running my store for about 8 months now and the cart abandonment rate is killing me. sitting at like 72% according to shopify analytics.
tried the usual stuff:
free shipping over $50
exit intent popups (annoying but desperate)
abandoned cart emails (barely 10% open rate)
simplified checkout process
still, people load up their carts and just… leave.
what’s weird is my product pages get decent engagement, reviews are solid (4.7 average), and the add-to-cart rate is actually pretty good. but something about checkout scares them off.
thinking it might be the surprise shipping cost? even though I show “calculated at checkout” clearly. or maybe asking for too much info?
for those who’ve cracked this - what actually moved the needle for you? considering trying that shop pay thing but not sure if it’s worth it.
also is 72% actually that bad? seeing conflicting info online about what’s “normal”
would love to hear what’s working for others, especially if you’re selling in the $30-80 range like me
A 72 percent abandonment rate is actually within the global average, but still frustrating. Biggest wins are typically from being upfront about shipping costs and allowing for a fast checkout (Shop Pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay). Also try shorter forms and trust badges at checkout. Incremental changes compound results.
Basically, I understand that lot of people are abandoning the cart but you can do re-engagement by asking them why they left the cart abandoned. Is there any specific reason for abandoning the cart? You can simply email them or you can message them asking the details.
It helps to recover the cart abandonment by suggesting the discounts for the products which are popular i.e. being added to cart a lot but not being purchased.
Cart‑abandonment rates around 70 % are unfortunately quite common. In my experience, a few basics make a big difference:
• Upfront costs: clearly show shipping and taxes before checkout so there are no last‑minute surprises.
• Easy checkout: offer one‑click payment methods like Shop Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal. Minimise form fields and use trust badges.
• Capture emails: use a tasteful exit‑intent or idle‑timer popup to collect an email address before someone leaves. That way you can send a friendly reminder if they don’t complete the purchase.
• Follow‑up emails: send a short reminder 30–60 minutes after abandonment, with a link straight back to their cart and, if appropriate, a small incentive such as free shipping or a discount.
For popups and follow‑ups, I’ve found Revenue Boost ( RevenueBoost: Popups & Upsell - Spin-to-Win Popups, Upsells & Social Proof in 1 App | Shopify App Store ) helpful. It lets you create exit‑intent popups, spin‑to‑win wheels or scratch cards for email capture, and it can automatically deliver one‑time discount codes when someone abandons a cart. The app also supports A/B testing of incentives and integrates with Shopify’s checkout so you can apply discounts automatically. Even without an app, combining clear pricing with a simple checkout and timely reminders often lowers abandonment rates.
It really depends on a few things. What others have touched in the thread are accurate, but that’s from a very general standpoint.
The industry you’re selling in will change the goals you should be setting for certain KPIs. Products in, say, the CPG space are going to convert at a much different rate than products in the fashion space.
free shipping promo: how does that stack up against your AOV, historically? you mentioned your range of price points, but what is the median price point? what’s the cost to ship one item, and what’s the total cost for that item with shipping? what’s the total cost for an item without a shipping cost for the consumer (if they qualify for free shipping)? where is the value for the consumer there, and is it attractive enough for them to convert on the spot?
abandoned cart emails—what are the current benchmarks for open rates, CTRs, and RPE for your industry vertical? Are you indexing over, under, or meeting the benchmark goal? If your open rate is only 10%, then your goal should be improving the open rate (it’s a numbers game). More opens means more potential clicks, and more clicks means more abandoned carts are recovered in the long run.
If your CTR is low, have you analyzed why? What content is in the email creative? Where do people click? Where do they not click? Is it clear what intended action you’re asking the user to take? What can you test to improve the CTR? CTRs are generally a strong interest signal. For an abandoned cart flow, their intended purpose is clear—get the user to recover their cart. Why is the user not recovering the abandoned cart? Is it shipping? Is it product price (you can check industry benchmark for add to cart rate—if it’s average/high, then you’re good here and def see if it’s a shipping charge issue)? Is it lack of communicating product benefits? Is it unqualified traffic?
Shop Pay—don’t second guess that. “Buy now, pay later” is growing in popularity and you’re missing out on conversions if you’re not allowing that payment type as an option for your store.