Cart Abandonment Rate
Quick definition
Cart abandonment rate is the percentage of shopping carts that were created but did not result in a completed purchase.
Formula
Cart Abandonment Rate = (Carts Created − Completed Purchases) ÷ Carts Created × 100
Formula variables
- Carts Created
- The number of carts or add-to-cart sessions in the period.
- Completed Purchases
- The number of those carts that ended in a completed order.
Worked example
- Carts created
- 2,000
- Completed purchases
- 600
(2,000 − 600) ÷ 2,000 × 100
Result: 70%
70% of carts did not end in a purchase. The figures are illustrative.
How definitions differ
- Checkout abandonment
- (Checkouts Started − Completed Purchases) ÷ Checkouts Started × 100
- Some teams measure only visitors who began checkout. The base is smaller and the rate is usually lower. It is a stage within the cart abandonment picture rather than a separate metric.
- Cart or session base
- Counting by cart and counting by session give different results when visitors create several carts or return later.
How to interpret it
A cart is not a purchase commitment, so a high rate is normal for many businesses. The useful signal is where it changes and why.
Pair it with checkout steps, shipping costs and payment options to find friction.
When it is useful
- Finding friction in the cart and checkout flow.
- Measuring the effect of changes to shipping, payment or form design.
- Sizing the opportunity for recovery emails.
Limitations
- Carts are used as wish lists or for price checking, so not all abandonment is lost sales.
- Tracking differences between tools produce different numbers.
- Returning customers who buy later look abandoned.
Common mistakes
- Treating all abandonment as lost revenue.
- Comparing cart-based and checkout-based rates.
- Ignoring cross-device purchases.