How to Track and Reduce Cart Abandonment in Your Shopify Store

Cart abandonment happens in almost every ecommerce store. Baymard Institute’s aggregation of 50 studies places the average documented cart abandonment rate at approximately 70.22%.

That figure provides useful context, but it does not mean 70% of every store’s immediately recoverable revenue has been lost. Some visitors are comparing prices, checking delivery costs, or saving products without intending to purchase immediately.

The useful question is not simply, “What is our abandonment rate?” It is, “Where are customers leaving, and which causes can we realistically fix?”

This guide explains how to track cart and checkout abandonment in Shopify, identify the most important points of friction, and recover customers who leave before purchasing.

Cart Abandonment vs Checkout Abandonment

The terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe different customer behaviours.

Cart abandonment

Cart abandonment occurs when a visitor adds one or more products to the cart but leaves without completing an order. The customer may not have entered contact information or started checkout.

Checkout abandonment

Checkout abandonment occurs after the customer has entered the checkout process but does not complete payment.

Shopify records an abandoned checkout when the checkout remains incomplete for more than ten minutes after the customer has provided contact information. Products left only in a visitor’s cart are not saved as part of Shopify’s standard abandoned-checkout record.

This distinction matters because Shopify can identify and contact only some abandoning visitors. If an anonymous visitor leaves before providing an email address or phone number, the store may have no direct way to send a recovery message.

Why Customers Abandon Shopify Carts

Not every abandoned cart indicates a technical problem. Some customers are simply browsing or are not ready to buy. However, recurring friction can cause high-intent customers to leave.

Common reasons include:

• Unexpected shipping charges, taxes, or fees
• Delivery that is slower than expected
• Forced account creation
• A long or confusing checkout experience
• Missing payment methods
• Payment failures
• Discount codes that do not work
• Unclear returns or refund terms
• Concerns about product quality or store credibility
• Poor mobile usability
• Slow-loading pages
• Products becoming unavailable during checkout
• Comparison shopping
• Distractions or interruptions

Baymard Institute identifies additional costs as a leading preventable cause, with 39% of surveyed shoppers reporting that they abandoned because shipping, taxes, or other charges were too high.

Rather than assuming one cause applies to everyone, combine funnel data, payment events, support questions, customer feedback, and usability testing.

How to Track Cart Abandonment in Shopify

1. Review the Shopify Conversion Funnel

Shopify’s online store conversion reporting helps you follow three important stages:

1. Sessions that added a product to the cart
2. Sessions that reached checkout
3. Sessions that completed checkout

These stages reveal where the largest drop occurs.

If many visitors add products but few begin checkout, investigate the cart page, shipping uncertainty, product pricing and purchase intent.

If many visitors begin checkout but do not purchase, investigate payment failures, form usability, delivery options and late-added costs.

Do not compare completed orders directly with total website sessions and call the difference “cart abandonment.” Most visitors never add a product to their cart, so that calculation measures overall conversion rather than cart abandonment.

2. Calculate the Main Abandonment Metrics

Use separate metrics for different stages.

Cart-to-checkout drop-off rate:

(Sessions with cart additions − Sessions that reached checkout)
÷ Sessions with cart additions × 100

Checkout abandonment rate:

(Sessions that reached checkout − Sessions that completed checkout)
÷ Sessions that reached checkout × 100

Checkout conversion rate:

Sessions that completed checkout
÷ Sessions that reached checkout × 100

For example, suppose your store records:

• 1,000 sessions with cart additions
• 600 sessions that reached checkout
• 420 sessions that completed checkout

The cart-to-checkout drop-off rate is 40%, while the checkout abandonment rate is 30%.

Keeping these stages separate makes the problem easier to diagnose.

3. View Individual Abandoned Checkouts

To inspect Shopify abandoned checkouts:

1. Sign in to your Shopify admin.
2. Go to Orders.
3. Click Abandoned checkouts.
4. Select a checkout to review its details.

Depending on the information captured, the record can show:

• Customer contact details
• Products included in the checkout
• Checkout value
• Recovery status
• Email delivery status
• Checkout timeline
• Payment attempts
• Recovery link

Shopify excludes activity it identifies as suspected card testing or bot traffic from the abandoned-checkout list.

Abandoned checkouts older than three months are automatically removed from the Shopify admin. Shopify does not provide an option to manually delete an individual abandoned checkout. If you must retain a particular record, you can recreate its details as an open draft order.

4. Inspect Failed Payment Events

Not every abandoned checkout is a customer voluntarily changing their mind. Some customers attempt to pay but cannot complete the transaction.

To inspect payment events:

1. Go to Orders > Abandoned checkouts.
2. Open the relevant checkout.
3. Find the Timeline section.
4. Expand the payment event.
5. Review the message and available details.

Possible causes include:

• A declined card
• An incorrect card number
• An expired card
• A CVV or billing-address mismatch
• Failed 3-D Secure verification
• An incorrect PIN
• Technical payment-processing errors
• Fraud or high-risk payment blocks
• An expired gift card or discount code
• Inventory becoming unavailable

Group recurring failures by payment method, device, browser, market and gateway. A pattern of similar errors may require changes to the payment configuration rather than another recovery email.

5. Track Recovery Performance

Shopify’s abandoned checkout email reporting can show:

• Sessions generated by reminder emails
• Completed orders
• Conversion rate
• Sales attributed to recovery emails
• Average order value
• Products sold
• New versus returning customers

The most useful recovery metrics are:

Recovery rate:

Recovered checkouts ÷ eligible abandoned checkouts × 100

Recovery revenue:

Revenue generated from recovered checkouts

Revenue per recovery message:

Recovered revenue ÷ recovery messages delivered

Open rate and click-through rate can help evaluate the message, but they do not show whether the campaign generated purchases.

6. Segment the Data

A store-wide average can hide the source of the problem. Break the funnel down by:

• Mobile and desktop
• New and returning customers
• Country or market
• Traffic source
• Campaign
• Product or collection
• Order value
• Payment method
• Shipping method
• New and returning customer status

For example, a high mobile checkout drop-off combined with a healthy desktop rate may point to mobile form, wallet or page-performance problems. A high abandonment rate in one country could indicate unavailable payment methods, expensive international shipping or unclear duties.

7. Use Customer Feedback and Behavioural Evidence

Analytics shows where visitors leave, but it does not always explain why.

Additional evidence can come from:

• Checkout-related support conversations
• Post-abandonment surveys
• On-site surveys
• User testing
• Session recordings
• Heatmaps
• Payment error logs
• Search queries
• Product reviews
• Customer interviews

Review data responsibly and avoid recording sensitive checkout or payment information. Any analytics or session-recording tool should comply with applicable privacy rules and consent requirements.

How to Reduce Cart Abandonment on Shopify

1. Show Costs Earlier

Late-added costs can make customers feel that the final price is different from the one they agreed to when adding the product.

Where possible, display:

• Shipping prices or estimates
• Free-shipping thresholds
• Expected taxes and duties
• Subscription charges
• Handling fees
• Currency information
• Return shipping terms

If an exact shipping cost requires the customer’s location, provide an estimator or clearly explain how the amount will be calculated.

A free-shipping progress message can help when it is accurate:

Add ₹450 more to qualify for free standard delivery.

Do not use a misleading progress bar if products, regions or shipping methods are excluded from the offer.

2. Communicate Delivery Dates Clearly

“Standard shipping” tells customers less than an estimated arrival date.

Where your fulfilment setup allows it, show:

• Order-processing time
• Estimated delivery date
• Shipping speed
• Cut-off time
• Regional restrictions
• Availability for pickup
• Delays affecting pre-orders or customised products

Display important delivery information on product and cart pages rather than revealing it only after checkout begins.

3. Allow Guest Checkout

Requiring customers to create an account introduces another decision and may prevent people from purchasing.

Allow customers to complete the order without creating an account. If accounts provide benefits, explain them without making registration a condition of purchase.

Account creation can be encouraged after the transaction, when the customer has already entered much of the required information.

4. Reduce Perceived Checkout Complexity

A one-page checkout is not automatically easier than a multi-step checkout. What matters is whether the experience feels clear, predictable and manageable.

Improve the flow by:

• Removing unnecessary decisions before checkout
• Using clear field labels
• Supporting browser autofill
• Displaying validation errors beside the relevant field
• Preserving entered information after an error
• Using suitable address formats for each market
• Keeping the primary checkout action obvious
• Avoiding intrusive cross-sells

Shopify controls much of the standard checkout experience. The extent to which merchants can customise checkout behaviour depends on their plan and the supported checkout extension options.

5. Offer Relevant Payment Methods

Customers may leave if they cannot find a payment method they trust or regularly use.

Depending on the store’s location and eligible providers, useful options may include:

• Credit and debit cards
• Shop Pay
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Google Pay
• Local payment methods
• Buy now, pay later services
• Cash on delivery, where operationally appropriate

Do not add every available method without evaluating fees, refund handling, fraud exposure and customer demand. Prioritise methods relevant to your main markets.

6. Improve Mobile Checkout

Test the complete purchasing journey on a real phone, not only in the theme editor.

Check:

• Page speed on mobile data
• Button sizes and spacing
• Cart drawer behaviour
• Keyboard and input types
• Address autofill
• Discount-code entry
• Wallet payments
• Error messages
• Sticky elements
• Pop-ups covering checkout buttons
• Delivery-option readability

Also test different screen sizes and browsers. A checkout that works on a desktop can still be difficult to complete on a smaller device.

7. Strengthen Product Confidence Before Checkout

Many cart problems begin on the product page.

Provide enough information for customers to decide before they add the item:

• Accurate product images
• Clear descriptions
• Size or compatibility guidance
• Variant availability
• Delivery estimates
• Return conditions
• Warranty details
• Verified customer reviews
• Contact options

If customers regularly leave to search for missing information, improving the product page may have more impact than changing the checkout.

8. Make Returns and Support Easy to Find

A customer may hesitate if they cannot determine what happens when the product is unsuitable.

Link clearly to:

• Return and exchange policy
• Refund timelines
• Warranty information
• Shipping policy
• Contact details
• Order-tracking information

Trust should come from clear policies and reliable business information. Decorative security badges cannot compensate for vague terms or a poor customer experience.

9. Improve Store Performance

Slow product, cart or checkout transitions can interrupt purchase intent and create uncertainty about whether an action worked.

Prioritise:

• Properly sized product images
• Fewer non-essential apps
• Reduced third-party scripts
• Lightweight cart drawers
• Stable layouts
• Fast theme code
• Clear loading and error states

Measure representative product and collection pages on mobile. The homepage alone may not reflect the experience customers encounter before checkout.

How to Recover Abandoned Carts and Checkouts

Prevention and recovery are different activities. Prevention removes the reason customers leave. Recovery brings eligible customers back after they have left.

Shopify Messaging provides separate automation templates for:

These distinctions allow the message to match the customer’s level of intent.

Set Up an Abandoned Checkout Automation

To create a recovery automation:

1. Go to Apps > Messaging in Shopify.
2. Click Automations.
3. Click Create automation.
4. Choose Recover abandoned checkout.
5. Select email or SMS, where available and appropriate.
6. Edit the message and sending conditions.
7. Send a test.
8. Turn on the automation.

Shopify’s abandoned checkout automation can include a link that returns the customer to the checkout.

Review the recipient settings and applicable marketing-consent requirements before activation. Shopify’s default eligibility and the options available can differ between abandoned-cart and abandoned-checkout messages.

Write a Useful Recovery Message

A recovery email should make it easy to continue purchasing.

Include:

• A clear subject line
• The customer’s products
• A prominent return-to-checkout button
• Delivery or return information
• A support option
• Accurate urgency, if relevant

Avoid overloading the email with unrelated products and multiple competing calls to action.

A simple message may be enough:

You left something in your checkout.

Your items are still waiting, subject to availability. Return to checkout to review your order and complete your purchase.

Need help with delivery, payment or sizing? Reply to this email and our team will assist you.

Use Discounts Selectively

A discount may help when price or delivery cost is the main objection, but it should not be the default response to every abandoned checkout.

Repeatedly offering discounts can:

• Reduce margin
• Train customers to wait for offers
• Attract price-sensitive orders
• Hide unresolved checkout problems
• Create inconsistent pricing

Test a reminder without an incentive first. Consider offering free shipping or a limited discount only to selected groups, such as first-time customers or high-value checkouts.

Shopify allows a discount to be included in an abandoned checkout recovery link. Create the discount in the Shopify admin before adding it to the automation and ensure its conditions, expiry and combinations are configured correctly.

Use SMS Carefully

SMS may be effective for time-sensitive recovery, but it is more intrusive than email.

Use it only when:

• The customer has provided the required consent
• The message identifies the store
• The timing is reasonable
• The content is relevant
• An opt-out method is available
• The message complies with applicable regulations

Do not send repeated email and SMS reminders in quick succession.

Consider Retargeting for Anonymous Visitors

Advertising platforms may help re-engage visitors who did not provide contact information. However, retargeting depends on consent, browser restrictions, platform policies and accurate tracking.

Retargeting is most useful for reminding interested visitors. It will not resolve an unsuccessful payment, expensive shipping or a confusing checkout experience.

What Not to Do

Do not create fake urgency

False low-stock messages and resetting countdown timers damage trust. Use urgency only when inventory, pricing or availability is genuinely limited.

Do not interrupt every visitor with a popup

An exit-intent offer may capture some customers, but intrusive pop-ups can cover the cart, slow the page and encourage visitors to wait for discounts.

Do not install multiple recovery apps without a plan

Overlapping apps may send duplicate messages, apply conflicting discounts or add unnecessary scripts. Map each tool to a specific stage before installing it.

Do not focus only on email open rates

A highly opened recovery email is not successful if customers return to the same problem and leave again. Track completed orders, revenue and margin.

Do not treat every abandoned cart as lost revenue

Some customers never intended to purchase during that session. Prioritise evidence of preventable friction instead of assuming the full cart value is recoverable.

A Practical Cart-Abandonment Reduction Plan

Week 1: Establish the baseline

Record:

• Cart-to-checkout drop-off
• Checkout abandonment rate
• Mobile and desktop performance
• Abandoned checkout value
• Recovery rate
• Payment failure categories

Week 2: Investigate

Review:

• Ten to twenty abandoned checkout timelines
• Mobile checkout on real devices
• Shipping and tax visibility
• Delivery estimates
• Support questions
• Payment availability by market

Week 3: Fix the largest problem

Choose one meaningful issue, such as:

• Hidden shipping costs
• A recurring payment failure
• Poor mobile cart usability
• Missing delivery information
• Unclear returns
• Slow product pages

Avoid changing several major elements at once unless a critical checkout failure requires immediate correction.

Week 4: Improve recovery

Activate or refine the appropriate Shopify Messaging automation. Test the message, return link, timing, eligibility and discount behaviour.

Continue measuring

Compare performance over an appropriate period and account for changes in traffic source, promotions, seasonality and product mix.

Metrics to Monitor

A useful Shopify cart-abandonment dashboard should include:

• Sessions with cart additions
• Sessions that reached checkout
• Sessions that completed checkout
• Cart-to-checkout drop-off
• Checkout abandonment rate
• Checkout conversion rate
• Abandoned checkout value
• Recovery messages delivered
• Recovered orders
• Recovery rate
• Recovered revenue
• Average recovered order value
• Payment failure rate
• Mobile versus desktop conversion

Revenue and conversion should be considered alongside margin. A recovery campaign that produces sales only through large discounts may appear successful while contributing little profit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an abandoned checkout in Shopify?

Shopify records an abandoned checkout when a customer provides contact information but does not complete payment within ten minutes. Products left in an anonymous cart are not included in the standard checkout record.

Where can I find abandoned checkouts in Shopify?

From the Shopify admin, go to Orders > Abandoned checkouts. You can inspect customer information, products, recovery status and timeline events, including details about failed payment attempts.

Can I delete abandoned checkouts from Shopify?

Shopify does not allow individual abandoned checkouts to be deleted manually. Records older than three months are removed automatically. Create an open draft order if you need to retain particular checkout details.

What is a normal cart abandonment rate?

Baymard Institute’s aggregated ecommerce benchmark is approximately 70.22%. Your rate may vary by device, industry, market and traffic quality, so compare trends within your store instead of relying only on averages.

How can I reduce abandoned carts on Shopify?

Start by showing costs and delivery expectations early, allowing guest checkout, supporting relevant payment methods, improving mobile usability and investigating failed payments. Then use recovery messages for eligible customers who still leave.

How do Shopify abandoned-cart emails work?

Shopify Messaging can send automated email or SMS messages to eligible customers who abandon a cart or checkout. The checkout version can include a recovery link that returns customers to their incomplete purchase.

Should I include a discount in every recovery email?

No. Begin with a helpful reminder and address the underlying friction. Use discounts selectively when price is a demonstrated objection, and measure recovered margin rather than judging the campaign only by revenue.

Why are some abandoned carts missing from Shopify?

Shopify cannot create a standard abandoned-checkout record when an anonymous visitor leaves before providing contact information. Suspected bots and card-testing attempts are also excluded from the abandoned-checkout list.

Conclusion

Reducing cart abandonment begins with separating cart drop-off from checkout drop-off. Shopify’s conversion funnel shows where customers leave, while abandoned checkout records and payment timelines help explain why some transactions fail.

Start with problems customers encounter before leaving: unclear costs, slow delivery, missing payment methods, mobile friction and failed payments. Recovery emails, SMS and retargeting should support these improvements rather than replace them.

Cart abandonment will never reach zero, nor should that be the goal. A better objective is to identify preventable friction, recover customers with genuine purchase intent and improve completed orders without sacrificing trust or margin.