Cart abandoment metrics
Posted on 02. Oct, 2009 by shibl in Know How
Etailers are always upset at the number of users who fill in the cart and then abandon the site.
While this is clearly something that needs to be monitored and improved, it is a natural part of the shopping process.
Users use the cart as a bookmarking for items they are considering purchasing and then they might decide not to purchase.
According to Cometrics benchmark report the average abadonment rate is 65%, this differes depending on the industry from over 80% for department stores to 40% for gifts.
Our recommendation is that you shoudl strive for an abadonment that is 70% of your industry average. If the rate is higher than then you should take corrective action.
Start by asking the following questions:
1) How many clicks do I need to checkout
2) Is the checkout button prominent and inviting
3) Is easy? Does it look easy?
4) Do I offer a good selection of payment options?
5) Are the shipping and handling costs higher than my competitors?
6) Do it work? On all browser, screen sizes and operating systems?
7) Get a report of the actual carts that are dropped. Are there any patterns? Gegraphy, product categories, etc
Do not forget to always look at reports of products selected in abandoned carts as it will give you an indication of good targets for promotions and discounts.