Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate

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Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate is a metric used in e-commerce to measure the percentage of online shoppers who add items to their virtual shopping carts but leave the website without completing the purchase.

This rate identifies the percentage of a site’s users who signal purchase intent by adding an item to the cart but don’t complete the purchase.1

How Is the Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate Calculated?

shopping cart abandonment rate formula

Formula

The shopping cart abandonment rate is calculated by dividing the number of completed purchases by the number of shopping carts created, subtracting this result from one, and then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.

The formula for the shopping cart abandonment rate is:

Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate = (1 – Number of Completed Purchases / Number of Shopping Carts Created) x 1002

Example

For example, if 100 customers add items to their carts and only 30 of them complete the purchase, the abandonment rate would be:

Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate Example

Significance

A high shopping cart abandonment rate means many potential customers leave without buying anything.

This can indicate problems with the website’s user experience, checkout process, pricing, or other aspects.

Factors Influencing Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate:

  1. Unexpected Costs: Additional fees such as shipping, taxes, or service charges are revealed late in the checkout process.
  2. Complex Checkout Process: Lengthy or complicated forms requiring account creation or multiple steps to complete a purchase.
  3. Security Concerns: Lack of trust in the website’s security measures or payment processes.
  4. Website Performance: Slow loading times, technical issues, or poor mobile optimization.
  5. Payment Options: Limited or inconvenient payment methods are available.3

Related Terms

References:

1. Eisenberg, B., Eisenberg, J. (2006). Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results. United Kingdom: HarperCollins Leadership. https://www.amazon.com/Call-Action-Formulas-Improve-Results-ebook/dp/B007FZSR9O/

2. Shopping cart abandonment rate: KPI Example. Geckoboard. (n.d.-b). https://www.geckoboard.com/best-practice/kpi-examples/shopping-cart-abandonment-rate/

3. 30+ shopping cart abandonment statistics and strategies for recouping lost sales. Shopify. (2021, June 23). https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopping-cart-abandonment

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