Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Cart Abandonment Rate

What Is Cart Abandonment Rate?

The cart abandonment rate is the percentage of online shoppers who add items to their shopping cart but leave the website before making the purchase. It is common in ecommerce, with studies showing an average abandonment rate of around 70%. 

Cart abandonment is also a crucial key performance indicator (KPI) for any ecommerce platform, with lower levels being highly desirable.

Here is how it is calculated:

• Divide the total completed purchases by the number of shopping carts created
• Subtract the result from one
• Multiply by 100 to express the abandonment rate as a percentage

For instance, if a D2C brand has 45 completed purchases and 200 shopping carts created, it would have a cart abandonment rate of 77.5%.

What Are Some Factors Influencing The Cart Abandonment Rate?

Several factors can influence cart abandonment rates, and they can be broadly categorised into cost, convenience and trust.

Cost Factors

• Unexpected Shipping Costs: This is a major turn-off for many shoppers. Ideally, online marketplaces should be transparent about shipping costs upfront to avoid surprising customers at checkout.
• Hidden Fees: This may include taxes, additional charges or mandatory add-on items that inflate the final price.
• Price Comparisons: Shoppers might abandon carts to compare prices on other websites before committing.

Convenience Factors

• Complex checkout process: A long and cumbersome checkout process with too many steps can discourage customers from completing their purchases.
• Guest checkout limitations: Forcing customers to create an account can be a barrier, especially for first-time buyers.
• Slow Website Loading Times: If a marketplace’s website takes too long to load, shoppers might abandon their carts and go elsewhere.
• Mobile-Unfriendly Design: With the rise of mobile shopping, a website that is not optimised for mobile devices can lead to cart abandonment.

Trust Factors

• Concerns About Payment Security: If a website lacks security measures or looks outdated, shoppers might hesitate to enter their payment information.
• Return Policy Uncertainty: An unclear or restrictive return policy can make shoppers wary of completing a purchase.
• Lack Of Product Information: If there is not enough information about the product, size charts or descriptions, shoppers might be hesitant to buy.

How Can Indian Startups Improve Their Cart Abandonment Rate?

Ecommerce startups in India face a unique landscape in cart abandonment rates. Here are some strategies they can employ to address this challenge:

Cost

• Transparent Pricing: Displaying all costs upfront, including taxes, shipping fees (offer free shipping above a certain order value if possible), and other potential charges can improve cart abandonment rates.
• Cash On Delivery (COD): This is a popular payment option in India. Offering COD also builds trust and reduces worries about online transactions.
• EMI Options: Many Indian consumers prefer to break down payments into instalments. By partnering with financial institutions to offer EMI options, ecommerce startups in India can further incentivise purchases.

Convenience

• Guest Checkout: Ecommerce startups should make it easy for customers to buy without creating an account. This is especially important for first-time buyers.
• Fast & Secure Checkout: Startups should optimise their checkout process to be quick and user-friendly. This can be achieved by offering autofill options and one-click solutions like Razorpay’s Magic Checkout.
• Mobile-First Approach: Ensuring the website is mobile-friendly and offers a smooth shopping experience on smartphones, considering the dominance of mobile internet in India is also important for ecommerce startups in India.
• Multiple Payment Options: The startups’ platforms should offer several payment options, including popular choices like UPI, mobile wallets, and net banking alongside credit and debit cards.

Trust

• Trust Signals: Ecommerce startups should showcase prominent trust badges and security certificates to assure customers about the legitimacy of their website and the safety of their transactions.
• Clear Return Policy: A transparent and customer-friendly return policy that is easily accessible on the website is important to cut back on cart abandonment rates.
• High-Quality Product Listings: Detailed product descriptions, size charts, high-resolution images, and customer reviews are essential to build trust and reduce pre-purchase anxieties.
• Omnichannel Support: Recently, offering customer support across multiple channels like WhatsApp to address customer queries promptly has also become a strong trust signal to allow for fewer cart abandonments.