In short
About 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, according to Baymard Institute. The biggest reasons are surprise extra costs, slow delivery, a forced account, a long checkout and low trust. Small shops win back sales by showing the full price early, offering guest checkout, keeping checkout short and sending a friendly reminder to shoppers who leave.
In this guide
Someone visits your online shop, picks a dress, adds it to the cart and starts checkout. Then they vanish. No order, no message, nothing.
If that happens a lot, you are not alone. Baymard Institute, which studies online checkouts, puts the average cart abandonment rate at about 70%, based on 50 studies.
Some of those shoppers were never going to buy. But many leave because of fixable problems at checkout. This guide shows the main reasons shoppers abandon carts and simple ways a small online shop can win them back.
Why Shoppers Abandon Their Carts
Baymard asked US online shoppers why they left during checkout. Leaving aside people who were just browsing, these were the top reasons.
Notice that most of these have nothing to do with your products. They are about surprises, effort and trust.
What You Should Do Now
- Show the full price early. Put delivery costs on the product page or in the cart, not at the last step. Surprise costs were the top reason in Baymard's research.
- Offer guest checkout. Let people buy without making an account. You can offer an account after the order.
- Keep checkout short. Ask only for what you need to deliver and get paid.
- Show trust signals. Clear contact details, a returns policy, real reviews and familiar payment logos reassure first-time buyers.
- Offer the payment methods your customers use. Cards, mobile wallets or cash on delivery, depending on your market.
- Make it fast on a phone. Google's web.dev team reports that Rakuten 24 raised its conversion rate by 33% after improving page speed and stability.
- Send one friendly reminder. If a shopper left their phone or email, a short WhatsApp or email message with a link back to their cart can bring them back.
- Delivery cost shown before checkout
- Guest checkout available
- Checkout fits on a few short screens
- Returns policy linked from the cart
- Phone number or WhatsApp visible
- Popular payment methods offered
- Page loads fast on mobile data
Instagram DMs vs Your Own Checkout
Many small shops sell through Instagram or Facebook messages. That works at first, but it gets messy as orders grow.
| Selling by DMs only | Your own shop with checkout |
|---|---|
| Every order needs a back-and-forth chat | Customers order any time without waiting |
| Prices and stock repeated by hand | Prices and stock always on the page |
| Easy to lose orders in busy weeks | Every order saved and tracked |
| Hard to follow up on people who drop off | Automatic reminder for abandoned carts |
For example, imagine a small online bakery that sells cakes through Instagram. On busy weekends, messages pile up and some customers give up waiting. A simple order page with delivery fees shown up front and a WhatsApp confirmation lets customers order in two minutes, even at midnight.
How Abandoned Cart Reminders Work
An abandoned cart reminder is a short message sent to a shopper who started checkout but did not finish. It should be helpful, not pushy.
Pushy reminder
- Three messages in one day
- Generic "Buy now!" text
- No way to ask questions
- Discount every time
Helpful reminder
- One message, a few hours later
- Shows the item they picked
- Offers help on WhatsApp
- Answers the real worry, like delivery time
Only message people who gave you their contact details and agreed to hear from you.
How Bykorp Can Help
We build fast, mobile-first online shops and order pages with simple checkouts, and we connect them to WhatsApp so customers can ask questions and get order updates.
- Website development for online shops with guest checkout and clear delivery costs
- AI chatbots and automation for order questions, confirmations and friendly cart reminders
- Custom dashboards that show orders, abandoned carts and best sellers in one view
Getting visitors but few orders? Our guide on websites that get visitors but no enquiries covers the same problem from another angle.
Key Takeaways
- About 70% of online carts are abandoned, according to Baymard Institute.
- Surprise extra costs are the top reason, so show delivery costs early.
- Offer guest checkout and keep checkout short.
- Trust signals and a fast mobile site help first-time buyers say yes.
- One helpful reminder can bring back shoppers who meant to buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
A normal cart abandonment rate for online shops is around 70%. Baymard Institute calculated an average of 70.22% from 50 different studies. Some abandonment is natural, because many shoppers are just browsing or comparing prices, but checkout problems cause a large share of the rest.
How can a small online shop reduce cart abandonment?
A small online shop can reduce cart abandonment by showing delivery costs before checkout, offering guest checkout, keeping the checkout short and showing clear trust signals like a returns policy and contact details. A fast mobile site and one friendly reminder to shoppers who leave also help win back sales.
Should I send abandoned cart messages on WhatsApp?
Sending abandoned cart messages on WhatsApp works well when the shopper shared their number and agreed to receive messages. Keep it to one short, helpful message that shows the item and offers help. WhatsApp charges businesses for some message types, so check current fees before sending at scale.
Do I need my own website if I sell on Instagram?
A shop that sells on Instagram does not need its own website on day one, but it helps once orders grow. A website with a checkout lets customers order without waiting for a reply, keeps prices and stock up to date, and saves every order. Instagram stays great for showing products.
Sources
Want a simple checkout that turns more carts into orders? Tell us about your shop and we will reply within one business day.
Written by the Bykorp TeamWe design websites, AI chatbots and custom dashboards for small businesses.
Need help with website development?
Fast, mobile-friendly websites with bookings, quotes and orders built in, made for Google from day one. Book a free discovery call, no pressure.