What percentage of online shoppers abandon their cart?
The latest research shows that about 70.19 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned before checkout (Baymard Institute, 2024). In practical terms, seven out of every ten shoppers add items to a cart but leave without purchasing, making cart abandonment an essential ecommerce KPI to track and optimize.
Numbers at a glance
- 70.19% global cart abandonment rate (2024)
- 80.2% abandonment rate on mobile devices
- 70-73% abandonment rate on desktop
- 39% of shoppers abandon due to extra costs being too high
- 21% abandon because delivery was too slow
- 35.26% potential conversion lift from checkout UX improvements
Current global cart abandonment trends
The 70% benchmark explained
Baymard Institute’s widely-cited 70.19% figure aggregates data from 49 different studies conducted between 2006-2023, making it the most comprehensive benchmark available. This means roughly 7 out of 10 online shoppers add items to their cart but never complete the purchase.
The consistency of this figure is remarkable—cart abandonment rates have hovered around 70% for over a decade, with individual studies ranging from 55% to 84.27% depending on methodology and sample size.
Device-specific abandonment patterns
Cart abandonment varies significantly by device type, with mobile showing consistently higher rates:
| Device type | Abandonment rate (2024) |
|---|---|
| Mobile | 80.2% |
| Tablet | 80.74% |
| Desktop | 70-73% |
Mobile’s higher abandonment rate reflects the challenges of completing checkout on smaller screens, slower loading times, and more complex form entry on touch devices.
Regional differences in abandonment
Cart Abandonment by Region (Q4 2024)
Regional factors: Higher rates in developing markets correlate with greater mobile adoption and limited payment method availability.
Cart abandonment rates vary dramatically by geographic region, influenced by local payment preferences, shipping expectations, and mobile adoption:
- Middle East & Africa: 93% (Q4 2024)
- Asia-Pacific: 87% (Q4 2024)
- Europe: 80% (Q4 2024)
- United States: 85% on mobile (Q3 2024)
The higher rates in developing markets often correlate with greater mobile commerce adoption and limited payment method availability.
Key reasons shoppers abandon carts
Baymard’s 2025 research reveals the primary abandonment triggers, excluding the 43% who were “just browsing”:
Top Reasons Shoppers Abandon Carts
Note: Excludes the 43% who were “just browsing” without purchase intent. Data from Baymard Institute 2025 research.
Extra costs too high lead abandonment
39% of shoppers abandon carts when surprised by additional fees at checkout. This includes:
- High shipping costs not disclosed upfront
- Taxes and duties for international orders
- Processing fees for certain payment methods
- Insurance or handling charges
Delivery speed expectations
21% abandon when delivery options don’t meet expectations:
- Slow standard shipping (5+ days)
- No expedited options available
- Unclear delivery timeframes
- High express shipping costs
Trust and security concerns
19% of shoppers leave due to security worries:
- Unfamiliar payment processors
- Missing SSL certificates or trust badges
- No recognizable security symbols
- Concerns about data privacy
Account creation requirements
19% of shoppers abandon when forced to create an account:
- Preference for guest checkout
- Privacy concerns about data collection
- Avoiding marketing emails
- One-time purchase intentions
Complex checkout processes
18% of abandonment stems from checkout friction:
- Too many form fields (average site has 23.48 elements vs. ideal 12-14)
- Multi-page checkout flows
- Unclear progress indicators
- Required fields not marked properly
Industry benchmarks at a glance
Cart abandonment rates vary significantly across retail verticals, reflecting different purchase behaviors and consideration periods.
High-consideration categories
Industries with longer purchase cycles and higher price points show elevated abandonment:
| Industry | Abandonment rate |
|---|---|
| Luxury & jewelry | 82.84% |
| Beauty & personal care | 80.92% |
| Home & furniture | 80.32% |
| Fashion & apparel | 78.53% |
Routine purchase categories
Essential and frequently-purchased items show lower abandonment:
| Industry | Abandonment rate |
|---|---|
| Pet care & veterinary | 54.78% |
| Consumer goods | 57.37% |
| Food & beverage | 63.62% |
How average order value correlates
Higher-priced items generally see more abandonment as shoppers:
- Compare prices across multiple sites
- Seek reviews and recommendations
- Wait for sales or promotions
- Require approval for large purchases
What the 70% figure means for revenue impact
The scale of cart abandonment represents a massive revenue opportunity for retailers willing to optimize their checkout experience.
Conversion lift potential
Baymard’s research indicates that fixing major checkout UX issues could increase conversions by up to 35.26%. This figure comes from documented improvements possible through better checkout design, based on 10 years of large-scale testing.
Recoverable sales through optimization
Baymard’s analysis of US and EU ecommerce sales ($738 billion combined) suggests that $260 billion worth of lost orders are recoverable solely through better checkout flow and design.
The 39 improvement opportunities
Baymard’s benchmark of 60 leading ecommerce sites shows the average site has 39 potential areas for checkout improvements, even among Fortune 500 companies that have already run optimization projects.
How researchers calculate “average cart abandonment”
Understanding how the 70.19% figure is derived helps evaluate its reliability and applicability to your business.
Baymard’s methodology
Baymard Institute’s benchmark comes from analyzing 49 separate studies conducted between 2006-2023. The studies include data from major analytics providers like IBM/Coremetrics, SaleCycle, Barilliance, and Fresh Relevance. Each study contributes weighted data based on sample size and methodology quality.
Dual-source verification process
Leading research firms show consistent findings:
- Baymard Institute: 70.19% (49-study aggregate, updated July 2023)
- Statista: ~70% (global average, 2024)
- Various industry sources: Range from 68-74% for 2024
The consistency across independent sources strengthens confidence in the ~70% benchmark.
Limitations and confidence intervals
No cart abandonment study captures 100% of global ecommerce activity. Key limitations include:
- Geographic bias: Studies often over-represent North American and European retailers
- Platform bias: Some trackers focus heavily on specific ecommerce platforms
- Definition variance: “Abandonment” timing varies (24 hours vs. 30 days)
- Sample selection: B2B vs. B2C differences aren’t always separated
Why numbers vary between tools
Different analytics tools may report varying abandonment rates for the same store due to:
- Session timeout settings (30 minutes vs. 2 hours)
- Bot traffic filtering methods
- Return visitor classification
- Multi-device journey tracking capabilities
Quick benchmark checklist for your store
Use this framework to evaluate your cart abandonment performance and set realistic improvement targets.
Calculate your abandonment rate
Formula: (Carts Created – Completed Orders) ÷ Carts Created × 100
Example: (1,000 carts – 300 orders) ÷ 1,000 = 70% abandonment
Compare against benchmarks
- Global average: 70.19%
- Your industry: See industry table above
- Your primary device traffic: Mobile (80%) vs. Desktop (70%)
- Your region: US (85% mobile), Europe (80%), APAC (87%)
Set realistic improvement targets
- Good performance: 65% or lower for most SMBs
- Excellent performance: 55% or lower
- Industry leaders: 45-50% in low-consideration categories
Monitor monthly patterns
Track abandonment rates monthly to identify:
- Seasonal variations (holidays, back-to-school)
- Pay-period patterns (higher abandonment mid-month)
- Marketing campaign impacts
- Site performance correlations
Frequently asked questions
What is a “good” cart abandonment rate?
While 70.19% is the global average, “good” depends on your industry and customer type. Rates below 65% are generally considered good, while anything under 55% is excellent. Essential goods and repeat-purchase categories typically see lower rates than luxury or high-consideration items.
How often should I measure cart abandonment?
Monitor abandonment rates weekly for trends, but make decisions based on monthly data to account for natural fluctuations. Quarterly deep-dives should examine abandonment by traffic source, device, and customer segment.
Does buy-now-pay-later reduce abandonment?
Yes, offering BNPL options can reduce abandonment, particularly for purchases over $100. However, the 10% of shoppers who cite “not enough payment methods” as their abandonment reason suggests the impact varies by audience and product category.
Are email reminders counted as “recovered” abandonment?
Cart recovery emails typically convert 5-15% of abandoned carts, but these are counted as separate conversions, not reductions in the abandonment rate. The abandonment rate measures initial checkout completion, while recovery measures subsequent re-engagement success.
How many online shopping carts are abandoned worldwide?
With global ecommerce sales exceeding $5 trillion annually and a 70.19% abandonment rate, approximately $3.5 trillion worth of merchandise is added to carts but never purchased each year. However, not all of this represents lost sales, as 43% of users are “just browsing.”
What device has the highest abandonment rate?
Tablet devices show the highest abandonment rates at 80.74%, followed closely by mobile at 80.2%. Desktop maintains the lowest rate at 70-73%. However, tablets represent a much smaller portion of ecommerce traffic, making mobile abandonment the bigger concern for most retailers due to its volume and the challenges of smaller screens, slower loading, and more complex form entry on touch devices.
How is cart abandonment calculated?
Cart abandonment rate = (Number of completed transactions ÷ Number of shopping carts created) × 100. However, definitions vary: some tools count sessions vs. users, apply different timeout periods (30 minutes to 30 days), and handle returning visitors differently.
How much money is lost to cart abandonment each year?
Baymard Institute estimates that $260 billion in recoverable sales are lost annually in the US and EU markets alone due to poor checkout UX. Globally, the figure likely exceeds $500 billion, though not all abandoned carts represent genuine purchase intent.
What’s the trend over the last decade?
Cart abandonment rates have remained remarkably stable around 70% since 2010. Individual studies range from 55% to 84%, but the average has consistently hovered near 70% despite improvements in payment technology and checkout design.
Can better checkout UX lower abandonment?
Yes, significantly. Baymard’s research shows that addressing documented checkout usability issues can increase conversion rates by up to 35.26%. The average site has 39 potential improvement areas, from reducing form fields (23.48 average vs. 12-14 ideal) to improving trust signals and payment options.
Key takeaways
Understanding your cart abandonment rate is just the first step toward optimization. The research shows that significant improvements are possible through systematic checkout optimization.
Focus on the big wins first: Address the top abandonment reasons—extra costs (39%), slow delivery (21%), and security concerns (19%)—before tackling smaller issues.
Benchmark your checkout flow: Compare your form fields against the ideal 12-14 elements. The average site uses 23.48 elements, creating unnecessary friction.
Test systematically: With 39 documented improvement opportunities available to most sites, prioritize changes based on your specific abandonment data and user feedback.
Sources and references
- Baymard Institute Cart Abandonment Statistics — 49-study aggregate methodology and 70.19% global benchmark (updated July 2023)
- Statista Global Shopping Cart Abandonment — Regional data and 2024 trends
- Baymard Institute Checkout Research — UX improvement methodology and conversion lift data
- Statista Regional Cart Abandonment — Q4 2024 regional breakdown
- Statista US Cart Abandonment — US mobile abandonment data Q3 2024
