SEO glossary · A

Abandoned Cart

What is an Abandoned Cart?

An abandoned cart is an online shopping cart that a visitor filled with products but left without completing the purchase. Most online carts are abandoned, so recovering even a small share of them can add significant revenue.

Why shoppers abandon carts

  • Unexpected extra costs, such as shipping, taxes or fees
  • Being forced to create an account
  • A long or confusing checkout
  • Slow delivery, or unclear return policies
  • Missing payment options, or worries about payment security
  • Just browsing or comparing prices

How to reduce cart abandonment

  • Show all costs early, ideally on the product page.
  • Offer guest checkout and popular payment methods.
  • Keep the checkout short and mobile-friendly.
  • Show delivery times, returns and trust badges clearly.

Abandoned cart emails

If a shopper has given their email address and agreed to receive emails, an automated reminder can bring them back. A typical sequence sends a first email within a few hours and one or two more over the next days, sometimes with an incentive. Keep the tone helpful: an abandoned cart email should remind and reassure, not read like a hard sales pitch.

Remarketing ads can also remind shoppers of the products they left behind.

Get in touch

Know the term. Now rank for it.

Tell us the search you want to win. A specialist reads it and replies by email, and if it helps, we set up a short call.

    A specialist reads your message and replies by email.