A full shopping cart is not yet revenue. In online retail, customers add products to the cart, start the order and then leave again before completing the purchase. Across all industries the average documented cart abandonment rate is around 70.22 percent (Baymard Institute), aggregated from 50 individual studies. On smartphones the share is even higher. That means only about three out of ten filled carts turn into an order on average. The good news is that the reasons are well understood and largely fixable. Extra costs that are too high, a forced customer account, a checkout that is too long and missing payment methods all cost measurable completions, and these are exactly the points you can act on. This article uses documented figures to show why purchases fail at checkout and which concrete steps help your online shop turn more filled carts into actual orders.
Key takeaways
- Cart abandonment is no side issue but the single biggest revenue lever in online retail — around 70.22 percent (Baymard Institute) of carts are never ordered.
- Unexpected extra costs are the most common avoidable reason at 39 percent (Baymard Institute) — shipping costs belong up front, not in the final step.
- A forced customer account is one of the costliest and most easily avoided mistakes; guest checkout costs nothing and saves orders.
- Every field in the order process is a potential drop-off point — an average checkout shows far more fields than are actually needed.
- If the preferred payment method is missing, a measurable share of buyers abandons (Baymard Institute) — the selection should follow real demand.
- Measurement comes before rebuilding: only the order funnel shows at which step buyers actually leave.
Cart Abandonment Is No Minor Issue
Cart abandonment is not a side detail but the single biggest lever for more revenue in online retail. German e-commerce with goods generated a gross turnover of around 80.6 billion euros (bevh) in 2024, and every percentage point of reduced abandonment translates directly into revenue at that scale. Unlike winning new visitors, this creates no additional advertising cost: the customers are already in the shop, have chosen a product and shown their intent to buy. Losing them at the final step gives away revenue that was almost secured. This is exactly why working on a conversion-strong online shop usually pays off more than additional reach: it raises the value of the traffic you already have. How e-commerce is developing overall is put in context by our overview of the e-commerce trends 2026.
The need to act is greatest on the smartphone. According to Baymard Institute analyses, the abandonment rate on mobile devices is around 80 percent (Baymard Institute) compared with roughly 66 percent (Baymard Institute) on desktop. Small screens, awkward input and an overloaded checkout have a stronger effect here than on a computer. As a growing share of orders begins on mobile, the mobile checkout in particular decides how many carts eventually become orders. A checkout that works quickly, clearly and with few inputs on the phone is therefore not an add-on but the foundation.
Briefly explained: abandonment rate and lost revenue
The Most Common Reasons at Checkout
Why do people abandon an almost completed purchase? The Baymard Institute regularly surveys online shoppers and separates the avoidable reasons from mere browsing. At the top, by a clear margin, are extra costs that are too high: 39 percent (Baymard Institute) of respondents abandon because shipping, taxes or fees push the price up unexpectedly. Next come delivery that is too slow at 21 percent (Baymard Institute), a lack of trust when entering payment details at 19 percent (Baymard Institute) and forced account creation, also 19 percent (Baymard Institute). A checkout that is too long or complicated costs a further 18 percent (Baymard Institute). The pattern is clear: most abandonment happens not at the product but at the checkout.
Extra costs too high
Shipping, taxes and fees that only appear late are the single most common reason for abandonment at 39 percent (Baymard Institute).
Forced account creation
Around 19 percent (Baymard Institute) leave when a purchase is only possible with registration instead of as a guest.
Checkout too long
A cumbersome, multi-step ordering process costs about 18 percent (Baymard Institute) of buyers the final step.
Missing payment methods
When the preferred payment method is missing, around 10 percent (Baymard Institute) abandon rather than switch awkwardly.
Errors and crashes
Technical errors in the checkout lead to abandonment for about 15 percent (Baymard Institute), often without a second attempt.
Total cost unclear
Those who cannot see the final amount upfront lose trust: around 14 percent (Baymard Institute) abandon for this reason.
Show Shipping Costs From the Start
The most important single lever is transparency about costs. Because surprising extra costs are the main reason for abandonment at 39 percent (Baymard Institute), no one should first learn on the very last page that shipping, packaging or fees are added to the product price. Shipping costs should therefore be made visible as early as possible: on the product page, in the cart and, where it fits, as a clear statement of the order value from which delivery is free. This point is central in the German market too, as high or unclear shipping costs count among the most common reasons for abandonment. A visible progress indicator towards free shipping can additionally raise the order value, because customers deliberately aim to reach the threshold.
No surprises at checkout
Guest Checkout Instead of Forced Accounts
A forced customer account is one of the most expensive and at the same time most easily avoidable mistakes. Around 19 percent (Baymard Institute) of buyers abandon when they have to register before the purchase. For a one-off or first purchase this is understandable: someone who wants to order a product quickly experiences creating a password and confirming by email as an unnecessary hurdle. A guest checkout that only asks for the data needed for delivery and invoicing lowers this hurdle considerably. The customer account can then be offered optionally afterwards, for example with a note that future orders can be handled faster with it.
The order matters: purchase first, then the offer to register. After a successful completion, a single pre-filled password field is enough to turn the guest into a registered customer if desired. That way the shop gets the account data without endangering the sale. Signing in via existing, familiar methods can also lower the hurdle, but it should complement the simple guest checkout rather than replace it. What remains decisive is that no one is forced to create an account just to pay.
| Aspect | Forced account | Guest checkout with optional account |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Registration required before purchase | Order directly, account optional |
| Perceived hurdle | High, feels like extra effort | Low, only purchase-relevant data |
| Data capture | Password and confirmation upfront | Account offered after the purchase |
| Abandonment risk | Around 19 percent abandon (Baymard) | Considerably lower |
| Customer retention | Forced before the first purchase | Voluntary, after a positive purchase |
Streamline the Checkout Form
Every field in the ordering process is a potential point of abandonment. According to Baymard Institute measurements, an average checkout displays around 23.48 form elements (Baymard Institute), although most orders could be handled with about half of them. Much of this is dispensable: separate fields for first and last name, a separate billing address that in most cases matches the delivery address, or extra entries that are not needed for the order. Reducing the form to the essentials, placing visible labels above the fields and auto-completing entries where possible, such as the city based on the postal code, noticeably shortens the path to the order. The Baymard Institute estimates that large shops can raise their conversion rate by an average of 35.26 percent (Baymard Institute) through better checkout design alone.
- Only ask for fields that are truly needed for delivery, invoicing and contact
- Place labels visibly above the field instead of only as a disappearing placeholder
- Preset the delivery address as the billing address, deviation only on request
- Use large fields and the matching keyboard per input field on the smartphone
- Show errors right at the field concerned, worded in a friendly and specific way
- Make progress and remaining steps visible so the end is foreseeable
Offer Suitable Payment Methods
The payment methods on offer help decide whether an order comes about. If the preferred payment method is missing, around 10 percent (Baymard Institute) of buyers abandon. In Germany the distribution is clear: by share of revenue in 2025, wallet-based payment led with around 28.7 percent (Statista), followed by purchase on invoice at about 26.1 percent (Statista), direct debit at 17.3 percent (Statista) and credit and debit cards at 12.3 percent (Statista). Purchase on invoice is a German particularity: many customers expect to receive the goods first and pay afterwards. A shop that covers the methods common in its target market noticeably lowers the abandonment rate on the payment page. Which methods are expected in 2026 is explored in our article on online shop payment methods.
Align payment methods with the target market
Trust, Speed and Mobile Optimization
Besides the structural hurdles, three softer factors decide the completion: trust, speed and mobile usability. A lack of trust when entering payment details drives 19 percent (Baymard Institute) of buyers out of the checkout. Visible security cues, a recognizable legal notice, common and familiar payment methods and genuine reviews all work right at the point of decision. Load time matters too: the slower the checkout responds, the more people lose patience. How closely speed and revenue are connected is shown in our article on page speed and revenue.
On the smartphone all of these effects intensify. Small buttons, awkward forms and a cluttered checkout mean the mobile abandonment rate, at around 80 percent (Baymard Institute), is clearly above the desktop figure. A mobile-optimized checkout works with large touch areas, clear steps, automatic keyboard selection and the option to complete in a few steps using stored payment means. As a growing share of retail runs via the smartphone, the mobile checkout is often the place where the biggest revenue lever is hidden. A well-considered web design lays the foundation for this, and current approaches are summarized in our overview of the web design trends 2026.
The average large online shop checkout contains more than twice as many form elements as necessary, and a large part of the untapped revenue potential lies exactly there.
Measure Abandonment and Improve Step by Step
Before rebuilding the checkout, you should know exactly where buyers drop off. A privacy-compliant measurement of the ordering funnel shows at which step most people abandon, whether at the shipping cost display, the account prompt or the payment page. Only this knowledge turns assumptions into targeted improvements. How usage can be captured without intrusive tracking and without a cookie banner is described in our article on website analytics without a cookie banner. On this basis the biggest brake can be tackled first and the effect then read off the completion rate; a targeted conversion analysis turns this into a repeatable approach.
The order matters here. First remove the avoidable main reasons, that is transparent costs, guest checkout, a lean form and suitable payment methods, then test the details. A specific abandonment rate cannot be promised, as it depends on assortment, price, target group and competition. What can be influenced are the factors that demonstrably work. From over 50 projects (project experience) we know that the unspectacular fundamentals make the biggest difference: an honest price, few fields and a smooth payment process. Those who treat the checkout as an ongoing, continuously maintained task draw more orders from their existing traffic over the long term. How the same principles transfer to enquiries instead of purchases is shown in our article on conversion optimization; additional visibility for the shop comes from online shop SEO.
- Show shipping and extra costs early, ideally already on the product page
- Allow purchase as a guest, offer the customer account only after completion
- Cut the checkout form down to the fields that are truly needed
- Offer the payment methods common in the target market, including purchase on invoice in Germany
- Optimize the checkout for the smartphone, with large fields and few steps
- Measure the ordering funnel in a privacy-compliant way and fix weak points first
Sources and studies