Most expensive eCommerce mistakes happen between the basket and the payment. Baymard Institute's analysis of 50 studies puts the average cart abandonment rate at 70.22%, and the reasons shoppers give are mostly fixable: extra costs they did not expect, a slow delivery promise, distrust of the site, forced account creation, a long checkout, errors, an unclear returns policy and too few payment methods. Fix those first, then measure.
Key takeaways
- Baymard's average cart abandonment rate is 70.22%, the mean of 50 studies published between 2006 and 2025, with individual studies ranging from about 56% to 84%.
- Among US shoppers who abandoned and were not just browsing, the top reason was extra costs that were too high (40%), then slow delivery (20%), distrust of the site with card details (19%) and required account creation (18%). Shoppers could give more than one reason.
- web.dev's checkout advice: ask for as little data as possible, do not force an account before purchase, use autofill values, and validate as users type.
- Baymard notes that many causes can be fixed through design changes.
The nine mistakes
1. Showing the real cost too late
Extra shipping, tax or fees were the most common reason (40%) in Baymard's study, and 12% could not see the total order cost upfront. Show delivery cost and a total as early as you can, ideally on the product or basket page, and be clear about taxes and duties for each country you sell to.
2. Forcing people to create an account
18% of those surveyed abandoned because the site required account creation. web.dev's guidance is "Don't force users to create an account before making a purchase"; offer to create one after checkout, when most of the details are already entered.
3. A long or confusing checkout
17% found checkout too long or complicated. Ask for as little data as possible, use one name field unless you need two, do not split card or phone numbers into parts, and reuse shipping details for billing.
4. Forms that do not help on a phone
Use the right input types and autocomplete values so the phone offers the correct keyboard and fills details automatically (web.dev lists card number, name and expiry values). Do not use a number-type input for card numbers, and validate while the person types, not only on submit. Do not disable the submit button while a form is incomplete. Always validate on the server too. See Responsive or adaptive design.
5. Not earning trust
19% distrusted the site with their card information. Show who you are, your address and contact details, secure payment, clear policies, and genuine reviews. Use reputable payment providers, and never display claims or badges you cannot back up.
6. A slow or unclear delivery and returns promise
20% found delivery too slow and 13% found the return policy unsatisfactory. State delivery times and returns terms in plain words on the product page and in the basket, and keep to them.
7. Errors, crashes and slow pages
17% abandoned because the site had errors or crashed. Monitor checkout errors, test every payment method on real devices and keep pages fast; see Web design that converts for the performance targets.
8. Too few payment options, and failed payments
9% said there were not enough payment methods and 10% had a card declined. Offer the methods your customers actually use in each market, and show a clear, helpful message when a payment fails.
9. Thin product content and no measurement
Product pages that only repeat a supplier's description give shoppers no reason to choose you, and without measurement you cannot see where they leave. Write helpful product pages and guides (see Content marketing for online stores), and track each step from product view to purchase so you know which fix to make next.
A word on the figure
Baymard also found that 42% of abandoners were "just browsing", so not every abandoned cart is a lost sale. The rate is a prompt to investigate, not a target to drive to zero.
How to find your own biggest leak
- Set up funnel reporting: product view, add to basket, start checkout, add payment details, purchase.
- Find the step where most people leave, and by device.
- Watch real people use the checkout on a phone; five testers will show most of the big problems.
- Fix one thing at a time and compare.
Where does AI help?
AI can summarise review text, suggest answers for product questions and power a support assistant that handles delivery and returns questions. It should draw on your real policies, and a person should check what it says; see AI for eCommerce and our eCommerce solutions.
FAQ
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
Baymard's average across 50 studies is 70.22%, with studies ranging from about 56% to 84%.
What is the biggest reason people abandon checkout?
In Baymard's US study, excluding people who were just browsing, extra costs such as shipping, tax or fees were the top reason at 40%.
Should I force customers to create an account?
No. web.dev advises against forcing an account before purchase, and 18% of surveyed shoppers abandoned for that reason.
How many form fields should checkout have?
As few as possible. web.dev advises asking for as little data as possible and removing fields you do not need.
Is every abandoned cart a lost sale?
No. 42% of Baymard's respondents were just browsing or not ready to buy.
Sources (2 links)
- Baymard Institute, "50 Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics": https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate
- web.dev, "Payment and address form best practices": https://web.dev/articles/payment-and-address-form-best-practices
