Cart abandonment is when a visitor adds a product to the cart and leaves the site without completing payment. Every store has some cart abandonment, and part of it is natural: some visitors are comparing prices, others use the cart like a shopping list. But a significant share of abandonment is caused by the store itself and can be fixed. In this article we explain the common causes, how to identify them and what you can change at checkout.
Measure first: where does abandonment happen?
Saying "cart abandonment is high" doesn't point you anywhere on its own. What matters is at which step the visitor leaves. Track these steps separately in your analytics tool:
- Add to cart
- Cart page view
- Sign-in or guest checkout
- Address and delivery details
- Payment method selection
- Bank verification (3D Secure)
- Order confirmation
Wherever the loss is greatest, that's where the solution lies. If people pile up at the address step, the form is too long; if they pile up at the payment step, the methods or installment options are insufficient; if they pile up at bank verification, the problem may be technical. For how to set up this kind of measurement, see our digital advertising and measurement page.
Common causes
We can group the causes we encounter in stores under five headings:
- Unexpected costs. A shipping fee or extra charge appears at the last step. This is the most common and the most easily prevented cause; the total cost should be visible on the product page.
- Forced account creation. Asking a first-time visitor to create a password is putting one more obstacle in their way.
- A long or faulty form. Unnecessary fields, input boxes that don't bring up the right keyboard on mobile, making people type their address from scratch every time.
- Lack of trust. A customer who doesn't want to enter card details on a site they don't know; missing contact information, unclear return terms.
- Payment problems. Their preferred method or installment option isn't available, the bank verification screen won't open, the error message is incomprehensible.
Simplifying checkout
The shorter and more predictable checkout is, the less abandonment there is. Practical suggestions:
- Allow guest checkout. Account creation can be offered after the order with a "shall we save your details?" question.
- A single page or clear steps. Customers should see how many steps are left.
- A smart address field. When a province is selected, the district list should appear; the postal code shouldn't be mandatory; the billing address should default to the delivery address.
- Understandable error messages. Instead of "Transaction failed," a guiding sentence such as "Your card's expiry date appears to be incorrect."
- Mobile-first design. A numeric keyboard for number fields, large tap targets, a confirm button visible without scrolling.
Choices around payment methods, installments and 3D Secure are a topic of their own; we covered them in detail in our article on choosing a payment setup.
Recovering abandoned carts
It isn't over once the visitor leaves. Sending a message reminding a registered visitor, or one who left an email address, that there are items still in their cart is a common and effective method. Two points need attention here:
- Permission. A reminder message may count as a commercial message; the person's consent to commercial messages and the duty to inform under KVKK (Türkiye's Personal Data Protection Law) must be respected. For the general framework of the rules, see our KVKK compliance page.
- Dosage. One, at most two reminders are enough. Adding a discount to every reminder teaches customers that "if I leave the cart, a discount will come," and erodes your margin.
Quick checklist
| Check | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Is the shipping fee visible on the product page? | |
| Can people shop as a guest? | |
| Is the payment form easy to fill in on mobile? | |
| Is it visible how many steps are left? | |
| Do error messages say what to do? | |
| Are there at least two payment methods (card, bank transfer, etc.)? | |
| Can return terms be read in one click from checkout? | |
| Is the abandonment rate measured step by step? |
Place a test order from start to finish on your own phone, without signing up. Every moment you get stuck is a moment your customer gets stuck too.
How we do it at Globya
When reviewing an existing store, we check the measurement first; if there's no step-by-step abandonment data, setting that up is the first job. Then we try checkout with test orders separately on desktop and mobile, and share the findings in writing, in order of priority. On the IMFLEXI platform, guest checkout, installment display and cart reminders are built in; if you use another platform, we carry out the same assessment and recommendations. For details, see our e-commerce service page.
Frequently asked questions
Is it possible to bring cart abandonment down to zero?
No, and that shouldn't be the goal. Some visitors use the cart to compare or to save a product for later. The goal is to reduce abandonment caused by the store.
Does free shipping reduce abandonment?
Unexpected shipping fees are one of the common causes of abandonment. But free shipping isn't profitable for every store; setting a cart value threshold is often a more balanced solution.
Can cart reminder emails be sent to everyone?
No. The person's communication consent and the duty to inform must be respected. Sending a commercial reminder to someone without their consent can create legal risk.
Why might abandonment be higher on mobile?
Filling in a long form, typing card details and switching to the bank verification screen on a small screen are more tedious. That's why it's important to test mobile checkout separately.
The Globya assistant is online 24/7; it answers right away and passes your question to the team if needed.