3,500 / 5,000) x 100 = 70%.

Because many shoppers use the cart to save items or compare prices, some abandonment is normal. Track the rate by device and by stage of the checkout to find where people leave.

Where it is used

Finding checkout problems
Identify the step at which shoppers drop out and fix the cause.
Recovering lost sales
Target abandoners with reminders and offers to bring them back.
Comparing devices
Spot experiences that work on desktop but fail on mobile.

How to improve it

Show all costs earlyUnexpected delivery fees and taxes are a leading reason for abandonment, so be clear before the final step.
Simplify checkoutReduce the number of steps and fields, and allow guest checkout.
Offer more payment optionsProvide the payment methods your customers prefer.
Build trustDisplay secure payment badges, clear returns policies and reviews.
Send recovery messagesFollow up on abandoned carts with a timely reminder email or message.

Tips and common mistakes

Do not aim for zero. Shoppers use carts to browse and compare.
Test the checkout on real phones. Mobile is often where most losses occur.
Be careful with discounts in recovery emails, which can teach customers to abandon on purpose.

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