Abandoned Checkout Rate
Last updated: Oct 24, 2025
What is Abandoned Checkout Rate?
Abandoned Checkout Rate measures the share of checkout sessions that begin but do not end in a completed order. It focuses on the checkout funnel only, not the cart. You use it to understand friction after a shopper clicks “Checkout,” including issues with shipping choices, payment, taxes, and form friction. A high rate points to lost revenue and poor user experience during the last steps before purchase.
Abandoned Checkout Rate Formula
How to calculate Abandoned Checkout Rate
Your store records 1,200 checkout starts from Monday to Sunday. During the same period and using the same attribution window, you record 720 completed orders. Abandoned Checkout Rate = (1,200 ? 720) ÷ 1,200 = 480 ÷ 1,200 = 0.40 So 40 percent of checkout sessions were abandoned.
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What is a good Abandoned Checkout Rate benchmark?
Benchmarks vary by industry, device mix, and audience. Public studies often show ranges between 55 percent and 80 percent for abandonment during checkout. Mobile tends to sit at the high end of the range, especially when forms are long or payment options are limited. Treat any public figure as directional because tracking methods differ. The most useful benchmark is your own trailing average by market and device. Track it weekly, compare to a 4 to 8 week baseline, then measure the lift from each change you ship.
More about Abandoned Checkout Rate
Abandoned Checkout Rate shines a light on the moment purchase intent meets friction. A shopper adds items, starts checkout, then stops. That stop could be price shock from shipping, payment failure, account creation friction, confusing taxes, or a slow page. Tracking this metric over time helps you find the patterns, test fixes, and recover revenue.
What counts as a “checkout start” and a “completion”
Define these events clearly and stick with them:
- Checkout started: the first event when a shopper enters your checkout flow. For example, clicking a main “Checkout” button, loading the first checkout step, or hitting a hosted checkout URL.
- Checkout completed: an order successfully created and paid, with a valid order or transaction identifier.
Keep the definition consistent across devices and storefronts. If you offer subscriptions, preorders, or manual invoices, record whether those flows enter the same checkout and whether they should count.
Time window and attribution
Not every checkout finishes in minutes. Some shoppers return later from an email reminder or wallet prompt. Set a window that matches your business. Many teams count a checkout as abandoned if no completion occurs within 24 to 48 hours. For higher?consideration purchases, extend the window. Document the rule so teams read trends the same way.
Counting logic and deduplication
A single person can start multiple checkouts for the same basket. Decide whether to:
- Session?based: each fresh checkout session counts once.
- User?based per day or per order intent: collapse repeated attempts before a completion.
- Order?based: tie every completion to the most recent start.
Pick one approach and apply it consistently. Deduplicate by a composite key such as user ID or email, device fingerprint, and a short time bucket.
Variants you might track alongside
- Checkout completion rate: 1 minus Abandoned Checkout Rate.
- Step?level drop?off: abandonment by step, like shipping, payment, review.
- Payment?failure abandonment: checkouts that reach payment but fail to authorise or capture.
- Recovery rate: abandoned checkouts that later convert after emails, SMS, or ads.
Why this metric matters
Small improvements pay off fast. A one?point drop in Abandoned Checkout Rate can lift orders with no extra traffic spend. The metric also surfaces UX debt and operational problems. Examples include missing local payment methods, hidden fees that appear late, or form errors that block progress. Tie the metric to clear owner teams such as checkout engineering, payments, and growth.
Segmentation that reveals root causes
- Device and browser: mobile vs desktop, Safari vs Chrome.
- Traffic source and campaign: paid social often behaves differently than branded search.
- New vs returning customers: returning customers abandon less when wallets and saved addresses work well.
- Geography and currency: taxes, duties, and cross?border shipping can raise friction.
- Payment method: compare cards, PayPal, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Buy Now Pay Later.
- Shipping method and price tier: free shipping thresholds can change behaviour.
Common pitfalls
- Comparing apples to oranges: mixing definitions of start or completion across sites.
- Double counting: counting both a guest and a logged?in attempt as two starts for the same order.
- Too short a window: calling a checkout abandoned before a typical shopper returns.
- Ignoring technical noise: bot traffic and test orders inflate starts and depress completion.
Practical improvements to test
- Upfront cost clarity on shipping, taxes, and duties before checkout begins.
- Wallets and express checkout buttons near the first step.
- Guest checkout with optional account creation after purchase.
- Autofill and address validation to reduce typing on mobile.
- Fewer fields, clear inline error messages, and resilient retry on payment.
- Performance fixes on the slowest steps.
- Cart and checkout reminders with respectful frequency caps.
- Local payment methods in key markets.
Abandoned Checkout Rate Frequently Asked Questions
How is Abandoned Checkout Rate different from Cart Abandonment Rate?
Cart Abandonment Rate looks at shoppers who add items to a cart but never start checkout. Abandoned Checkout Rate starts one step later. It measures people who enter the checkout flow and then leave without finishing an order. You use both because they answer different questions. Cart abandonment highlights problems with intent, price discovery, or cart UX. Abandoned Checkout Rate focuses on late?stage friction such as address forms, shipping options, taxes, account creation, or payment failure. If cart abandonment is healthy but checkout abandonment is high, you likely have issues inside the checkout flow. If both are high, shoppers may be surprised by costs or unclear value before and during checkout.
When should a checkout be counted as abandoned?
Pick a time window that matches your buying cycle, then keep it consistent. Many teams mark a checkout as abandoned if no order occurs within 24 to 48 hours after the first checkout event. That window gives shoppers time to return from an email reminder or to fetch a card. Higher?consideration purchases like furniture may need 3 to 7 days. Document the rule and use the same clock when attributing a completion back to a start. If a shopper restarts checkout within the window, treat it as the same intent unless the basket meaningfully changes. Exclude bot traffic, QA sessions, and staff orders so false starts do not inflate abandonment.
What are the quickest ways to lower Abandoned Checkout Rate?
Start with friction that blocks progress. Shorten forms and enable guest checkout. Add wallets and local payment methods that match your markets. Show shipping costs and taxes early, not at the last step. Fix the top error messages on the payment step and add clear recovery paths for failed payments. Improve mobile performance on the slowest steps. Use respectful reminders such as abandoned checkout emails and SMS with a sensible cadence. Segment by device, campaign, and payment method so you can see where the biggest wins live. Ship small changes weekly and track the rate against a stable baseline to confirm real gains.