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How to Reduce Cart Abandonment Rate + Recovery Tips [2026]
Cart abandonment is one of the biggest barriers between you and your revenue goal.
It hurts when your site visitors are almost there — but won’t go for the purchase, especially when you’re spending lots of money on ads.
That’s why we’ve created this blog post to help you with the best strategies to reduce cart abandonment rate, recover abandoned carts, and boost your store’s revenue.
Let’s get started!
How is Cart Abandonment Rate Calculated?
Cart abandonment rate is the percentage of shopping carts abandoned by site visitors without completing the purchase.
Here’s the formula for cart abandonment rate:
Reasons for Cart Abandonments in eCommerce
Before you start working on strategies or solutions to reduce cart abandonments, you need to understand the reasons behind those instances.
According to the report by Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate based on 50 different studies is 70.22%.
Here are the key reasons for cart abandonments in eCommerce:
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The site visitor is not ready to purchase yet
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Unexpected or too high extra costs
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Too long delivery timeline
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Mandatory requirement to create an account
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Trust or security concern
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Too long or complex checkout process
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Unavailability of the preferred payment option
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Dissatisfaction with the returns policy
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Technical or website errors
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Technical issues at the customer’s end
Now, here’s the catch: Some of these instances/reasons are preventable from your end, while others are not — and some are partially within your control. But we’ll go through those solutions in the next section.
What you need to do here is to identify which of these reasons are applicable in your business. Here are some of the ways you could find it out:
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Conduct a customer survey
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Monitor customer behavior through a heatmap tool
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Conduct a CRO audit on your Shopify store
Once you’ve found the core issues, you could focus your efforts on those specific areas.
Preventive Actions to Reduce Cart Abandonment Rate
Now, based on all the critical findings from the above report, we’ll share a detailed guide that addresses all the pain points and their possible solutions:
Problem: The site visitor is not ready to purchase yet.
When potential customers are browsing, they’re doing so for a reason, with a high purchase intent. So, there could be potential reasons that are stopping them from taking that action.
In short, they need conviction in their buying decision.
Solution #1: Entice customers to take action.
So, how do you convince them to take action? Well, there are multiple ways you could do it:
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Compelling product copy: Articulate the product benefits in a way that helps customers visualize the future if they buy your product.
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FOMO tactics: Create a sense of urgency or scarcity using elements like a countdown timer or a stock counter. These tactics could entice customers to take action without delay.
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FAQs section: Address all their queries and concerns through a detailed FAQs section.
Solution #2: Design your store and landing pages with GemPages.
In the previous solution, we talked about using certain elements (countdown timer, stock counter, etc.) and creating an FAQs section. To implement these strategies effectively, you need a good page builder app that you can rely on.
GemPages Landing Page Builder app can help you create conversion-optimized store and landing pages. It offers you professionally designed templates that are optimized from the get-go.
With an excellent rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars, from more than 3,200 reviews, GemPages is one of the most loved Shopify page builder apps.
Plus, you can add and customize conversion-focused elements as and when needed with its visual drag-and-drop editor. For example, you could add the countdown timer right above the CTA button or move it to the top, with an announcement bar.
Problem: Unexpected or too high extra costs
With 39% instances, this is the second biggest reason for cart abandonments.
Now, this is a partially controllable factor. You can minimize the extra costs, but then you’ll have to bear the cost. In other words, you’ll reduce your profit margin, which is a problem in itself.
Solution #1: Set the expectations
Sometimes, the problem is not that the customer has to pay the extra cost — but that it was not specified beforehand. So, when your product has extra costs involved, it’s better to clarify them on the product page upfront, instead of revealing them on the checkout page.
For example, let’s say you’re selling furniture or complex electronics items, which include handling and installation costs. In that case, you could add a note on the product page.
Solution #2: Give relief on the extra costs with a higher order value
Waive off the extra cost with a higher order value. This way, you can entice customers go for the high-ticket items without hesitation. Also, if you’re selling low-priced items, you could encourage customers to buy in more quantity to get relief on the extra costs.
Examples:
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High-ticket products: “Free shipping and handling on all orders above $250.”
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Low-ticket products: “Buy a set of five, and get free shipping.”
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Subscription business: “Subscribe for the monthly plan and get free delivery.”
Learn more: How to Do Free Shipping on Shopify? (+Tips)
Solution #3: Conduct an A/B test to validate the impact of extra costs
A/B testing is a great tool to solve many problems in eCommerce. You can use this tool to solve your cart abandonment issues too.
Use GemX: CRO & A/B Testing app to conduct A/B testing on your store and landing pages. We’ve built this app specifically for Shopify merchants to help boost CRO with A/B testing.
Using GemX, you can test different product page templates, landing pages, and even test the complete store journey with an advanced feature like Multipage Testing.
Learn more: How to A/B Test Product Page Template in Shopify
Problem: Too long delivery timeline
Customers need fast deliveries. 21% users reported abandoning their cart for slow delivery times.
Giant eCommerce marketplaces like Amazon have gotten customers used to same-day or two-day deliveries. But again, this isn’t a completely controllable factor. It may not be feasible for every business to offer such fast delivery options.
Solution: Provide a tentative timeline with an explanation
Customers may be willing to wait for X number of days if they know why it’d take you longer to deliver the order.
For example, if you’re a print-on-demand store, delivery times are often longer than usual. In such cases, it’s better to be transparent with your customers.
Also, you could put the positive aspect behind your weak element. Print-on-demand is a sustainable business practice, and thus, customers would be willing to support the extra delivery timelines.
This product copy on Joni Mitchell’s store is a great example of how you could convey the long delivery timeline positively to your customers.
Problem: Too long or complex checkout process.
The cart-to-checkout flow is one of the most critical phases in customers’ buying journey, and might consist of multiple issues that can result in abandoned carts:
Mandatory requirement to create an account (19%), lengthy or complicated checkout forms (18%), lack of trust elements, and so on.
Solution: Optimize the checkout flow for faster checkouts.
When customers can checkout with a guest account, it’ll automatically save their time as well as free them from the worry of sharing their personal information.
Minimize the number of fields in the checkout form. Collect only the absolutely necessary information. For example, don’t ask for a phone number if you don’t need it.
Pro Tip: If your checkout form has email + phone number fields, perform an A/B test of your checkout form. Original form with email + phone number fields vs. variant with only the email field.
Problem: Unavailability of a preferred payment option.
Some customers want to make a payment through a certain payment method — either because it’s the only option for them or because they’re concerned about security.
For example, some customers, especially in the US, prefer to make payments through PayPal if they find the website is not fully trustworthy.
In either case, you’re losing customers, as they’ll most likely not return even if/when you offer the best discount.
If you’re selling high-ticket products, there could be another barrier. Some customers may not be able to make the total payment upfront.
Solution: Provide the payment options based on the customer base and products.
Conduct research on your target customers and identify which are their preferred payment options. Then, check the available payment options for your Shopify store and try to provide at least 3-4 different payment options.
On top of that, if you’re selling high-ticket items, you could offer payment options like Shop Pay or Afterpay to provide installment payment and “Buy now, pay later” facilities.
Learn more: 10 Best Shopify Payment Options for Your Business
Problem: Trust or security concern
We kind of covered this aspect when discussing about the payment security. But it goes beyond that. For example, if you’re a relatively new brand in the market, customers could be concerned about the authenticity of your brand or the trustworthiness of your product.
Solution: Showcase the social proof and credibility aspects.
Social proof could be shown in various forms, including customer reviews, expert reviews, press mentions, and so on. Showcase your credibility through official certifications if applicable.
Also, how you write your product copy can also speak about your brand’s authenticity.
Problem: Dissatisfaction with the return policy
In a way, this is associated with the previous topic: the trust factor, specifically for the product quality. Especially, the first-time buyers might not feel confident buying from your brand if you don’t have a generous return policy.
Solution: Offer a generous return policy AND showcase it.
Typically, eCommerce brands offer a 30-day returns policy, and thus, it has become an expectation of shoppers. Display the 30-day returns policy in your announcement bar and through trust badges.
For example, let’s take a look at this product page on American Eagle’s website:
The brand has placed the “100% Happiness Promise” copy — right below the CTA button. Also, it has the link to the “Return Policy” page so that customers check more details if needed.
That said, we’re talking about being “generous” within reason. It’s understandable that not all brands can afford to offer a 30-day returns policy. In fact, if you’re selling digital products, offering a return might not be an option at all.
However, you should set the expectations and specify the reason.
Problem: Technical or website errors
Here, the problem is partially controllable. But not all the technical issues are within your control. What could you do if Cloudflare has an outage? Nothing, right?
So, focus on what’s within your control.
Solution: Build a robust tech infrastructure.
By investing in Shopify infrastructure, you’re already doing a part. However, you could optimize your website’s performance with proper care and maintenance.
Adapt a proactive approach and prepare for such circumstances in advance. Use an uptime tool to monitor your website's uptime. Also, have a robust next course of action if there’s an unavoidable outage.
Abandoned Cart Recovery Strategies
Regardless of how much you plan and strategize, abandoned cart instances to a certain extent are inevitable. So, let’s talk about the recovery strategies:
1. Set up a smart email flow for abandoned cart recovery.
Almost all brands have automated abandoned cart recovery email flow. The crux of the matter is how you design and execute it. Your email copy, discount strategy, and delivery timing are the key factors for conversion.
2. Set up SMS/text abandoned cart recovery flow.
SMS cart recovery flow is one of the effective methods to get quick conversions from abandoned carts. That said, you need to have the phone number and consent for SMS marketing. So, let’s step back a bit and plan to have those aspects in place.
You can prepare pop-ups at the entry and exit points that encourage visitors to share their phone number along with consent for SMS marketing.
3. Set up WhatsApp cart recovery flow.
WhatsApp has emerged as one of the most effective marketing channels in recent years. Depending on your target audience, you could leverage WhatsApp campaigns to recover abandoned carts.
The advantage of using WhatsApp is that customers are more likely to check their WhatsApp than email or SMS.
4. Use personalization in your abandoned cart recovery campaigns.
Use personalization and segmentation strategies to optimize your campaigns.
For example, you can send SMS or email based on the visitor’s behavior or interaction with your website. Strategically offer a discount or reward to close the deal. For example, if the order value is higher than $200, offer a free shipping + $20 gift voucher.
5. Use an abandoned cart recovery app.
Although not mandatory, you can use a dedicated app for abandoned cart recovery.
There are apps on the Shopify app store that could help you recover abandoned carts effectively through email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing. For example, Klaviyo — one of the popular Shopify apps covers email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing features in one app.
Final Thoughts on Reducing Cart Abandonment Rate
Remember — cart abandonments may sound like a negative aspect for your business.
And of course, there could be areas of improvement that you need to work on. But shift your perspective, and you’ll see all those abandoned carts as an opportunity to increase your revenue.
Overall, you need to prepare your store with preventive measures as well as strategies to effectively recover abandoned carts. Install GemPages, if you haven’t already, with a free plan — and start optimizing your Shopify store for maximum conversions.
To learn more about other eCommerce marketing strategies, tools, and best practices — check out more resources on the GemPages Blog. Also, join the GemPages Facebook community to network and learn from like-minded entrepreneurs and experts.
FAQs About Cart Abandonment and Recovery
