You’ve done the hard work; your ads are running, visitors are clicking, and your products are getting attention. But when it’s time to buy, they disappear. Cart abandonment is the silent revenue killer haunting nearly every e-commerce business.
According to a 2025 stats report, the average cart abandonment rate is 70% meaning 7 out of every 10 shoppers leave without completing their purchase.
Understanding your cart abandonment rate is crucial. It tells you how much potential revenue is being lost and where you need to optimize your checkout experience. In this article, you’ll learn how to calculate it, why it matters, and practical strategies to recover those lost sales.
What Is Cart Abandonment Rate?
Cart abandonment rate is the percentage of shoppers who add items to their cart but do not complete the checkout process.
It’s one of the most important metrics for e-commerce stores because it highlights where revenue leaks occur. High abandonment rates often indicate friction in the checkout process, unexpected costs, or usability issues.
Example:
If 100 people add items to your cart and only 25 complete their purchase, your cart abandonment rate is 75%.
How to Calculate Cart Abandonment Rate
Calculating cart abandonment rate is simple if you have the right data.
Step 1: Gather Your Data
You need:
- The total number of completed purchases
- The total number of shopping carts created
Example:
Your store had 500 carts created last month, but only 125 completed purchases.
Step 2: Use this Formula
Cart abandonment rate (% =
(Carts created – Completed purchases) divided by Carts created and multiplied by 100
Using our example:
(500 – 125)/500 x 100 = 75%
This means three out of every four potential purchases were lost.
Step 3: Segment Your Data
Breaking down your cart abandonment by segments helps you understand patterns:
- Device type: mobile vs desktop
- Traffic source: organic, paid ads, email
- Product category or price
- Checkout step
Example:
Many ecommerce stores often see higher mobile abandonment than desktop due to longer form fills and small screens.
Why Tracking Cart Abandonment Rate Matters
Knowing your abandonment rate allows you to:
1. Identify friction points in the checkout process
2. Optimize pricing, shipping, and product pages
3. Recover lost revenue with targeted campaigns
4. Make smarter marketing investments
By tracking this metric, you can prioritize fixes that make the biggest impact on revenue.
Tips to Reduce Cart Abandonment After Calculating It
1. Simplify the Checkout Process
A complicated checkout process is one of the biggest reasons shoppers abandon their carts. To minimize friction, allow customers to make purchases as guests instead of forcing account creation.
Streamline your forms by removing unnecessary fields and only asking for essential information. Finally, ensure your checkout navigation is intuitive; every step should feel effortless, guiding customers smoothly from cart to confirmation.
2. Be Transparent About Costs
Surprise costs are a major trust-breaker at checkout. Display all charges, including shipping fees, taxes, and other costs, early in the process.
Transparency helps customers make informed decisions and prevents them from feeling deceived when they reach the final payment step.
Avoid hidden fees at all costs; honesty about pricing builds credibility and encourages more completed purchases.
3. Recover Abandoned Carts with Email Campaigns
Abandoned cart emails are a proven way to win back lost sales. In fact, a report found that sending abandoned cart emails can recover 10–15% of lost sales showing just how powerful follow-up messages can be.
These emails work best when they include product images, pricing details, and a clear call-to-action (CTA) button that takes the shopper straight back to checkout.
Timing also matters; send the first reminder within a few hours of abandonment to stay top-of-mind.
4. Offer Exit-Intent Promotions
Sometimes, shoppers need a little nudge to complete their purchase. Exit-intent popups offering discounts, free shipping, or small freebies can be that final push.
By detecting when a user is about to leave and presenting an irresistible offer, you can turn hesitation into conversion. These last-minute promotions not only increase sales but also create a positive impression of your brand’s generosity.
5. Add Trust Signals
Trust is everything in e-commerce. Incorporate SSL certificates to show that your site is secure, display customer reviews to highlight real experiences, and offer satisfaction guarantees to reassure hesitant buyers. Each of these trust signals helps reduce uncertainty and strengthens your credibility.
Conclusion
Calculating your cart abandonment rate is the first step to understanding lost revenue. By gathering data, applying the formula, and segmenting results, you can pinpoint friction points in your checkout process.
Once you know where potential buyers are leaving, you can optimize your checkout, implement abandoned cart recovery strategies, and increase revenue per visitor. Even small improvements can make a big difference.
Revvy can help monitor behavior, provide actionable recommendations, and maximize your conversion opportunities without manual guesswork.
