Getting a shopper to checkout is the hard part. Losing them there is painful, and often avoidable. These are the most common reasons shoppers leave at checkout, with a practical fix for each. Research from the Baymard Institute puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at around 70%.
1. Surprise costs
Shipping, taxes or fees that appear at the last step are the classic deal-breaker.
Fix: show shipping costs, or a simple shipping calculator, on product and cart pages. If you offer free shipping above a threshold, say so early and show how close the shopper is.
2. Being forced to create an account
Many first-time buyers will not set up an account just to place one order.
Fix: offer guest checkout and invite them to save their details after the order is placed.
3. A long or confusing form
Every extra field is another reason to stop.
Fix: remove fields you do not need, use address lookup, set the right keyboard on mobile for numbers and email, and show clear, friendly error messages next to the field.
4. Their favourite payment method is missing
If a shopper usually pays with a wallet or “buy now, pay later”, a card-only checkout can end the sale.
Fix: add express wallets such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal, plus the local methods your customers expect. Our payment and shipping setup service covers this.
5. Doubts about delivery time
“When will it arrive?” is a question shoppers want answered before they pay.
Fix: show an estimated delivery date, not just a shipping method name.
6. Worries about security or returns
A checkout that looks different from the rest of the site, or hides the returns policy, makes people hesitate.
Fix: keep the checkout on-brand, show recognised payment logos and link to your returns policy near the payment button.
7. A slow or buggy checkout on mobile
Most shopping now happens on phones. A checkout that lags or jumps around as it loads loses people quickly.
Fix: test your checkout on a mid-range phone over a normal mobile connection, not just on your office Wi-Fi.
Where to start
Look at your checkout funnel in analytics and find the step with the biggest drop. Fix that one first, then test the next. If you would like a second pair of eyes, our conversion optimisation team reviews checkouts every week.
