How to reduce cart abandonment: why shoppers leave, checkout fixes and abandoned cart emails that follow the rules

Short answer: To reduce cart abandonment, remove the reasons shoppers give for leaving, then remind the ones who still go. Baymard Institute puts the average online cart abandonment rate at about 70%, and the biggest fixable cause is surprise costs at checkout. Show shipping and the full total early, let people check out without creating an account, cut your checkout form down to the fields you truly need, offer the payment methods your buyers expect, and make delivery times and your returns policy easy to find. Then send a short series of abandoned cart emails to shoppers who gave you their email address, following the FTC's CAN-SPAM rules. Most of these fixes start with a store platform that lets you set clear shipping rates and a free shipping threshold.

What cart abandonment is and how to calculate your rate

A cart is abandoned when a shopper adds at least one product and leaves without placing the order. Checkout abandonment is the narrower version: the shopper had already started checkout, for example by entering an email or address, and then stopped. The difference matters because only checkout abandoners have usually left you a way to contact them.

The cart abandonment rate formula is simple:

Cart abandonment rate = 1 − (completed orders ÷ carts created)

Example (assumption): In a month your store records 800 carts and 240 completed orders. 240 ÷ 800 = 0.30, so your cart abandonment rate is 1 − 0.30 = 70%. Use the same date range for both numbers and count carts, not visitors.

Don't aim for zero. Baymard's research found that 42% of US online shoppers had abandoned a cart because they were just browsing or not ready to buy. Many carts are wish lists. Your goal is to remove the reasons that push ready buyers away.

Why do customers abandon carts?

When Baymard excluded the "just browsing" group, shoppers gave these reasons for abandoning an order during checkout:

• Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) — 40%
• Delivery was too slow — 20%
• Didn't trust the site with credit 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%
• Returns policy wasn't satisfactory — 13%
• Couldn't see or calculate total order cost up front — 12%
• Credit card was declined — 10%
• Not enough payment methods — 9%

9 ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment

1. Show the full cost before checkout

Extra costs top the list, and 12% more left because they couldn't work out the total. Put your shipping rates or free shipping threshold on product pages and in the cart, not only at the last step. If you charge sales tax, show an estimate as soon as you know the shipping address. For setting rates you can show with confidence, see how much to charge for shipping.

2. Use a free shipping threshold, not a surprise

A threshold ("Free shipping on orders over $50") turns shipping from a penalty into a goal. Show the remaining amount in the cart ("Add $12 more for free shipping"). Check that an order at the threshold is still profitable after you pay the carrier.

3. Let people check out as a guest

18% left because they had to create an account. Offer guest checkout and invite the shopper to save their details after the order is placed, when the password is a convenience rather than a hurdle.

4. Cut your checkout form

Baymard found the average US checkout shows 23.48 form elements by default, while an ideal checkout needs only 12 to 14. Remove fields you don't use: a second address line can hide behind a link, and the billing address can default to the shipping address.

5. Make the payment step feel safe

19% didn't trust the site with their card. Use a payment provider's secure checkout, keep your site on HTTPS, and show the card brands and wallets you accept. Offer the methods your buyers already use; 9% left because their preferred method was missing.

6. State delivery times up front

Slow delivery was the second biggest reason. Publish your processing time and the delivery window for each shipping option, and put an estimated delivery date on the product page or in the cart.

7. Put your returns policy one click away

13% left over the returns policy. Link it from product pages and checkout, and write it in plain words: how many days, who pays return shipping, how fast the refund arrives.

8. Fix errors and slow pages

17% left because the site had errors or crashed. Place test orders on a phone and a desktop every month, with a real card and with a coupon code.

9. Ask for the email address first

Make email the first field at checkout. If the shopper leaves after that, you can send a reminder. That's where abandoned cart emails come in.

Abandoned cart emails: timing, content and examples

An abandoned cart email reminds a shopper what they left and makes it easy to come back. A simple sequence many stores test:

1. A few hours later: a plain reminder with a photo of the product, the price and one button back to the cart.
2. The next day: answer the likely objection: shipping cost, delivery time, returns or sizing.
3. Two or three days later (optional): a last reminder, with an offer only if your margin allows it.

Treat these timings as a starting point, not a rule, and test them against your own orders.

Abandoned cart email subject line examples:

• "You left something in your cart"
• "Still thinking about the [product name]?"
• "Questions about shipping or returns? We've got answers"

Keep each email short, link straight back to the filled cart, and don't open with a discount. If every abandoned cart earns a coupon, some shoppers will learn to wait for it. Save offers for the last email or for higher-value carts.

Abandoned cart emails and CAN-SPAM

In the US, the FTC's CAN-SPAM rules decide what a marketing email must contain. The FTC looks at an email's "primary purpose". Transactional messages are defined narrowly, for example ones that complete or confirm a transaction the recipient has already agreed to. A shopper who left a cart hasn't agreed to buy, and a reminder that promotes your product reads like an ad, so the safe approach is to treat abandoned cart emails as commercial. That means:

• Accurate "From" and header information, and a subject line that matches the content.
• A clear indication that the message is promotional.
• A valid physical postal address.
• An easy way to opt out, honored within 10 business days, working for at least 30 days after you send.

The FTC says each email that breaks the rules can bring a penalty of up to $53,088, and you stay responsible even if an email tool sends it for you. Privacy laws in some states may add rules about how you collect and use the email address; check with a lawyer if you sell widely.

Track it every week

Look at your cart abandonment rate weekly, next to conversion rate and average order value. When the rate jumps, place a test order to find what broke. Cart abandonment is one of the five numbers we suggest watching in how to manage an online store.

How Favenda helps

The biggest reason shoppers leave is a cost they didn't expect, so Favenda starts there. You set shipping rates by weight or by size and add a free shipping threshold, so shoppers can see what delivery costs before they reach checkout. Each sales region gets its own currency, payment methods and shipping rates, so buyers in each market see options that fit them. Card payments run on the payment provider's secure 3D Secure page. Reviews come only from verified buyers, which helps a new store earn trust. Each order shows real profit after shipping and payment costs, so you can check whether a free shipping offer pays for itself. There are no transaction fees on your sales, and hosting, SSL, backups and updates are included. The Store plan is $69 a month excluding tax, with two months free when you pay annually.

See Favenda →

FAQ

What is a good cart abandonment rate?
There's no single target. Baymard's average across 50 studies is about 70%, and many shoppers are just browsing. Track your own rate over time and judge changes against your own baseline, especially after you change shipping, checkout or payment options.

Do abandoned cart emails need an unsubscribe link?
Treat them as marketing emails. Under the FTC's CAN-SPAM rules, commercial emails need a working opt-out, a valid postal address and honest subject lines, and opt-out requests must be honored within 10 business days.

Should I offer a discount to recover abandoned carts?
Not in the first email. Start with a reminder and answers to common questions about shipping and returns. If you add a discount, use it in the last email or for higher-value carts, and check that the order still makes a profit.

Sources: Baymard Institute, "Cart Abandonment Rate Statistics" (updated 22 September 2025); Federal Trade Commission, "CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business". Both read on 29 October 2026. The example rate is an assumption; this article is not legal advice.