Shopping Cart Abandonment Statistics For 2026

For any online retailer, having potential customers leave their carts is one of the most frustrating challenges. To reduce cart abandonment, you need to understand why it happens. This article provides up-to-date data on why shoppers are leaving their carts unfinished and what you can do about it.

Use this data to improve conversion rates and lower the rate at which customers abandon their carts.

What Is Cart Abandonment?

Shopping cart abandonment happens when customers add items to their basket and then leave before completing checkout. If your abandonment rate is high, your customers may not be satisfied with your checkout experience. Monitoring this metric is crucial for any online store.

Email automation makes it easier than ever to send cart abandonment recovery emails, and many businesses are using email campaigns to recover lost revenue.

General Shopping Cart Abandonment Statistics

Statistics show that between 59.2% and 78% of shopping carts are left unfinished.

• The percentage of online shoppers abandoning their carts in 2021 was 79.8 percent, down by almost 9 percent from 2020. (SaleCycle)
• Fresh Relevance evaluated the same figure at 59.2 percent.
• Baymard Institute reports that 68.8 percent of shoppers who begin adding items to a basket leave it.
• The cart abandonment rate is highest on iOS (81.5%), followed by Android (81.3%), OS X (71.9%), and Windows (68.3%). (Kibo)
• 76.63% of Black Friday shoppers abandoned their carts. (SaleCycle)
• The peak time for Sunday night abandonment is midnight. (SaleCycle)
• The percentage of shoppers who leave is lowest on Fridays. (SaleCycle)

Shopping Cart Abandonment ROI Statistics

• If consumers abandon their purchases, it could cost brands $18 billion. (Forrester Research)
• Companies can get a return on investment of 1,300% when they use retargeting ads. (Growth Badger)
• In the UK, an estimated £18 billion is lost due to cart abandonment in online stores. (Barclaycard)
• Customers frequently use their cart as a wish list, storing products to purchase later. As a result, sales may not necessarily be lost when a cart is abandoned. (CMS Wire)

Shopping Cart Abandonment Rate Worldwide (Industry Wise)

• The highest abandonment rates are found on cruise and ferry service websites at 98%, followed by mobile service providers at 90%. (Statista)
• Anticipated abandonment rates in the airline, luxury, and fashion industries are 90%, 87.93%, and 87.79%, respectively. (Statista)
• The cart abandonment rate for automotive-related websites was 85.97%. (Statista)
• 82% of travelers abandoned their vehicle rental or shopping carts. (Statista)
• Hotel industry cart abandonment rates averaged around 80%. (Statista)
• Consumer electronics and groceries had the lowest abandonment rates, at 50.3%. (Statista)
• Since 2018, annual growth in e-commerce conversion rates has averaged 5%. (Statista)

Add-to-Cart Statistics

• The typical add-to-cart rate falls between 2.5% and 6.88%. (Lido, Dynamic)
• An add-to-cart rate of 9.8% places a website in the top 20%, while 12.3% or higher places it in the top 10%. (Littledata)
• A rate below 3% puts a company in the bottom 20%. (Littledata)
• Food & Beverage has the highest add-to-cart rate at 11.6%. (Dynamic Yield)
• The average order value can increase by 33% if customers buy recommended products. (Kibo)
• By end of December 2021, the average add-to-cart rate had increased to 7.44 percent. (Dynamic Yield)

Cost of Shopping And Abandonment Statistics

• Unclaimed shopping carts in the United States are worth an estimated $705 billion. (eMarketer)
• Optimizing the purchasing process could recover $260 billion in lost sales from abandoned carts. (Retail Biz, 2021)
• Online sales are anticipated to increase to 21.8% by 2024. (eMarketer)
• A 65% cart abandonment rate can result in a 98.1% conversion disparity. (StableWP)

User Behavior Statistics

• Hidden fees, shipping, tax, and other incidental charges, are a leading cause of customers abandoning their carts. (Baymard)
• An estimated 80.79% of mobile consumers leave before completing a purchase. (Barilliance)
• If a page does not load within three seconds, 57% of visitors will leave. (Voucher Cloud)
• Cart abandonment is also associated with websites that are difficult to navigate. (Forbes)
• 44% of UK customers do not complete purchases because their preferred payment method is not accepted. (IT Pro Portal)
• Half of customers abandon their carts if they are not offered suitable delivery options. (Smart Company)
• 86% of internet customers do not complete their purchases. (CSA)
• Desktop users have a 7.92% higher add-to-cart rate than mobile users. (Dynamic Yield)

Statistics On Customer Shopping Cart Abandonment

• JCPenney reduced its shopping abandonment rate by 18% using AI. (Retail Info Systems)
• 45% of abandoned cart emails are opened by consumers. (Moosend)
• Microsoft experiments show that robust consumer authentication causes cart abandonment. (Finextra)
• Google Shopping makes it easy to compare prices across online retailers before purchasing. (SEO Roundtable)
• Introducing a “Buy Now, Pay Later” option can lower the cart abandonment rate. (IBS Intelligence Report)

Facts And Figures On How To Reduce Cart Abandonment

• 55% of consumers are willing to purchase online if the process is simpler and faster than alternatives. (CSA)
• Amazon has the highest conversion rate of any online retailer at 77%, due to its streamlined checkout. (CSA)
• 40% of online consumers might be persuaded to purchase if more payment types were accepted. (StableWP)
• Three out of four customers are aware of retargeted ads. (Invesp)
• 80% of people feel more comfortable buying online when they see their preferred credit card logos. (StableWP)
• Free delivery has helped increase sales for around half of all retailers. (StableWP)
• About 35% more consumers will buy if the return process is simplified and streamlined. (SaleCycle)

Summary

These industry statistics show that consumers are dissatisfied with the typical online checkout experience. Checkouts are often too long, awkwardly laid out, and difficult to complete. Identifying the specific friction points preventing your customers from purchasing is the first step to reducing abandonment. Email automation, mobile optimization, AI-driven personalization, and simplified payment options are all proven ways to recover lost revenue and turn abandoned carts into completed orders.