The customer added the product to their cart, entered their shipping details, reached the payment step, and then suddenly closed the page without buying. That moment is one of the most frustrating for any online store, because the customer was so close to actually purchasing. This article breaks down the real reasons behind cart abandonment, and how to tell whether the problem is in your store or in the purchase intent itself.
What does cart abandonment mean and how is its rate measured?
Cart abandonment happens when a customer adds one or more products to their cart and starts the checkout process, but leaves before completing payment. The rate is calculated by dividing the number of abandoned carts by the number of carts created, multiplied by 100. This rate is a core indicator of your store’s purchase experience health, not a secondary metric.
Why a customer gets close to buying then backs out at the last moment
Hidden costs and shipping and tax surprises
When shipping cost or tax suddenly appears at the last step without being clear from the start, the customer feels the final price is different from what they expected, so they back out.
Forcing the customer to create an account before checkout
Requiring the customer to create a full account before completing their purchase adds an extra step they’re not prepared for at that moment, especially if it’s their first visit.
A complicated payment and checkout process
Every extra step or unnecessary field in the payment form reduces the odds of completing the purchase, because the customer feels the process is longer than they expected.
Weak trust and lack of reassurance at payment
Missing clear security signals, or limited payment methods, makes the customer hesitant to enter their financial details at the last moment.
A slow site and a confusing user experience
Slow-loading checkout pages or a confusing layout add friction at the most sensitive moment of the purchase journey — the moment that should be the easiest, not the hardest.
A Company That Removed One Step and Cut Losses in Half
ASOS’s checkout once required shoppers to create a full account before completing a purchase — a standard practice at the time. After removing that mandatory registration step and allowing a simpler guest-style checkout, documented analysis of the change found the abandonment rate at that step was cut roughly in half. The product itself didn’t change — only the number of steps between “I want this” and “I’ve bought it.”
You may also read: Website Traffic but No Sales? The Real Reasons Behind It
How much do abandoned carts cost you in sales and profit?
Baymard Institute’s cart abandonment research shows the average global cart abandonment rate exceeds 70%, and that unexpected costs like shipping and tax have been the number one cause of cart abandonment for six consecutive years, cited by roughly 48% of shoppers. That means a huge share of real, existing purchase intent is being lost over fixable details, not because the customer changed their mind about the product.
You may also read: How Do You Grow Your Online Store’s Sales Sustainably?
How data reveals where your customers stop in the purchase journey
Analyzing the checkout journey step by step, from adding a product to the cart through order confirmation, shows you exactly at which step customers hesitate or close the page. That point usually repeats consistently across different customers, which makes it much easier to pinpoint the actual problem.
You may also read: Why Ignoring Email Marketing is Hurting Your Business in the Age of Social Media
Is cart abandonment a store problem or a purchase-intent problem?
Not every abandoned cart represents lost real purchase intent. Some customers use the cart as a price-comparison or planning tool, without immediate purchase intent. The difference shows up in behavior analysis: did the customer actually reach the payment step, or stop well before it, and did they return later to complete the purchase or not.
Brand Brew’s perspective on recovering abandoned carts and turning them into sales
At Brand Brew Creations, we analyze your entire checkout journey to pinpoint the exact point where you’re losing customers, rather than proposing generic fixes without diagnosis. Baymard Institute’s checkout usability research found the average site has more than 30 improvement opportunities in checkout alone, and that’s exactly the kind of detail we focus on. Because our departments work in sync, the solution we deliver connects your site experience with your sales data in one coherent plan.
What is the cause of cart abandonment?
The top causes are hidden costs that appear late, forced account creation, a complicated checkout process, weak trust signals, and a slow or confusing site experience.
What is shopping cart abandonment?
It’s when a customer adds items to their cart, starts the checkout process, but leaves before completing payment — regardless of the reason.
Why is cart abandonment rate important?
Because it directly measures how well your checkout experience converts existing purchase intent into actual revenue, making it one of the clearest signals of store health.
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
The global average sits around 70%, but what’s “normal” varies by industry and device, and any rate meaningfully higher than your sector’s average deserves a separate investigation.
Every abandoned cart was a real purchase intent that got close to converting and slipped away. Book a 20-minute call with Brand Brew, and we’ll show you, with data, exactly where your customers are leaving their cart before they buy.
