How to reduce abandoned carts on Shopify

Shopify

12 May

Abandoned carts are one of the most common frustrations for Shopify store owners.

You can see people browsing your products, adding items to their cart and getting close to purchasing. Then right before they’re about to checkout, they disappear.

Sometimes they were simply just browsing and weren’t ready to buy yet. But sometimes there’s something in the checkout journey that causes the customer to change their mind or pause. Maybe shipping costs were unexpected or higher than they thought. Maybe a question about sizing or returns hasn’t been answered. Or maybe the journey to checkout just feels slightly longer or more complicated than it needs to be.

The good news is that many of these barriers can be addressed with small changes to your store. By making the customer journey feel clearer and reassuring customers from the product page to the checkout, more people complete their purchase.

Here are some practical ways to reduce the amount of abandoned carts on your Shopify store.

Be transparent about shipping costs early

Unexpected shipping costs are a pretty common reason why customers abandon their carts.

If someone adds a product to their cart expecting a certain price and then sees a much higher total at checkout, it creates resistance. Even if the shipping cost itself is reasonable, the surprise can cause the customer to leave the cart.

The easiest way to reduce this is to communicate shipping clearly before checkout. This might mean displaying shipping information on product pages, including delivery details within your product page tabs, or showing a shipping message in your cart so customers know what to expect.

It’s also worth saying that free shipping isn’t always realistic for every business or every shipping destination. Depending on your margins and product type, absorbing shipping costs simply might not be sustainable, and that’s completely valid. Customers are generally happy to pay for delivery when it’s communicated clearly.

If you do offer a free shipping promotion, one strategy that works well is setting the threshold slightly above your average order value. For example, if your average order is £40, you might offer free shipping over £50. This encourages customers to add one more item to their cart rather than abandoning the purchase, which can increase both conversion rate and basket size.

Make your checkout process feel simple

The longer or more complicated your checkout feels, the more opportunities customers have to change their mind.

Shopify already has a strong checkout system, but there are still ways to make the experience smoother. Offering accelerated checkout options like Shop Pay, Apple Pay or PayPal allows customers to complete their purchase quickly without typing out all their details.

You should also review how many steps the checkout process requires and remove anything unnecessary. The goal is to help customers move from cart to confirmation as easily as possible. For example using a slide out cart rather than a cart page so that there’s less clicks between adding an item to the cart and checking. And making sure that you’re using the one page checkout on Shopify rather than the old multi-page checkout.

When someone has already decided they want the product, the checkout shouldn’t slow them down.

Answer common questions before customers reach checkout

Many customers abandon their cart because they still have unanswered questions.

They might wonder whether the item will fit, how long shipping takes or whether returns are straightforward. If those answers aren’t easy to find, they often leave the site to “look into it” and never return. Not because they don’t want the product, but because life gets busy sometimes.

This is why clear product page information and FAQs are so important. Your product pages should make it easy to find details about sizing, materials, ingredients, care instructions and delivery information.

When those details are clearly structured in dropdown sections or tabs, customers can quickly find the reassurance they need before they even reach checkout.

Use abandoned cart emails to recover sales

Even with the most well-designed store, many customers will still leave without purchasing.

Abandoned cart emails give you a chance to bring them back.

Shopify allows you to automatically send reminder emails to customers who added something to their cart and got to the point of adding their email address but didn’t complete the purchase. A simple email reminding them of the product they viewed is often enough to prompt a return visit.

Some brands choose to include a small incentive in these emails, such as free shipping or a limited discount. Others simply highlight the product again and make it easy to complete the checkout. Either approach can recover a surprising number of sales.

Reinforce trust throughout the checkout journey

When someone is buying from your brand for the first time, they’re placing a level of trust in your store.

Small trust signals throughout your product pages and checkout can make that decision easier. Customer reviews, great imagery that clearly shows the quality and scale of the product, and clear return policies all help reassure customers that the purchase is a good choice for them.

It’s also helpful to include delivery timeframes and customer support details so people know what to expect after they place their order. When customers feel confident in your brand and your customer service, they’re much less likely to abandon their purchase.

Make the cart experience work harder

The cart itself is an opportunity to reinforce the purchase rather than just summarise it.

Many Shopify stores include helpful features within the cart, such as recommended products, reminders of free shipping thresholds or quick links to customer support.

For example, if someone is close to qualifying for free shipping, showing how much more they need to spend can encourage them to add another item instead of leaving.

These small nudges help keep customers engaged and moving towards checkout and increase your average order value too - bonus!

Test your store as if you were a customer

One of the easiest ways to spot friction in your store is to go through the buying journey yourself.

Open your Shopify store on your phone, browse a few products and attempt to complete a purchase. Notice whether anything feels unclear, slow or slightly frustrating.

Pay attention to moments where you hesitate - those moments are often where your customers will hesitate too. Then you can use that feedback to make changes. Even small improvements to these areas can make a noticeable difference to your conversion rate and reduce the amount of abandoned carts..

Reducing cart abandonment is about removing doubt

Most customers don’t abandon their carts because they suddenly stop liking the product.

More often, something in the buying journey creates uncertainty or friction.

When your Shopify store makes pricing clear, answers questions early and keeps the checkout experience simple, customers are far more likely to complete their purchase.

Small improvements across the customer journey can have a significant impact on your overall sales.

If your Shopify store is losing customers at checkout

If you’re seeing a lot of abandoned carts, it’s usually a sign that something in the customer journey needs refining. Sometimes it’s product page clarity. Sometimes it’s the cart experience or the way shipping information is communicated.

I design strategic Shopify websites for product brands who want their stores to guide customers smoothly from browsing to checkout. If you’d like help refining your Shopify store, you can explore my Shopify website design services or get in touch using my enquiry form here to learn more.

FAQs

Customers usually abandon their carts when something creates hesitation during the buying process. Common reasons include unexpected shipping costs, unclear delivery timelines, complicated checkout steps or unanswered questions about the product.
Often it’s not that the customer no longer wants the product. It’s that they’re missing one piece of reassurance before committing to the purchase.
Most ecommerce stores experience cart abandonment rates around 70% (source), so cart abandonment is completely normal, but it can really depend on your industry.
The goal isn’t to eliminate it entirely as that’s just not realistic. Instead, focus on reducing resistance in the customer journey so more people who add products to their cart feel confident completing their purchase.
Yes, they can be surprisingly effective, so make sure you have them activated on Shopify.
Many customers abandon their cart because they were distracted or wanted a little more time to think. A simple reminder email showing the product they viewed can often bring them back to complete the purchase. Some brands also include a small incentive like free shipping, but even a friendly reminder can recover a meaningful number of orders.
Free shipping can help improve conversion, but it isn’t always financially viable for every business.
If your margins don’t allow you to absorb shipping costs, it’s better to communicate delivery fees clearly rather than hiding them until checkout. Another common strategy is to offer free shipping once customers reach a certain spend threshold. Setting this slightly above your average order value can encourage customers to add another item to their cart.
Absolutely. Product pages play a big role in whether customers feel confident moving to checkout.
When key information like sizing, ingredients, materials, delivery details and returns policies are easy to find, customers have fewer reasons to hesitate. Clear product images, reviews and structured information all help remove doubt before someone even reaches their cart.