70% of Your Carts Die at Checkout: How to Stop the Bleeding

The Checkout Graveyard

Here's a stat that should keep you up at night: across Shopify stores, only about 25-30% of carts that start checkout actually complete it.

That means for every 100 people who click "Add to Cart," roughly 70-75 abandon before paying. At $100 average order value, a store with 1,000 weekly add-to-carts is losing $70,000+ in potential revenue. Every single week.

The brutal part? These aren't window shoppers. They wanted your product enough to add it to their cart. Something stopped them.

Why Carts Get Abandoned

After auditing dozens of Shopify checkouts, we see the same friction points killing conversions:

Surprise Costs at Checkout

The #1 cart killer. A shopper sees a $50 product, adds it, then discovers $12 shipping + $4 handling + tax at checkout. The total hits $70 and they bounce.

The fix: Show shipping costs early. Use a shipping calculator on product pages or display "Free shipping over $X" prominently. No surprises at checkout means no sticker shock.

Forced Account Creation

Requiring account creation before purchase adds friction at the worst possible moment. The shopper is ready to pay — don't make them commit to a relationship first.

The fix: Enable guest checkout. Always. You can invite them to create an account after purchase when they're already committed.

Slow, Clunky Checkout Flow

Every additional step is a dropout point. Every slow-loading page is a chance for doubt to creep in. The average checkout abandonment happens within 30 seconds of hitting the checkout page.

The fix: Fewer steps. Faster loads. Shopify's one-page checkout helps, but test it on mobile with a real phone — not your laptop's responsive view.

Missing Trust Signals

A first-time visitor has zero reason to trust you with their credit card. If your checkout lacks security badges, payment icons, and clear return policies, doubt wins.

The fix: Add recognizable trust signals near the payment form: SSL badge, accepted payment methods, money-back guarantee, customer service contact. Reduce perceived risk at the moment of commitment.

Mobile Checkout Friction

Mobile conversion rates average 1.2% vs 1.9% on desktop — and checkout is where mobile stores bleed the most. Tiny form fields, awkward keyboards, and too many taps kill momentum.

The fix: Test your entire checkout on a phone. Is the address autocomplete working? Are buttons thumb-friendly? Can you complete checkout in under 60 seconds?

Recovery: What Actually Works

Prevention is better than recovery, but you'll still lose carts. Here's how to bring them back:

Abandoned Cart Emails (Timing Matters)

The standard 3-email sequence works:
• Email 1: 1 hour after abandonment — "Did something go wrong?"
• Email 2: 24 hours — reminder with product image
• Email 3: 48-72 hours — incentive if needed (discount or free shipping)

The first hour is critical. Conversion on cart recovery emails drops sharply after 24 hours.

Exit-Intent Offers

When a checkout page detects cursor moving toward the browser close button, trigger a modal. Offer to save their cart, provide free shipping over a threshold, or answer common objections (return policy, shipping time).

Used sparingly, this recovers 5-15% of would-be abandoners.

SMS Recovery (If You Have Consent)

SMS open rates crush email. A simple "Still thinking about [product]? Your cart's waiting" text, sent 2-4 hours post-abandonment, often outperforms email sequences.

The Numbers That Matter

Track these weekly:
• Add-to-cart rate: Should be 5-8%+ of visitors
• Cart-to-checkout rate: Should be 40%+
• Checkout completion rate: Well-optimized stores hit 60-70%

If your checkout completion is under 50%, you're leaving significant money on the table. The fixes above typically add 10-20 percentage points.

What's Next?

Cart abandonment is rarely one problem — it's a combination of friction points unique to your store. We identify exactly where your checkout leaks revenue and prioritize fixes by impact.

A quick audit often uncovers $10k-$50k/month in recoverable revenue hiding in your checkout flow.