7 Reasons Why Shopify Cart Abandonment Happens and How to Fix Them

As a Shopify merchant, you have likely experienced a potential decrease in sales due to Shopify cart abandonment from customers’ end, without making a purchase, leaving you wondering what went wrong and how to retain them. Customers returning without completing their purchases do impact revenue growth, making it essential to address this issue.

According to studies, nearly 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts before purchasing. This surprising statistic points to a major challenge for Shopify merchants. Unfortunately, Shopify cart abandonment is a reality for many Shopify store merchants.

Being a Shopify merchant, you must realize that the checkout point is crucial as it’s the last step in the sales funnel. Shoppers, while checking out, often have mixed feelings – they are interested in making a purchase, but also uncertain about paying.

To find a solution to this, you must pinpoint the problem.

In this blog post, we will explore the 7 key reasons why customers abandon Shopify carts and how you can address them to improve the store’s performance and conversion rates.

Why do customers abandon Shopify carts? 7 Key Reasons Discussed

1. Unexpected shipping costs

Unexpected shipping costs are one of the reasons for Shopify cart abandonment. When customers seeking to purchase a product end up at the checkout page, they often discover the extra fee added to their overall bill. This stops them from making a payment, especially if the shipping cost is higher than expected.
When shoppers feel they are being charged an extra amount, they are more likely to abandon their cart and look for other alternatives.

2. Complicated checkout process

A complicated checkout process is another major reason for Shopify cart abandonment. When shoppers experience multiple steps, various input boxes, or confusing navigation during checkout, they are more likely to abandon their product procurement.

3. Limited payment options

Limited payment option also stands up as a significant factor for Shopify checkout abandonment. Shoppers may abandon their carts if they don’t see preferred payment options such as Stripe, Amazon Pay, Worldpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. Offering a range of payment options is important to increase the possibilities of shoppers completing the product purchase without changing their minds.

4. High product prices

Shopify merchants should focus on competitive product pricing, as high product pricing can lead to Shopify cart abandonment. When customers add products to their cart and proceed to checkout, they often see an unexpected increase in total product price. If they find the product price unjustifiable or gets a better deal on any competitor site, you will experience cart abandonment.

They often re-evaluate the total cost, especially if the price feels too steep or unexpected compared to similar products elsewhere.

It is therefore important to keep the price of products competitive with occasional offers or say bundle deals to minimize friction and encourage them to purchase from your website.

5. Unclear return policies

Unclear return policies play a major role in Shopify checkout abandonment on Shopify stores. When shoppers are uncertain about how exchange or return policies are managed, they often become in two minds between completing a purchase.

Unclear or hard-to-find return policy therefore creates doubt, putting customers unsure about both the product and the brand. This lack of clarity can lead them to cart abandonment on your Shopify site. In contrast, transparent and customer-friendly return policies comfort potential buyers and increase the possibilities of conversion.

6. Slow loading times or technical issues

If your Shopify store is facing slow loading times or has any technical issues, it can impact your store’s conversion rate, contributing to Shopify cart abandonment. The delay in site loading is a frustrating shopping experience for shoppers navigating to other competitors’ stores.

If a page takes too long to load, especially while browsing the products or the checkout page, it frustrates customers, which might lead to losing their patience and cart abandonment.

In the digital era, where shoppers have multiple stores to explore products, why will they be stuck in the process of technical glitches? It could be checkout errors, broken buttons, or an unoptimized, laggy website.

For merchants, it is important to ensure a store operates seamlessly right from product browsing to checkout, to minimize cart abandonment rate and deliver a hassle-free shopping experience to boost conversions.

7. Lack of transparency about total costs

When customers browse your store and add products to their cart, they expect a seamless checkout experience. However, if unexpected costs appear suddenly, like taxes, high shipping fees, or any hidden charges at the final checkout stage, it breaks their trust, leading to abandonment.

This lack of cost transparency makes customers feel unsure about whether or not to purchase in your store. If the product’s final price is significantly higher than the price displayed during browsing, it can confuse customers, which is likely to abandon the cart. This turns them towards another store that is more upfront about pricing.

Above all, unclear pricing creates distrust, shakes buyers’ confidence, and leads to lost sales. Transparency is the key to winning their hearts and generating revenue.

In Final Words

Cart abandonment remains one of the biggest challenges for Shopify merchants, but it doesn’t have to stall your growth. By understanding why shoppers abandon their carts and implementing the right strategies, you can improve the buying experience and recover lost revenue.

From simplifying checkout and clarifying return policies to offering flexible pricing and faster load times, every improvement matters.

If you’re serious about recovering lost sales, reducing churn and driving more repeat purchases, the right tools make all the difference. Driftcharge, a powerful Shopify subscription app, helps streamline the customer journey, personalize offers, and convert more one-time buyers into loyal subscribers.

Join the Driftcharge waitlist today and start building a higher-converting Shopify store.

FAQs:

1. Why do customers abandon their carts on Shopify stores?

Customers abandon carts for various reasons including unexpected costs, complicated checkout processes, or lack of payment options. Understanding these issues can help Shopify store owners reduce abandonment rates and improve sales.

2. How can a Shopify subscription app like Driftcharge help reduce cart abandonment?

A Shopify subscription app like Driftcharge offers flexible subscription options that encourage customers to commit long-term, which can reduce hesitation at checkout and lower cart abandonment rates by providing value and convenience.

3. What are common checkout issues causing Shopify cart abandonment?

Common issues include slow loading times, limited payment methods, confusing shipping information, and mandatory account creation. Fixing these can enhance user experience and reduce abandonment.

4. Can Driftcharge integrate with my Shopify store to boost conversions?

Yes! Driftcharge is designed to seamlessly integrate with Shopify stores, enabling subscription offerings that boost customer retention and conversions, ultimately lowering cart abandonment rates.

5. What strategies can Shopify merchants use to recover abandoned carts?

Merchants can use email reminders, offer discounts, simplify checkout, and provide subscription options through apps like Driftcharge to encourage customers to complete their purchases and increase recurring revenue.

Ganesh Pawar

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Ganesh Pawar is the founder of Driftcharge, a subscription management app designed to help Shopify merchants streamline and scale their subscription businesses. With a deep focus on solving real-world pain points—like legacy account page support, flexible subscription options, and advanced analytics—Ganesh is passionate about building tools that drive growth and retention.