Around seven in ten online baskets are abandoned before purchase. Some of that is browsing with no intention to buy, but a large share is people who wanted the product and were put off by something in the last few screens. That is the part you can fix. Here are twelve changes, roughly in order of impact.
1. Show delivery costs before checkout
Unexpected delivery charges are the most common reason for abandonment in every study. Put delivery information on the product page and in the basket, and offer free delivery over a threshold if margins allow.
2. Allow guest checkout
Forcing people to create an account is the second most common reason. Let them buy as a guest and offer to save their details afterwards.
3. Keep checkout to one page, or as close as possible
Every extra step loses people. Combine address and payment where you can, remove optional fields, and show a progress indicator if there must be steps.
4. Add express payment buttons
Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Shop Pay let people buy in a couple of taps with no typing. On mobile this is transformative. See our payment gateways comparison.
5. Make the site fast, especially on mobile
Slow pages lose sales before checkout is reached. Our guide on speeding up your online store explains what to fix.
6. Show trust signals near the buy button
Secure payment badges, clear returns policy, delivery estimates and real reviews. People hesitate at the point of paying; reassure them there.
7. Autofill and validate the address
Postcode lookup for UK addresses, browser autofill enabled, and inline validation that tells people what is wrong before they hit submit.
8. Keep the basket for returning visitors
If someone comes back tomorrow, their basket should still be there. Most platforms do this by default; check it works on mobile and across devices when logged in.
9. Send abandoned basket emails
A reminder after an hour, a follow-up the next day, optionally a final message with a modest incentive. This alone recovers a meaningful share of lost orders and costs almost nothing. It is one of the five email flows every store should have.
10. Offer the payment methods your customers use
Cards are not enough. PayPal for people who do not want to type card details, Klarna or Clearpay for higher value items, bank transfer for trade customers.
11. Remove distractions from checkout
No header navigation, no promotional banners, no links away. The only thing to do on the checkout page should be to complete the purchase.
12. Fix errors and confusion
Test the checkout on a real phone with a real card. Look for error messages that make no sense, buttons that do not respond, and fields that reject valid input. Do this every time you change the site.
Measure before you guess
Set up a checkout funnel in Google Analytics 4 so you can see where people leave: basket, information, delivery, payment. Fix the biggest leak first. Our GA4 basics guide shows where to look.
Where to start
If you change three things, make them delivery cost visibility, guest checkout and express payment buttons. They cover the most common reasons and are quick to implement on Shopify and WooCommerce alike.
If your checkout needs rebuilding rather than tweaking, that is part of what we do. Read about our eCommerce service or request a quote.
Key takeaways
- Most abandonment is caused by surprise costs, forced account creation, long checkouts and missing payment methods.
- Show delivery costs early, offer guest checkout, keep checkout to one page and add express payment buttons.
- Abandoned basket emails recover a meaningful share of lost orders and are cheap to set up.
- Measure the checkout funnel in analytics so you fix the step that is actually leaking.
Frequently asked questions
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