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.

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.

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.

When shopping for goods online, it is common for consumers to pull out of a transaction, leaving the order incomplete: In the third quarter of 2024, around four in five baskets created in the United States did not result in a completed order. However, with a rate of 85 percent that quarter, cart abandonment was most common among shoppers using mobile devices.

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.

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, almost half of U.S. consumers abandoned online purchases during checkout due to additional costs, such as shipping, taxes, or fees. Many shoppers in the United States also frequently back out of online purchases because the website requires them to create an account or due to slow delivery.
Mobile carts Cart abandonment is a big issue, especially on mobile phones. The mobile cart abandonment rate is increasing in the U.S. , reaching 84 percent in the second quarter of 2022, up from 83 percent in the same period the previous year. This trend underscores the need for retailers to optimize the mobile shopping experience and streamline the checkout process to reduce cart abandonment rates.
Delivery is a deal breaker Delivery is a core part of the order chain. Approximately 70 percent of online shoppers in the United States cited free shipping as the most important criteria for e-commerce delivery, followed by fast shipping at 60 percent. This highlights the critical role of cost-effective and efficient delivery options in influencing consumer purchasing decisions.

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.

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.

When shopping for health and beauty products on the internet, consumers often have second thoughts and leave the transaction incomplete. In the fourth quarter of 2024, it was most common among mobile shoppers to abandon their online basket, with a cart abandonment rate of 88 percent. In contrast, around 81 percent of baskets created on computer were left abandoned.

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.

When shopping for luxury products, such as apparel and handbags, on the internet, consumers often reconsider their planned purchase, and leave the transaction incomplete. In the third quarter of 2024, it was most common among mobile shoppers for both luxury apparel, with 88 percent, and handbags, with 92 percent, to abandon their online basket. For both designer clothing and bags, with a cart abandonment rate of about 86 percent and 91 percent, respectively, fewer consumers left their transactions incomplete when shopping on computers.

The cart abandonment rate in Japan was the highest among shoppers accessing platforms with mobile devices as of the first quarter of 2024. While 84 percent of online shopping baskets created on mobile devices did not result in completed orders, the share was slightly lower among shoppers using computers.

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.

When shopping for goods online, it is common for consumers to pull out of a transaction, leaving the order incomplete: In the thhird quarter of 2024, 82 percent of orders on mobile devices in Belgium were not completed, while only 64 percent of orders on computers were abandoned.

When shopping for goods 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, 82 percent of baskets created on a computer in Canada did not result in a completed order. With a rate of about 90 percent, cart abandonment was most common among Canadian mobile shoppers during that quarter.

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).

When shopping for goods online, it is common for consumers to pull out of a transaction, leaving the order incomplete. In the third quarter of 2024, approximately eight in ten orders made on mobile devices in Nordic countries were not completed. During the same three-month period, 75 percent of baskets created on computers were abandoned.

During Black Friday 2020, the online market basket or cart abandonment rate globally was nearly 78 percent. Among the countries analyzed that year, Spain showed the highest cart abandonment rate, at 84.6 percent.

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.