What Is an Abandoned Cart and Why Is It a Problem for an Online Store?

Even if a customer adds a product to their cart while browsing your online store, this does not necessarily mean they are ready to buy it. During their customer journey, they may encounter various obstacles that lead them to abandon the purchase. It is important to distinguish between an “abandoned cart” and an “incomplete checkout”: 

  • Abandoned cart – the user has added a product to their cart but has not completed the purchase;

  • Incomplete checkout – the user has added a product to their cart and reached checkout but has not completed the process; 

It is important to note that simply counting abandoned carts is not enough to identify the problem, because customers may just be comparing prices, using the cart as a “bookmark,” or browsing the product range. In other words, to reduce the number of incomplete orders, an online store needs to do more than count abandoned carts – it must first identify the reasons behind them. We will look at the most common causes in the next section. A high number of incomplete purchases can negatively affect an online store's conversion rate.

The Main Reasons Why Customers Do Not Complete Their Orders

Let's look at six specific reasons: 

  • Unexpected costs – customers only see the final price, including delivery fees and commissions, at the end of the checkout process. Therefore, the full cost should be displayed as early as possible; 

  • A Complicated Checkout Process – too many steps and the need to fill in fields that are not essential for a purchase can significantly complicate the customer journey. Simplifying checkout is therefore the right solution; 

  • Mandatory Registration – this can also prevent customers from completing checkout. It is better to offer them the option to create an account after making a purchase; 

  • An Unoptimized Mobile Version of the Online Store – inconvenient UI/UX design, excessive horizontal scrolling, small interface elements, and complicated navigation can also prevent customers from completing their purchases. That is why the mobile version of the website needs to be tested and adapted to smartphone screens; 

  • Limited Payment and Delivery Options – customers may not find the available payment or delivery options suitable. Relevant payment systems and delivery services should be integrated in advance, and available options should be displayed before the final order confirmation;

  • Poor Website Technical Performance – pages load slowly, errors occur during checkout, or payments fail altogether. A stable cart and fast loading times are essential here.

Some abandoned-cart issues can be resolved by changing purchase conditions, but technical shortcomings require a comprehensive approach. This should be considered both when developing an online store and when improving an existing website. geniustudio can help implement the necessary integrations and optimize your online store to improve the customer journey.

How to Identify the Causes of Abandoned Carts, and What Does Google Analytics Have to Do With It?

The first step toward solving the abandoned-cart problem is to understand at which stage customers abandon the checkout process. For example, if a user adds a product to their cart but never proceeds to checkout, it is worth checking how convenient the cart itself is. This includes button placement, the ability to change product quantities easily, whether items remain in the cart after refreshing the page, delivery conditions, and unexpected costs. However, if the process is interrupted at the payment stage, the cause may be technical errors, a page that loads too slowly, or the lack of a convenient payment method. 

One of the most convenient tools for analyzing customer behavior is Google Analytics 4, particularly through the following events: 

  • add_to_cart – adding a product to the cart;

  • begin_checkout – starting the checkout process;

  • add_shipping_info – providing delivery information;

  • add_payment_info — providing payment information;

  • purchase – completing a purchase.

These events make it possible to analyze at which stage an online store loses a potential customer and build a checkout funnel. However, Google Analytics 4 must be configured correctly to track these events; otherwise, there is a risk of obtaining inaccurate results. This is in addition to checking forms, payment systems, mobile responsiveness, and other important elements. And this brings us to the next important question… 

How Can You Reduce the Number of Abandoned Carts? 

Preventing potential customers from leaving an online store prematurely does not always mean simply fixing a form or placing a button in the right position. Sometimes a comprehensive approach is needed, involving the following steps:

  • Analyzing User Behavior – collect web analytics data to identify the stage at which users abandon their carts. A heatmap can also be used to identify inconvenient areas of the interface; 

  • Analyzing the Current Checkout Process – check payment systems, the connections between relevant integrations, form functionality, and compatibility with smartphone screens; 

  • Prioritizing Problems – for example, issues that prevent customers from completing a purchase are more important than an inconvenient or undersized button; 

  • Testing Changes – after fixing errors and implementing changes, compare conversion rates “before” and “after.” This will help determine whether the changes contribute to an increase in website conversions; 

  • Regular Website Technical Support – updating the CMS, checking payment systems, and verifying everything else that affects checkout.

  • Bringing Potential Customers Back – setting up email reminders about abandoned carts and launching retargeting ads for products users previously showed interest in. Naturally, this step should be taken only after confirming that the online store has no recurring technical issues.

Conclusion

Abandoned carts are a normal and inevitable part of e-commerce. However, when their number becomes too high, it may indicate serious problems that cannot be ignored. Technical specialists cannot influence factors such as an excessively high product price, of course, but they can fix website malfunctions, optimize the checkout process, and ensure the stable operation of payment systems and other integrations. That is why website technical support from geniustudio can become an important part of reducing incomplete purchases.