Without a doubt, cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges for ecommerce and Shopify stores. According to Dynamic Yield’s February 2026 research, the average cart abandonment rate sits at a staggering 77.15%, with the Beauty & Personal Care industry seeing the highest rate at 84.62%. 

That’s a massive amount of potential ecommerce and Shopify revenue slipping away! 

So, what are the most successful online retailers doing to fight abandoned carts? In this guide, we’ll break down the strategies top brands use to reduce and recover abandoned carts, and turn missed opportunities into sales. 

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Abandoned Carts Meaning

An abandoned cart happens when a shopper adds items to their online shopping cart but leaves the store without completing the purchase. It’s a huge painpoint for ecommerce and Shopify stores, as these “almost sales” represent real potential revenue that can be lost.

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What causes customers to leave items in their online shopping carts?

Baymard Institute’s 2026 study found the top reasons for cart abandonment at checkout were as follows: 

I was browsing / not ready to buy - 43%

Extra costs too high (shipping, etc.) - 39%

Delivery was too slow - 21%

I didn’t trust the site with my credit card - 19%

Had to create an account - 19%

Too long / complicated checkout process - 18%

Return policy wasn’t satisfactory - 15%

Website had errors / crashed - 15%

I couldn’t see total order cost upfront - 14%

Not enough payment methods - 10%

My credit card was declined - 8%

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How to Reduce Abandoned Carts - 9 Strategies Used By Top Online Retailers

1 - Offer Multiple Payment Options

One of the easiest ways to reduce abandoned carts is by giving shoppers a wide variety of payment options. The Baymard Institute study above shows that 10% of customers leave their carts behind simply because their preferred payment method isn’t available. 

Offering multiple card options - Visa, MasterCard, AMEX - alongside digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet, plus buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) services such as Afterpay and Klarna, ensures that customers can pay in the way they trust and prefer. 

Adding convenient features like auto-fill for saved cards helps make checkout faster and less frustrating, reducing abandoned shopping carts online. 

BNPL services are especially effective for fashion and clothing stores, where shoppers often want to order multiple sizes or styles in one order, and spreading payments over time makes that easier on the wallet. It encourages larger orders, lowers the stress of returns, and generally makes the shopping experience smoother.

Understanding your customers’ preferred payment methods and giving them flexible, convenient choices goes a long way toward turning potential abandoned carts into completed sales, and happier, repeat customers. 

2 - Prevent Bad UX & Technical Hiccups

A bad user experience (UX) or technical issues are major reasons why shoppers abandon carts. In fact, 60% say they’ve abandoned a purchase due to a poor user experience, and 15% have left carts behind because a website crashed or had errors. 

This is why it’s so important to create an environment where shoppers can easily browse, add, and buy products without coming across any unnecessary technical hiccups. To do this, you should…

Walk through checkout like a customer

Regularly go through the entire checkout flow from a customer’s point of view. Test load times, make sure all form fields work properly, and see how the payment system behaves when someone is actually trying to buy. The goal is a frictionless experience that keeps customers moving toward completing their purchase. 

‍Improve site speed and performance

Slow websites frustrate all of us! 76% of shoppers feel stressed or angry when trying to use sluggish sites. To make sure your Shopify store runs well, optimise images, reduce heavy code scripts, and streamline the site wherever possible so pages load quickly and smoothly.

‍Check for and repair broken links

Dead links disrupt the shopping journey and can trigger abandoned shopping carts online. Use link-checking tools like Google Search Console or SEMrush to find broken links, and fix or remove them promptly to keep navigation smooth. 

Remembering to take these steps removes any technical roadblocks and keeps your site fast and reliable.

3 - Keep Checkout Simple 

Checkout that drags on or feels confusing is a very easy way to lose shoppers - almost one in five will leave before finishing their purchase. What’s more, most consumers shop on mobile, so it’s especially important to keep checkout easy to navigate on smaller screens. 

The fewer the form fields the better, and a streamlined, one-page checkout that works well across all devices can make a huge difference. You should also include multiple payment options, autofill features, clear delivery info, and visual trust signals.

Avoid asking for unnecessary personal information; 67% of consumers worry about their data being hacked, and extra requests can drive shoppers away while making checkout longer. The faster you can take customers from cart to purchase, the lower the chance they’ll abandon their carts. 

You can keep checkout simple while still growing Shopify sales and building trust. Offer real value with relevant upsells, clearly show estimated delivery times on product pages and at checkout, and don’t force account creation - 19% of shoppers abandon carts if they’re required to sign up.

A clear, fast, and trustworthy checkout keeps customers moving and helps turn potential abandoned carts into completed sales. 

4 - Don’t surprise shoppers with hidden costs

Unexpected extra costs being too high is the second biggest reason shoppers abandon carts! 39% of customers leave because of fees like shopping, taxes, or other charges suddenly appearing at the end of checkout - that’s a lot of potential sales slipping away. 

Many store owners add these costs later in the checkout process, thinking it will encourage commitment upfront, but the opposite often happens. When customers see unexpected charges, it can leave them feeling blindsided and unprepared for the final bill, just as they’re ready to buy.

The key is transparency. Show all potential or estimated fees from the very beginning, so your customers know exactly what to expect.

You could also add a cost calculator or shipping estimator (there’s many tools on the Shopify App Store for this purpose) on product pages or the checkout pages to give customers a clear idea of their total cost. Being upfront about feed builds trust and reduces the chance of shoppers clicking away at the last hurdle. Plus, when customers trust your brand, they’re more likely to return and buy again, which creates a more sustainable Shopify revenue stream for your store. 

5 - Use Urgency Marketing

Creating a sense of urgency is an effective tactic for reducing abandoned carts and persuading shoppers to complete their purchase. Phrases like “Only 1 left in stock”, “Selling fast”, or “Buy now for guaranteed next-day delivery” remind customers that products are limited or time-sensitive, giving them a subtle nudge to act before it’s too late.

Urgency marketing works best when it’s genuine, so don’t create false scarcity, as that can hurt trust. Instead, highlight real stock levels, truly valuable limited-time offers, or delivery guarantees. Integrated timer features for sales or promotions can also motivate shoppers to make a decision more quickly. 

One of the most powerful effects of urgency marketing is its ability to trigger impulse purchases. Shoppers often make decisions in the moment when they feel like they might miss out on a product or if a deal is time-sensitive. In fact, 54% of U.S. shoppers report spending $100 or more on impulse buys. 

Urgency can be applied before checkout to prevent abandoned shopping carts online, or even afterward to help recover carts left behind. Done well, it creates immediate sales, encourages impulse purchases, and keeps customers interested. 

6 - Have The Best Customer Support 

Shoppers often abandon carts because they have unanswered questions or even small uncertainties around products, payment options, or delivery times. If they can’t quickly find the information they need, they’re far more likely to leave than take a risk. 

That’s why offering strong, responsive customer support is so important. Having live chat available on your website, social media, or Shopify mobile app gives shoppers instant answers and reassurance right when they need it most. If someone is lingering on the checkout page, a live chat popup or icon is a great opportunity to step in - ask if they need help, answer any last-minute questions, or even offer a small incentive to encourage them to complete their purchase. A reminder about free shipping thresholds or delivery timelines can often be enough to tip the decision. 

Showing clear delivery and returns policies are essential, whether that’s on product pages, FAQs, or during checkout. Shoppers want to know exactly what to expect before they buy. If that information is hard to find (or they can’t get a quick answer by contacting you) customers are far more likely to abandon their carts.

By making support easy to access and information easy to find, you remove doubt and give customers the confidence to follow through with their purchase.

7 - Use Exit-Intent Popups Strategically

Exit-intent popups appear just as a shopper is about to leave your site, giving you one last chance to turn things around. Instead of losing the sale completely, you can re-engage them at the exact moment they’re about to drop off. 

They can be surprisingly effective too - according to OptiMonk, cart abandonment popups have an average conversion rate of 17.2%. With the right setup, they can help recover a good portion of abandoned carts that would have otherwise been lost.

That said, it’s important to use them carefully and strategically. Popups can feel intrusive if they’re overused or poorly timed, which can push visitors away instead of bringing them back. Keep a close eye on your analytics to understand how they’re impacting customer behavior - both positively and negatively. 

The key (as always!) is to offer real value. A simple message that says something like, “Are you sure you want to leave?” paired with an incentive, such as 10% off or free delivery, can be enough to change someone’s mind about leaving their basket behind.

8 - Recover Shopify Abandoned Carts Through Re-Targeting 

Re-targeting is a powerful way to bring back shoppers who showed interest but didn’t complete their purchase. These customers are already near the end of the buying journey, so often they just need a small push to come back and finish what they started. 

Re-targeting ads are super effective for this, showing shoppers the exact products (or similar ones) they left behind. Personalization is key here, with 57% of Gen Z and 51% of Millennials preferring personalized ads. Using details like a customer’s name or tailored messaging such as, “Samantha, you left this behind, but don’t worry, it’s still saved in your basket” can make your ads feel more relevant and harder to ignore. It’s also important to use multiple paid ad channels. Platforms like Meta, Google, and TikTok allow you to reach customers wherever they spend their time online.

Email and push notification reminders are just as effective! Automated abandoned cart emails and push notification messages can be triggered as soon as a shopper leaves, reminding them of what they were interested in. Keep these relevant, tailored, clear, and timely to bring them back while the intent is still fresh. 

If you’d like tailored guidance on running Meta ads, email marketing & push notification campaigns for your brand, our Shopify Growth service at StoreLab is exactly what you need. Learn more here or feel free to have a chat with one of our experts!

9 - Get a Mobile App for Your Shopify Store

One of the smartest decisions you can make to reduce abandoned carts and boost revenue is getting a mobile app for your Shopify store - apps are even more powerful than mobile websites at keeping shoppers moving toward checkout.

One of the biggest advantages is a simplified or one-click checkout process. As we discussed, removing unnecessary steps and friction not only speeds up purchases but also prevents the impatience and frustration that often lead to cart abandonment. 

Mobile apps are built specifically for smaller screens, offering a smoother, faster, and more intuitive experience than mobile websites, which can sometimes be awkward or slow to navigate. If shoppers return to their basket, the app is already on their phone - they don’t need to search for your site or locate products manually, and their data is already saved in-app.

Push notifications from your Shopify mobile app help bring customers back to complete purchases and increase engagement. Personalized messages about items left in carts, ongoing promotions, or special offers encourage shoppers to return and convert, often boosting average order values and repeat visits.

The results speak for themselves: mobile apps convert 3x better than mobile websites, deliver 10% higher average order value, and increase retention rates by 190%. If you want to reduce abandoned carts, improve the customer experience, and grow Shopify revenue, investing in a mobile app is one of the smartest moves you can make.

To get started on your app journey, or to learn more about the benefits of building one for your store, book a call with one of our friendly experts at StoreLab!

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Abandoned Carts FAQ

Can I automate abandoned cart reminders on a Shopify store?

Yes, you can automate abandoned cart reminders on a Shopify store by using tools such as email marketing, push notifications, and SMS. These messages can be triggered as soon as a shopper leaves, reminding them of what they were interested in.

The most effective automated abandoned cart reminders are push notifications from a Shopify mobile app, as they appear directly on a customers homescreen and therefore are hard to miss - they’re highly engaging, small but powerful, and have great personalization opportunities.

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How can I reduce abandoned carts on my ecommerce website?

The best ways to reduce abandoned carts on your ecommerce website or Shopify store are:

• Offer multiple payment options
• Prevent bad UX & technical hiccups
• Keep checkout simple
• Don’t surprise shoppers with hidden costs
• Use urgency marketing
• Have the best customer support
• Use exit-intent popups strategically
• Recover Shopify abandoned carts through re-targeting
• Get a mobile app for your Shopify store

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How to check abandoned carts on shopify

It’s easy to find and check abandoned carts on Shopify! From your Shopify admin, go to Orders → Abandoned checkouts. This section shows all incomplete checkouts, including customer information, selected items, and when the cart was abandoned. You can filter the list, review details, and send recovery emails either manually or automatically. You’ll also find extra insights and performance data in the Marketing section if you want to dig a bit deeper.

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How to calculate cart abandonment rate 

To calculate your cart abandonment rate, first determine the total number of completed purchases over a specific period (for example, one month) and divide that by the total number of shopping carts created during the same period. Next, subtract this result from 1, then multiply by 100 to get the abandonment rate as a percentage.

For example, if 300 people completed purchases in a week and 850 carts were created, the cart abandonment rate would be 64.7%.