Cart abandonment is when a shopper adds items to the cart but leaves without buying. Most of the causes are well understood, and most of them can be fixed on Shopify.
How many Shopify carts get abandoned?
About seven in ten online shopping carts are abandoned. Baymard Institute puts the average documented online cart abandonment rate at 70.22%, based on 50 different studies. Some abandonment is normal, because many shoppers use the cart to save items or compare prices.
Why do shoppers abandon their carts?
Shoppers abandon their carts mainly because of unexpected extra costs, slow delivery, lack of trust and a checkout that is too long or demands an account. Baymard Institute’s survey of shoppers who abandoned during checkout, excluding those who were just browsing, gives these reasons:
| Reason for abandoning checkout | Share of shoppers |
|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% |
| Delivery was too slow | 20% |
| Didn’t trust the site with card information | 19% |
| The site wanted me to create an account | 18% |
| Too long or complicated checkout process | 17% |
| Website had errors or crashed | 17% |
Source: Baymard Institute, last updated 22 September 2025. Shoppers could give more than one reason.
How do you stop extra costs causing cart abandonment?
Stop extra costs causing cart abandonment by showing shipping costs, taxes and delivery estimates before the shopper reaches checkout. A clear free-delivery threshold, a shipping estimate on the product or cart page, and prices that already include tax where shoppers expect it remove the most common surprise.
How do you make Shopify checkout easier to complete?
Make Shopify checkout easier to complete by allowing guest checkout, switching on accelerated checkouts and removing every field the order does not need. The checkout checklist:
- Allow guest checkout so no shopper is forced to create an account
- Switch on accelerated checkouts such as Shop Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay where available
- Remove optional fields that do not help fulfil the order
- Test the full checkout on a phone as well as on desktop
Which payment methods reduce cart abandonment?
The payment methods that reduce cart abandonment are the ones shoppers already use and trust in their market. For shoppers in Oman, that means offering the local cards, wallets and bank payment methods they expect alongside international cards. A shopper who cannot pay the way they trust leaves at the last step.
How do you build trust at checkout?
Build trust at checkout by making the store look established and the policies easy to find. A visible returns policy, clear contact details, recognisable payment logos and a checkout that matches the store’s branding all reduce last-minute hesitation. A store that has errors or broken pages loses trust immediately, so fix those first.
How do you recover abandoned carts on Shopify?
Recover abandoned carts on Shopify with automated reminders by email and, where shoppers have opted in, SMS or WhatsApp. Mooshfy’s usual starting sequence is:
| Message | Timing | Content |
|---|---|---|
| First reminder | About one hour after leaving | The items left behind and a link back to the cart |
| Second reminder | About a day later | Answers to common questions: delivery, returns, sizing |
| Final reminder | Two to three days later | An optional small incentive, used sparingly |
Timings are a starting point; test them against the store’s own results.
Should you fix cart abandonment before buying more traffic?
Fixing cart abandonment before buying more traffic is usually the better investment, because every improvement to checkout applies to every visitor the store already has. Paid traffic sent to a leaky checkout costs more per sale than the same traffic sent to a fixed one.
What does Mooshfy check first in a cart abandonment audit?
Mooshfy checks the mobile checkout first: when shipping costs first appear, whether guest checkout is on, which payment methods show, and whether the abandoned checkout reminders are switched on. Those four checks find the cause in most stores.
Mooshfy runs free checkout audits for brands in Oman and shows exactly where shoppers drop off.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal cart abandonment rate for a Shopify store?
A normal cart abandonment rate is around 70%, based on Baymard Institute’s average of 50 studies across online stores. A Shopify store’s own rate depends on its products, prices and traffic, so track the trend over time rather than chasing one benchmark.
Does Shopify send abandoned checkout emails automatically?
Shopify includes abandoned checkout emails that can be switched on and timed in the admin, and email marketing apps add more advanced flows. Check that the reminders are enabled and branded before relying on them.
Should abandoned cart emails include a discount?
Abandoned cart emails do not always need a discount. Mooshfy usually starts with a plain reminder and adds an incentive only in a later message, because discounting every abandoned cart teaches shoppers to wait for a code.