Customers usually abandon their cart because something at the last step surprised them, worried them or slowed them down: an unexpected delivery fee, a delivery date that's too late, a payment option they don't use, or a checkout that asks for too much. But the reasons that matter are the ones specific to your shop, and you can only find those by looking at where people drop off and then asking real customers what happened.
Most articles on this topic stop at a list of common causes. That's a useful starting point, but it's not a diagnosis. This guide shows you how to find out what's actually stopping your customers, so you fix the right thing first.
What are the most common reasons people abandon a cart?
Some abandonment is normal. Plenty of people add items to a cart to save them, compare prices or show a partner. Large-scale research from the Baymard Institute, which combines 50 studies, puts the average documented cart abandonment rate at around 70%. So if most carts in your store never turn into orders, you're not unusual.
Among shoppers who intended to buy, Baymard's survey of US online shoppers found the top reasons for leaving at checkout were:
Extra costs (shipping, taxes, fees) were too high
Delivery was too slow
They didn't trust the site with their card details
The site wanted them to create an account
Checkout was too long or complicated
The website had errors or crashed
Those patterns travel well, and we see versions of them on Singapore websites too. But a US survey can't tell you whether your customers in Singapore are leaving because of a $6 delivery fee, a missing PayNow option, or a product page that never said whether the item fits a HDB kitchen. That's what the next steps are for.
Why generic cart abandonment tips often don't work
When sales are slow, it's tempting to try everything at once: add a discount pop-up, send three reminder emails, offer free shipping. Sometimes that helps. Often it just costs you margin while the real problem stays put.
The trouble is that the same symptom (people leaving at checkout) can have very different causes. A customer who leaves because of a surprise delivery fee needs a different fix from one who leaves because they weren't sure the size would fit. A discount code might win back the first person. It does nothing for the second.
So before you change anything, find out which reasons are actually happening in your store.
How to find out why customers abandon their cart: 5 steps
1. Find where they drop off, not just that they drop off
Open your e-commerce platform's analytics or Google Analytics and look at the steps between "added to cart" and "order placed". Is the biggest drop on the cart page, the shipping step, or the payment step? Each one points somewhere different:
Cart page: often price shock, or second thoughts about the product
Shipping step: delivery fees, delivery dates or delivery areas
Payment step: trust, payment options or technical errors
Also compare mobile and desktop. If mobile visitors drop off much more, check the checkout on your own phone before anything else.
2. Go through your own checkout like a first-time customer
Use a phone, on mobile data, with a product you've never bought from your own store. Note every moment you have to guess, wait, type something twice or scroll to find an answer. When do you first see the total price including delivery? Can you check out as a guest? Does the delivery date show before you pay?
It sounds simple, but owners rarely do this. You know your site too well, which is exactly why a fresh pair of eyes helps.
3. Read what customers are already telling you
Look through WhatsApp chats, Instagram DMs and customer service emails from the last few months. Questions like "Can you deliver by Friday?" or "Do you ship to Sentosa?" are clues. Every question a customer has to ask you is one your checkout didn't answer, and for every person who asked, others probably just left.
4. Talk to real customers who nearly didn't buy
This is the step most shops skip, and the one that tells you the most. Reach out to a handful of recent customers (five or six is often enough to see patterns) and ask for a 15-minute chat. Some shops also contact people who abandoned a cart and agreed to receive emails.
Keep the questions about real, recent behaviour, not opinions:
"Walk me through the last time you bought from us. What happened?"
"Was there a moment you nearly didn't go ahead? What was going on?"
"What did you check or compare before paying?"
"Was anything at checkout different from what you expected?"
Then stay quiet and let them talk. The useful answers usually come after the first polite one. For more on this, see our guide customer interview questions that get honest answers.
5. Group what you hear, then fix the biggest one first
Write each reason you heard on its own line and group similar ones together. Price surprises, delivery worries, trust, effort and product doubts are common groups. Pick the group that came up most often and that sits closest to your biggest drop-off point. Fix that, then measure again.
A quick example: the delivery fee that wasn't the problem
Here's a fictional example. Sunleaf Living, a small Singapore homeware shop, saw lots of carts but few orders. The owner assumed the $8 delivery fee was the problem and planned a free-shipping promotion.
Before spending on that, they spoke to six recent customers. Delivery cost barely came up. What did come up, again and again, was this: people weren't sure their order would arrive before the weekend, and the delivery date only appeared in the confirmation email, after payment. Two customers said they'd almost bought from a competitor who showed a date upfront.
The fix was simple: show the estimated delivery date on the product page and in the cart. No discount needed. That's the value of asking before acting.
What to fix first on your checkout
Every store is different, but these changes come up often once you start listening to customers:
Show the full price early. Show delivery fees, or a "free delivery above $X" note, on the product page or cart, not only at the final step.
Show delivery dates before payment. "Arrives by Thursday" is more reassuring than "3 to 5 working days".
Offer guest checkout. Let people create an account after they've paid, not before.
Offer the payment methods your customers use. Ask them which ones they prefer rather than guessing.
Put reassurance next to the pay button. A short returns note, a real review, or clear contact details help nervous first-time buyers.
Cut fields you don't need. Every extra box is a small reason to stop.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal cart abandonment rate?
The Baymard Institute's average, based on 50 studies, is around 70%. That means most carts never become orders, even on healthy stores. Rather than chasing a "good" number, track your own rate over time and look at where in checkout people drop off. Improvement against your own baseline matters most.
Do abandoned cart emails fix the problem?
They can win back some shoppers, especially those who got distracted. But reminder emails don't fix the reason people left. If customers abandon because of a surprise delivery fee or a confusing checkout, those problems will keep costing you sales. Use reminders alongside fixing the cause, not instead of it.
How many customers do I need to talk to?
Fewer than you might think. Speaking with five or six recent customers is often enough to spot the patterns that matter most. Choose people who bought recently and, where possible, people who nearly didn't. If the same reason comes up three or four times, you've likely found something worth fixing.
Can a survey tell me why customers abandon their cart?
A short survey can show you which reasons are common, especially once you know what to ask about. But surveys only capture the options you think to include. Conversations uncover reasons you hadn't considered. Many shops start with a few interviews, then use a survey to check how widespread each reason is.
Should I offer free shipping to reduce cart abandonment?
Only if delivery cost is actually the reason your customers leave. Free shipping can cut into your margins, so check first. Sometimes showing the fee earlier, or setting a free-delivery threshold, works just as well. Ask a few customers what nearly stopped them before you decide.
Not sure why your customers leave at checkout?
Abandoned carts aren't a mystery once you start asking the right people. If you'd like a fresh pair of eyes first, we'll review your website the way a first-time customer would and show you the three biggest issues likely costing you sales, with plain-English fixes.