10 + 1 ways to reduce abandoned carts and increase your e-shop sales
“How can I reduce abandoned carts in my e-shop?”
Abandoned carts are one of the most critical KPIs in ecommerce.
They don’t indicate user indifference — they indicate friction with the purchasing process and your e-shop in general. The user wanted to buy. But somewhere they:
- got blocked
- got confused
- or lost trust
Beyond the above, there is also another reason visitors abandon their cart: high shipping costs.
In this article, I analyze 10 practical actions that substantially reduce abandoned carts and increase completed purchases while the customer is still inside your e-shop.
Actions you can take after the customer leaves the e-shop will be covered in the next article.
1. Show clear costs before checkout
One of the main reasons for abandonment, as mentioned above, is hidden or delayed costs.
In practice, many e-shops display shipping fees and extra charges only at the final step. This creates frustration.
What can you do about it?
Allow shipping cost calculation directly from the cart and include labels such as “Final amount.”
This is appreciated not only by visitors but also by AI SEO, which “reads” it as user-service intent.
2. Make guest checkout the default option
Mandatory account creation dramatically increases abandonment, especially on mobile.
- Guest checkout must be simple
- Account creation should be accompanied by specific benefits and repeated as a prompt even after purchase
Think of registration as an additional marketing asset — not a prerequisite for a sale.
3. Ask only for essential information
Every form field is a point of micro-friction and frustration. Review what information you request:
- Are you asking for data you don’t immediately need?
- Are there duplicate fields (e.g., billing/shipping address)?
- Does your e-shop support mobile autofill?
4. Do you have a mobile-first checkout?
As expected, the majority of abandonments happen on mobile. Your goal should be a checkout designed first for mobile and then for desktop.
Check whether:
- buttons are too small
- dropdowns are difficult to use
- the keyboard covers important fields
5. Check loading speed, especially at checkout
Even one extra second during checkout increases abandonment.
Check:
- third-party scripts (tracking, chat, pixels)
- heavy payment plugins
- server response time
6. Provide clear security & trust signals
Transaction security is the number-one reason a user ultimately decides to purchase from YOUR e-shop.
A first-time customer thinks: “Should I enter my card details here?”
Make them feel safe by showing:
- SSL & security badges
- payment logos
- a clear return policy
7. More payment methods = fewer abandoned carts
Every visitor has payment preferences. When they don’t find them, they don’t complain — they simply leave.
Provide options such as:
- Cards
- Wallets
- Cash on delivery
- Alternative payment methods
Bank transfers can be tedious to verify, and cash on delivery can sometimes cause issues when orders are refused. Keep them as options and measure how often they cause problems.
You can also remove them temporarily and evaluate lost sales and changes in abandonment rates before deciding whether to keep them.
8. Clear information about shipping & returns
Uncertainty is the enemy of conversion. The user needs to know:
- when the order will arrive
- who delivers it
- what happens if they change their mind
These details increase comfort, especially for lesser-known e-shops or for products widely available elsewhere.
9. Use psychological triggers in the right places
Small messages placed strategically can significantly reduce abandonment. For example:
- “Free returns”
- “Limited stock available”
- “Purchased recently”
- “X customers are viewing this product right now”
- “Your cart will remain active for 15 minutes”
- “Our special discounts last for 30 minutes”
10. Behavior analysis and continuous optimization
There is no “perfect checkout,” only an optimized one.
To optimize, measure:
- where users abandon
- on which device
- with which payment method
- for which products
Every data point can help improve checkout performance.
When an abandoned cart cannot be avoided
No matter how optimized a checkout is, some abandonments are not caused by e-shop mistakes.
Instead, they result from consumer psychology, comparison behavior, or strategy.
Understanding these cases is critical because it:
- prevents incorrect conclusions,
- helps interpret data properly,
- improves remarketing strategy.
Let’s look at situations where the e-shop functions perfectly, yet the consumer still abandons the cart.
1. The cart as a “wishlist”
Many users do not intend to buy immediately. They use the cart to:
- see the final cost,
- compare products,
- save items for later purchase.
2. Price comparison with competitors
Users may reach checkout just to perform a price check. If they find a lower price or better shipping terms elsewhere, they will leave — even if your checkout is flawless.
3. Psychological “cool-off” before purchase
For expensive products, the brain activates a delay mechanism. The user thinks: “Should I buy this now or think about it?”
Here, abandonment is self-protection, not rejection.
4. No immediate need
The user wants the product but doesn’t need it right now. This is common in fashion, home decor, and lifestyle categories.
The issue is timing — not your e-shop.
5. Waiting for a deal or discount
Some users intentionally abandon carts while waiting for a coupon, free shipping, or seasonal sale.
If you always offer discounts afterward, you train the wrong behavior.
6. Temporary financial constraint
The user may lack available budget at that moment, be waiting for their salary, or have other priorities. Interest exists — purchasing power does not.
7. Simple change of mind
Yes, it happens. Not because something went wrong, but because the user got bored, changed mood, or found something else. This cannot be fixed technically.
8. Abandoned cart as a remarketing trigger
This was common in the U.S., where visitors discovered that abandoning a cart often triggered an email with a discount on the product.
In such cases, recovery strategy should not rely solely on discounts.
Abandoned carts are not just about usability or structure. They are an economic indicator that directly affects:
- Advertising costs
- ROAS
- The e-shop’s ability to scale sales
Reducing abandoned carts requires a strategy combining user experience, technical clarity, and trust.
E-shops that systematically work on these areas:
- increase sales
- reduce advertising costs
- improve overall brand perception
When approached correctly, abandoned carts stop being a problem and become a profitability optimization tool.
In my next article, we will examine the metrics you should track for cart abandonment and the strategies to bring back customers who left products in their cart after exiting the e-shop.
If you would like help from our team with all of the above, contact us
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