⚡ In short
- Baymard Institute’s average documented cart abandonment rate is 70.22% (updated September 2025).
- The top reason: extra costs such as shipping, tax and fees were too high.
- Show the full price early, explain delivery and returns, and answer doubts at checkout.
- Live chat and exit-intent messages catch shoppers who have a question.
How common is cart abandonment?
Baymard Institute averages 50 different studies and puts the documented online cart abandonment rate at 70.22%. In other words, about seven in ten carts never become orders. (Baymard Institute)
Why shoppers abandon carts
Baymard’s research asked shoppers why they abandoned an order during checkout (excluding people who were just browsing):
| Reason | Share of shoppers |
|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% |
| Delivery was too slow | 20% |
| Didn’t trust the site with card details | 19% |
| Site wanted me to create an account | 18% |
| Checkout too long or complicated | 17% |
| Website had errors or crashed | 17% |
| Returns policy wasn’t good enough | 13% |
| Couldn’t see the total cost up front | 12% |
| Card was declined | 10% |
| Not enough payment methods | 9% |
Source: Baymard Institute.
10 fixes
- Show shipping costs on the product page, not as a surprise at checkout.
- Offer free shipping over a threshold and tell shoppers how close they are.
- Show delivery dates clearly. “Arrives by Thursday” beats “5–7 days”.
- Allow guest checkout.
- Offer the payment methods your customers use: UPI, cards, net banking and COD in India.
- Explain returns in one line near the “Buy” button.
- Add trust signals: real contact details, reviews, a secure-payment note. See what makes a website trustworthy.
- Add live chat on the cart so doubts get answered. Live chat for ecommerce.
- Use an exit-intent message that asks what’s stopping them. Proactive live chat.
- Collect an email so you can follow up. Lead generation with chat.
Where live chat fits
Many of the reasons above are really questions: “How much is shipping to my city?”, “Can I return it?”, “Is COD available?”. A chat on the cart page answers them in seconds, and an AI Agent can answer them at night too.
FAQ
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
Baymard Institute’s average across 50 studies is 70.22%.
Can live chat reduce cart abandonment?
It helps with abandonment caused by unanswered questions, like delivery, returns and payment. It can’t fix high prices or a broken checkout.