Cart abandonment rates have been climbing steadily since 2014, after reaching an all-time high in 2013. In 2023, the share of online shopping carts that is being abandoned reached 70 percent for the first time since 2013. This is an increase of more than 10 percentage points compared to the start of the time period considered here. Mobiles vs. desktops When global consumers shop online, they spend considerably more when doing so on desktop computers. In December 2023, the average value of e-commerce purchases made through desktops was approximately 159 U.S. dollars. Purchases completed on mobiles and tablets were of comparable values, ranging between 100 and 105 U.S. dollars. Even though consumers spent more when conducting their shopping on computers, they were more inclined to add products to their shopping carts when using mobile devices. Ultimately, mobile devices provide a convenient and more accessible way to shop, but desktop computers remain the preferred choice for more expensive purchases. Where do consumers shop online? Across the globe, digital marketplaces are shoppers’ number-one online shopping destination. As of April 2024, some 29 percent of consumers voted marketplaces as their favorite e-commerce channel, followed by physical stores and retailer sites. Looking at which retailers’ global shoppers prefer to shop at, amazon.com emerged as the world's most popular online marketplace, based on share of visits. The U.S. portal accounted for around one-fifth of the global online marketplace's traffic in December 2023. Amazon's German and Japanese portal sites ranked third and fifth among the leading online marketplaces, further demonstrating Amazon's dominance over the market.

When shopping for goods online, it is common for consumers to pull out of a transaction, leaving the order incomplete: In the fourth quarter of 2024, approximately 76 percent of orders on mobile devices in the UK were not completed. During that same three-month period, 67 percent of carts created were left abandoned on computers as well.

In 2022, a significant amount of online shopping orders were abandoned, i.e. not converted into a purchase. Websites offering cruise and ferry travel services had the highest cart abandonment rates out of all measured categories with a 98 percent abandonment rate.

Why do buyers abandon their online carts? Wishful thinking, planning a dream vacation, just checking how expensive the total order is going to be... there are many reasons why consumers put together an order and end up abandoning it. Online travel bookers in particular are keen to shop around for deals and wait for the best day to book flights and hotels. Many online travel agencies (OTA) are dedicated to comparing prices, and countless blog entries encourage travelers to book their flights at certain times on specific days to save cash or get better value for money. For digital shoppers in the United States, the primary reason for abandoning an online shopping order is too high extra costs such as shipping and fees, followed by the requirement to create an account on the website in order to proceed with the purchase.

It depends on the device Mobile users generally show higher cart abandonment rates than desktop shoppers. For instance, in the United States, mobile buyers showed over ten percentage points more abandonment than on desktop. Great Britain has a slightly smaller gap between mobile and desktop abandonment rates, though the higher-on-mobile trend seems to uphold.

This statistic represents the quarterly online shopping cart abandonment rate in the United States. As of the second quarter of 2022, the abandonment rate was 84 percent for mobile phones, up from 83 percent in the same quarter of the preceding year.

When shopping for home furniture online, consumers very frequently end up having second thoughts, pulling out of a transaction and leaving the order incomplete. In the third quarter of 2024, 83 percent of the baskets created on desktop devices worldwide did not result in a completed order, and 90 percent of those created on cellphones either. The product category that suffered the most from last-minute order cancellations was home furniture. Home furniture e-commerce Despite suffering from comparatively high cart abandonment rates, furniture is being bought online quite regularly in various markets. In the second quarter of 2023, the share of consumers making monthly online purchases of home and garden products in the UK and the US stood at 27% and 31% respectively. This indicates a substantial market for online home furniture shopping. But why do shoppers like browsing for home furniture? In a survey conducted in the US, 48% of respondents reported ease of purchase as the main reason for shopping for furniture online, with 31% citing free delivery as a driving factor.

On and around Black Friday in 2022, a significant portion of online shopping carts were abandoned prior to purchase, at a daily average of nearly 80 percent. On Black Friday itself (November 26th), the online shopping cart abandonment rate (CAR) was lower than average, however, at 77.74 percent. Also worth noting is that online shopping CAR was higher on average pre-Black Friday than it was post-Black Friday.

Mobile devices usually report higher cart abandonment rates than dektop sessions. In Italy, the average conversion rate on mobile devices was 86 percent in the third quarter of 2024.

In 2021, the shopping cart abandonment rate on fashion websites worldwide reached 84.4 percent. In comparison, luxury fashion websites had a cart abandonment rate of almost 88 percent. Both values were significantly higher than the average abandonment rate on e-commerce websites, which stood at 77 percent.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.5%, a cart abandonment rate of 65.7%, and a conversion rate of 3.3%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Germany also consist of an AOV of US$134.5, a discount rate of 10.6%, and a return rate of 9.2%.

In 2022, shopping cart abandonment was most prevalent in the Caribbean, at a rate of over 92 percent of carts abandoned during online shopping. Second-ranked was Africa, where 85.15 percent of carts were abandoned instead of leading to a purchase.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9%, a cart abandonment rate of 84.8%, and a conversion rate of 1.4%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Indonesia also consist of an AOV of US$77.8, a discount rate of 15%, and a return rate of 5.2%.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.4%, a cart abandonment rate of 83.5%, and a conversion rate of 1.5%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in South Africa also consist of an AOV of US$104, a discount rate of 9%, and a return rate of 6.3%.

In 2022, a significant amount of online shopping carts were abandoned prior to purchase. The day of the week with the highest cart abandonment rate (CAR) on average was Sunday (80.46 percent), and the day with the lowest CAR was Monday (78.98 percent).

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.6%, a cart abandonment rate of 80.7%, and a conversion rate of 1.9%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Egypt also consist of an AOV of US$38.8, a discount rate of 9.9%, and a return rate of 6.7%.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 10.9%, a cart abandonment rate of 75.3%, and a conversion rate of 2.7%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Portugal also consist of an AOV of US$86.6, a discount rate of 9.3%, and a return rate of 7.6%.

On Black Friday in 2022, mobile shoppers were more likely than desktop shoppers to abandon their carts prior to purchase, on average. The online shopping cart abandonment rate (CAR) amongst mobile Black Friday shoppers that year was just above 80 percent, compared to a CAR of 74 percent for desktop users.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.3%, a cart abandonment rate of 72.8%, and a conversion rate of 2.5%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Japan also consist of an AOV of US$116.7, a discount rate of 10.3%, and a return rate of 7.4%.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.8%, a cart abandonment rate of 74.3%, and a conversion rate of 2.5%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in South Korea also consist of an AOV of US$105.6, a discount rate of 10.1%, and a return rate of 7.1%.

In a survey conducted in 2024, approximately 41 percent of global online shoppers said they abandoned their carts because delivery fees were too expensive. Another 30 percent of shoppers were abandoning their carts due to unexpected costs at checkout, or because they found items cheaper elsewhere.

Delivery trumps all else? Delivery may well be such a pivotal criterion in the online shopping experience that it can effectively make or break an online purchase. Consumer delivery preferences have veered towards the lowest-cost delivery in most if not all product categories in 2024. In fact, cost of delivery was the most important delivery feature according to 35 percent of online shoppers worldwide, followed by speed and convenience of delivery.

Free versus sustainable In a survey conducted in September 2023, free shipping was the most important e-commerce delivery consideration for shoppers in the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany. Fast shipping, shipment tracking, and free return shipping also ranked high on the list of top delivery preferences. Carbon-neutral shipping, however, did not.

In 2024, next to an add-to-cart rate of 9.1%, a cart abandonment rate of 82.6%, and a conversion rate of 1.6%, the eCommerce Benchmark KPIs in Singapore also consist of an AOV of US$157.4, a discount rate of 10.5%, and a return rate of 6.7%.