Cart abandonment vs. checkout abandonment: why shoppers leave & how to win them back

To buy or not to buy, that is the question. 

And this question pops up in the customer’s mind at various stages of their journey. It could be when they add your products to the cart or before they make the purchase.

Understanding when and where that hesitation kicks in can be the difference between a lost sale and a happy customer. That’s why we’re diving into the twin culprits of lost revenue: cart abandonment and checkout abandonment.

Most marketers focus on the former, while very few pay enough attention to checkout abandonment—despite it happening much closer to the finish line.

Read on to understand why shoppers leave and what you can do to prevent it.

Cart abandonment vs. checkout abandonment 

While both mean a sale didn’t happen, they occur at different stages of the purchase funnel:

Cart abandonment

As the name suggests, cart abandonment is when a shopper adds products to their cart but leaves before making it to the checkout. Let’s say a customer called Carter Vanish walks into your store and fills their cart with a lot of products. You’re very excited about the sale, But then—without warning—Carter leaves the cart right in the middle of the aisle and strolls out like nothing happened. 

This might not be a common occurrence in a physical store, but the average cart abandonment rate is 70.19% in online stores. 

Why does this happen? Let’s find out.

Common reasons for cart abandonment & what you can do

Just browsing or price comparison

For most people, shopping, especially window shopping, is therapeutic. After a long day, they visit an online store, browse products, and add them to the cart to either compare prices or see what the total comes up to. They don’t really have the intention to buy just yet.

What can you do?

• Send gentle cart reminders via email or WhatsApp
• Enable a “Save for later” option to keep the interest alive
• Highlight limited-time offers or free shipping to create a little FOMO
• Consider showing “Recently viewed” or “Compare with similar items” to keep them engaged

Extra costs

Almost half the shoppers leave their carts because of unexpected additional costs like shipping, taxes, and fees. Sometimes, they just add products to their cart to see what the total comes up to. 

What you can do:

• Be transparent about costs early on (even on product pages)
• Offer free shipping thresholds (e.g., “Free shipping on orders above $99”)
• Use messaging like “No extra surprises at checkout” to build trust

Using the cart as a wishlist:

Some customers just like to collect things in their cart for later. Instead of using a dedicated wishlist feature (if one even exists), countless customers simply toss items they like into their cart, where they can easily find and review them later. It’s a digital habit that feels as natural as pinning ideas on Pinterest or bookmarking a recipe for “someday.”

What you can do:

• Enable persistent carts so items remain even if users close the browser or switch devices.
• Send gentle reminders
• Offer wishlist features or “save for later” buttons and encourage their use.
• Use this intent data for smart retargeting and personalized incentives.

Waiting for discount/sale:

Who doesn’t love a sale or a discount? If your store or marketplace has frequent discounts, shoppers might “pre-shop,” adding items to their cart ahead of time and waiting for the sale to hit before checking out. It’s like reserving the products they want for the sale day. 

What you can do:

• Use WhatsApp or email reminders to nudge them when a sale starts
• Offer first-time buyer or early-bird discounts
• Add urgency: “Only X left at this price!”
• Try personalized offers based on cart content

Lack of trust or security concerns:

Most customers are worried about payment safety, product authenticity, or whether you'll ghost them post-purchase. 

What you can do:

• Add trust badges (SSL, payment gateway logos, etc.)
• Highlight customer reviews, testimonials, or UGC
• Offer easy customer support access and show your brand is human

Return policy

A confusing or no-return policy is often a dealbreaker because no one wants to be stuck with the wrong size or a product that doesn’t match the photos.

What you can do:

• Make your return policy visible and easy to understand
• Offer a risk-free experience like “7-day easy returns, no questions asked.”
• Add FAQs or a return calculator (especially for clothing/sizing)

Website errors

If your website or mobile app is difficult to navigate, has a higher load time, or is buggy, shoppers are more likely to bounce. 

What you can do:

• Regularly test for bugs and broken links
• Optimize for mobile (because that’s where most shoppers are!)
• Ensure a smooth and speedy checkout experience
• Use heatmaps or session recordings to spot friction points

Checkout abandonment

Let’s talk about the heartbreak that hits closer to the finish line: checkout abandonment. This happens when your customer has added items to their cart and clicked that promising “checkout” button, but for some reason, they leave right before the payment. Brutal.

Say Carter finally returns, pushes his cart to the checkout counter, you scan all his products, and generate the bill. So far, so good. When they’re about to give you their credit card, they walk out. 

This is very rare in a physical store, but unfortunately, it happens a lot online. Curious to find out why?

Common reasons for checkout abandonment & what you can do

Baymard Institute conducted a quantitative study to understand the reasons for abandonment. Here’s what they found out:

High additional costs

Additional costs like shipping, taxes, and delivery charges often spike the total cost at the checkout stage, driving customers away.

What you can do:

• Be transparent: Show estimated shipping and taxes earlier in the journey. No one likes a surprise bill.
• Offer free shipping: If possible, provide free shipping above a certain cart value to encourage larger orders.
• Bundle the value: Use combos, limited-time discounts, or “Buy X Get Y” deals to offset the perception of added costs.
• Highlight the savings: Show how much they’re saving during a sale.

Slow delivery

Marketplaces like Amazon have set the bar sky-high with one-day or even same-day delivery. So when your delivery timeline is too long or unclear, customers might decide it's not worth the wait and move on. ‍

What you can do:

• Set clear delivery expectations on product pages.
• Offer express delivery options, even if it’s paid.
• Use urgency-inducing messages like “Order within 2 hours to ship today!”
• Send proactive updates post-purchase to ease anxiety. 

Payment security and trust issues at checkout

As shoppers enter sensitive information, they are often skeptical at the checkout phase. About  25% may abandon if the checkout page doesn’t appear secure, lacks familiar trust signals, or introduces unexpected redirects.

What you can do:

• Display trust signals like SSL certificates, HTTPS, and secure payment icons.
• Include logos of familiar payment providers (like Visa, Mastercard, Razorpay, PayPal, etc.).
• Keep users on your domain; avoid unexpected redirects during payment.
• Use simple, trustworthy language and clear contact information.
• Add customer reviews or ratings on the checkout page for extra reassurance.

Account creation

If registration is forced during checkout, customers may quit even after starting the process, especially if they hoped for a guest login option. This is often a deciding factor for second-stage abandonment.

What you can do:

• Offer guest checkout—make buying frictionless.
• Let them sign up after purchase with a “Track your order” prompt.
• Incentivize account creation (exclusive offers, faster checkout).
• Use autofill tools to reduce the form fatigue.

Long or complicated checkout process

22% of shoppers cite lengthy, multi-step checkouts, excessive form fields, or confusing navigation in the checkout flow as their reason for leaving after starting the process.

What you can do:

• Simplify the process with fewer clicks and better flow
• Use a progress bar to show how close they are to finishing
• Autofill customer details where possible
• Remove unnecessary fields

Lack of payment methods

13% of customers won’t complete checkout if their preferred payment method is not available. 

What you can do:

• Offer a wide range: credit/debit cards, wallets, UPI, BNPL, COD.
• Keep an eye on what’s trending (e.g., digital wallets, local gateways).
• Localize payment methods if you serve international audiences.

Payment failure

About 9% of abandonments happen because of card declines or other transaction failures. Sometimes it's due to insufficient funds, but often, it’s because of poor error handling or the lack of alternative payment options. When users don’t understand why a payment failed—or don’t have another way to pay—they simply drop off.

What you can do:

• Offer multiple payment options (UPI, wallets, credit/debit cards, BNPL, COD).
• Show clear, helpful error messages when payments fail.
• Let users retry the payment or switch methods without restarting checkout.
• Send follow-up emails/WhatsApp nudges with a "Try Again" link.
• Monitor failed transactions and proactively reach out to high-value customers.

Whether the shopper leaves at checkout or before that, abandonment stings just the same. But the good news is there are plenty of ways to turn things around. 

Start by collecting user feedback at key drop-off points to understand why they left. Use exit-intent popups to offer last-minute discounts, highlight shipping or return policies, or simply reassure them. Live support during checkout can help answer last-minute questions and reduce hesitation. And don’t forget to send abandoned cart or checkout reminders through channels like WhatsApp or email. 

Ready to recover lost sales?

With ZEPIC, segmenting abandoners, setting up flows, and sending conversion-friendly campaigns is as easy as it gets. Get a demo today!