Checkout optimization
Shopify Checkout Abandonment Rate: Benchmarks & How to Lower Yours
Checkout abandonment is one of the most searched ecommerce metrics — and one of the most misunderstood. This article breaks down what 'normal' looks like for Shopify stores, why rates vary by niche, and what you can do about yours.
What is checkout abandonment rate?
Checkout abandonment rate = (Checkouts initiated − Orders completed) ÷ Checkouts initiated × 100. This measures shoppers who started checkout but didn't pay — the highest-intent abandoners in your funnel.
Don't confuse this with cart abandonment, which includes people who added items but never reached checkout. Checkout abandoners are more valuable to recover.
Shopify abandonment benchmarks by industry
Combined cart + checkout abandonment typically runs 65–80% across ecommerce. Checkout-only abandonment is lower but still significant:
- Fashion & apparel: 72–78% combined abandonment
- Beauty & cosmetics: 68–75%
- Home goods: 70–77%
- Supplements & health: 65–72%
- Luxury & high-AOV: 75–85% (higher stakes, longer consideration)
Top 5 causes of high checkout abandonment
Baymard Institute research consistently ranks these as the leading causes:
- Extra costs (shipping, tax) shown too late — 48% cite this
- Forced account creation — 26%
- Complicated checkout process — 22%
- Can't see total order cost upfront — 21%
- Website errors or crashes — 17%
Quick wins to lower abandonment this week
Enable guest checkout. Show shipping estimates on the product page. Add trust badges near the pay button. Enable Shop Pay and Apple Pay for one-tap mobile checkout. Then set up recovery emails for the abandoners you can't save with UX alone.