Shopping cart abandonment is every eCommerce site's nightmare.
You've managed to attract a potential customer, they've added products to their shopping cart... and suddenly, nothing.
The order is interrupted, and with it, part of your revenue disappears.
Why is this so important?
Because cart abandonment is much more than just a setback.
It's an essential eCommerce KPI to track in order to understand where your customer journey is getting stuck and how to improve your online sales.
In fact, we've listed the key KPIs to monitor.
In short, analyzing this behavior also means finding levers to optimize your conversion rate, and there is a lot to learn here.
Before looking for solutions, you need to understand the problem.
Shopping cart abandonment never happens by chance.
Behind every missed click, there is a specific reason.
And sometimes, there are several reasons at once.
A shopping journey that is too long, pages that take a long time to load, or even the requirement to create a customer account before finalizing an order... all of these factors can be enough to discourage even the most motivated visitors.
Cart abandonment then becomes a clear sign that the customer journey needs to be simplified and the user experience urgently improved.
High shipping costs are one of the main barriers to online shopping.
Worse still, when these additional costs only appear at the checkout stage.
Add to this prices that are less competitive than those of competitors, and potential customers will not hesitate to close their shopping carts.
These repeated abandonments reflect a perceived value that needs to be reworked, whether through free shipping, discounts, or greater price transparency.
The payment process is the most sensitive moment in the purchasing journey.
If the site offers few payment methods, if the interface seems confusing, or if there is no clear indication that the transaction is secure, mistrust sets in.
Trust when entering credit card details is non-negotiable when it comes to converting a potential customer into a buyer.
Online shopping is also based on trust.
And trust is built by highlighting visible guarantees: customer reviews, free returns, and clear and easily accessible after-sales service.
If these elements are not present, hesitant buyers will err on the side of caution and leave the site.
Shopping cart abandonment then becomes a reflection of the visitor's perceived lack of credibility.
The psychology of buying plays a key role.
This ties in with the reassurance elements seen in the previous point.
Without urgency signals such as “only 2 left in stock,” concrete benefits such as free shipping, or limited-time offers, the impulse to buy disappears.
And in a context where competition is just a click away, it's no surprise that visitors postpone or cancel their online purchases.
These levers are essential for triggering the decision, especially among new visitors.
Nothing is more frustrating than a mobile bug, a 404 error, or a product marked as available but ultimately out of stock once it's in the shopping cart.
These technical issues, which are often underestimated, disrupt the customer journey and cause conversion rates to plummet (which is normal, since no page is accessible).
When abandonment rates increase, it is often a clear indicator that there are technical issues that need to be addressed as a priority.
Always monitor strategic pages from a technical standpoint, or when KPIs drop for no apparent reason.
You clicked on an ad or email announcing an attractive offer, but when you arrived at the website, you couldn't find the information.
This disconnect undermines trust.
Users feel misled and punish this inconsistency by abandoning their shopping cart.
In eCommerce, consistency between communication and actual experience is crucial to avoid this type of abandonment.
The product page is the equivalent of a salesperson in a store.
If the images are blurry, the description lacks detail, or there are no customer reviews, the buyer is not convinced.
Online, everything depends on the quality of the information provided.
A neglected product page quickly becomes one of the main reasons for cart abandonment, as it fails to dispel doubts.
Nothing is more disappointing for a customer than seeing a product that is out of stock.
This often happens when the information on the website is not up to date.
This type of error causes immediate frustration and pushes the user to look elsewhere.
These abandonments reflect an urgent need to improve the reliability of the supply chain and update inventory in real time.
Sometimes, cart abandonment has nothing to do with your site.
A simple interruption, a quick comparison with a competitor, or the decision to postpone the purchase are enough to stop the process.
In these cases, it is not always a definitive refusal, but a postponement.
This is where actions such as follow-up emails can play a key role in bringing the hesitant buyer back to their shopping cart.
When it comes to eCommerce conversion funnels, the most critical phase is still the checkout.
Many internet users leave their cart before even confirming their order.
Understanding why is essential.
But above all, there are solutions to reverse the trend.
👉 Discover how an eCommerce conversion funnel works and, above all, how to make it more effective.
A funnel that is too long is a real turn-off.
Reduce the number of steps, allow payment without creating a customer account, simplify each click...
All of this streamlines the purchasing process and encourages customers to complete their orders.
The goal is simple: a customer should be able to go from their shopping cart to checkout in a matter of seconds.
They shouldn't get lost in a complicated process.
Reassurance leads to conversion.
By clearly displaying delivery times, return policies, verified customer reviews, and accessible contact information, you eliminate doubts.
These details lend credibility to your eCommerce site and encourage visitors to pull out their credit cards with confidence.
Online, transparency plays a key role in boosting conversion rates.
A well-placed offer can make all the difference.
A banner with a promo code, free shipping above a certain threshold, or a suggestion for a complementary product...
These levers trigger instant conversion.
Be careful, though, and play it smart.
Too many incentives can undermine the credibility of online shopping and reduce perceived value.
Above all, imagine if you have lots of incentives everywhere...
Customers won't know what to do!
A loyal customer is much less likely to abandon their shopping cart.
Why? Because they find benefits that go beyond price.
Loyalty programs, rewards, gamification... these are all levers that extend the relationship and encourage customers to complete their orders.
With a loyalty platform like Loyoly, you can easily implement engagement mechanisms that transform the shopping experience and secure your revenue.
The payment process should never be a barrier.
Offering payment in installments, integrating digital wallets such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, or even “Buy Now Pay Later” (BNPL) options can help remove financial barriers.
The more options are tailored to shoppers' habits, the higher the conversion rate.
Today, the majority of shopping journeys take place on mobile devices.
If your site does not offer smooth and fast navigation, cart abandonment will skyrocket.
Pages that are too heavy, buttons that are too small, or an unresponsive interface are enough to drive users away.
Adapting your store to all devices is essential for capturing the attention of customers, regardless of how they shop.
Even with all possible optimizations, there will always be abandonments.
The good news? Nothing is lost.
An abandoned shopping cart is not necessarily a rejection, but often a simple postponement.
This is where follow-up comes in, a powerful tool for recovering revenue.
This is the most traditional method, but it has become so for a reason.
The follow-up email reminds the potential customer what they left in their cart.
Timing is crucial: a first email quickly after the abandonment, then possible follow-ups at intervals.
The subject line should be catchy, the visuals attractive, and the message can include an incentive such as a discount or free shipping.
Short, punchy, and immediate, these formats are especially effective for high-value shopping carts or in urgent situations such as imminent stock shortages.
A well-targeted notification may be enough to convince the buyer to complete their order.
👉 For more information, check out these WhatsApp and text message reminder templates.
Follow-ups are more effective when they are part of an omnichannel strategy.
Combining email, retargeting advertising, and chatbot follow-ups allows you to multiply your points of contact.
Each channel plays its role at the right time, and together, they significantly increase the chances of converting abandoned carts.
An abandoned cart is also an opportunity to remind customers of the benefits of your loyalty program.
Mentioning the points they have already accumulated or offering a special bonus if they complete their order can turn hesitation into action.
Loyalty then becomes a tool for immediate conversion, in addition to strengthening customer attachment to your brand.
Pssst... You might find this interesting!
Loyalty programs are strategic for your brand, and we can probably help. Check out our platform!
Cart abandonment is not just a nuisance for marketing teams.
It is a real obstacle to the growth of an eCommerce site, as it affects your revenue, profitability, and customer relations.
Let's see why.
Every abandoned cart is a lost sale.
When you consider that over 70% of shopping carts are abandoned, the cumulative loss of revenue becomes enormous.
Reducing this rate, even by a few points, is enough to significantly boost an online store's revenue.
Bringing a potential customer to your site has a cost: advertising, SEO, content production, partnerships, etc.
Each abandonment automatically reduces the ROI of these investments.
Without order completion, all your acquisition efforts fall flat, and your conversion rate does not reflect the real value of your actions.
A first purchase is often the gateway to a lasting relationship.
It paves the way for a loyalty program, referrals, or customer reviews.
When it is abandoned, you lose much more than an order; you lose the opportunity to turn a simple buyer into a true ambassador for your brand.
No purchase means no feedback.
But post-purchase feedback is essential for improving your offering.
It fuels your strategic thinking.
Abandonment deprives your site of this key data and, therefore, of levers for optimizing the purchasing journey.
Faced with a lengthy process, an unsecure payment process, or poorly presented delivery costs, your visitors will not hesitate to look elsewhere.
And if the competitor's experience is better, some will never come back to you.
Not addressing cart abandonment therefore gives your competitors a golden opportunity to capture your customers.
An abandoned cart should not be seen solely as a loss.
It is also a valuable signal, an opportunity to be turned into marketing action.
And that's exactly where Loyoly comes in.
Thanks to its engagement approach, the platform allows you to reactivate your customers in an intelligent and personalized way.
How? By capitalizing on SMS and email opt-ins collected through loyalty missions.
This data becomes a powerful lever for implementing targeted and relevant follow-up campaigns.
Loyoly also integrates with your existing tools.
Whether it's your emailing solutions, CRM, or marketing automation platforms, the solution relies on a large ecosystem of integrations to streamline your strategy.
Contact our team for a personalized demo of our loyalty solutions.
Loyoly is a post-purchase engagement platform that orchestrates journeys via +40 mechanics to boost LTV and social proof, while reducing CAC.
