How to Reduce Cart Abandonment in WooCommerce (2025 Guide)
Studies show that more than 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned before checkout, which means for every 10 potential customers, only 3 complete their purchase. It’s a great loss!
And you might not know why your customers stop at the end of the road, whether they found a better or cheaper alternative product, or because of a complicated checkout page, or other reasons you don’t know.
For that, in this guide, we will cover the main reasons why customers abandon their carts in WooCommerce and actionable tips to fix them.
Let’s get started!
Why Do Customers Abandon Carts and How to Fix Them
The higher the cart abandonment rate, the bigger the loss for your business. That’s why it’s essential to identify the possible reasons, where you can understand why your customers leave their carts without completing their purchase.
So, by analyzing each reason, you can take targeted action to fix the problem and get your money back. Now, let’s discuss the possible reasons behind cart abandonment.
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Complicated Checkout Process
Many times, the reason of shopping cart abandonment is the complexity of checkout process, which requires too many steps and too much information.
Today’s customers are looking for speed in completing tasks, especially with the rise of mobile shopping, which makes simplifying the checkout process even more important.
In addition, requiring customers to create an account to complete the purchase process can be a big barrier, because many shoppers prefer to checkout as a guest rather than go through a complicated registration process.
How to fix it
The checkout page is one of the places most customers abandon, so always make it as smooth as possible by:
- Simplify it
Remove unnecessary fields, “only ask for the information you really need”. The fewer the required fields, the more likely customers will complete the checkout.
- Guest Checkout
Some customers don’t prefer to create an account, so don’t let this be a reason for losing your profits. Enable guest checkout.
You can add, remove, or customize checkout fields, and you can even customize it to show some fields only when needed by Checkout Field Editor and Customizer for WooCommerce. Ensuring the checkout process is a quick and easy as possible.
2. Unexpected Extra Costs
Extra fees: $10
Service fees: $8
Tax fees: $20
Shipping fees: $50
How many times have we seen this on checkout page and left our carts due to the hidden costs?
Customers abandon their carts because these costs weren’t clearly explained from the beginning.
How to fix it
Always be clear with your customers, show shipping fees, taxes, and any extra charges before they reach the checkout page. This transparency helps you reduce loses and build trust with your clients.
3. Limited Payment Options
Not all customers prefer the same payment method. Some prefer credit cards, while others only deal with cash. So, limited payment methods can be a major reason for cart abandonment.
How to fix it
Always remember if a store doesn’t offer the payment methods customer wants, they will simply look for another store that provides it. Make sure you support all the payment options:
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PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay
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Buy Now, Pay Later (Klarna, Afterpay)
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Local payment methods for your region
In this way, you eliminate one of the main reasons for cart abandonment and satisfy a wider range of shoppers. Also, if you want, you can customize payment options to fit your unique business needs by using “WooCommerce Conditional Payment Methods”.
This tool allows you to show or hide any payment method based on several factors, like product and country, shipping method, and others. In this way, you can cut down cart abandonment and minimize fraud.
4. Unsatisfactory Return Policies
If your store’s return policy is unclear, complicated, or full of conditions, it can become a major reason for cart abandonment. When customers feel that they are unable to return or exchange their orders, it creates discomfort and pushes them to leave the carts and look for another store that offers a more flexible and trustworthy shopping experience.
How to fix it
- Always provide a clear and simple return policy.
- Talk with them in an easy-to-understand language. Sometimes using complex legal language confuses them.
- State the timeframe for returns.
- Display the return policy on a separate page, as well as on the product page and checkout page.
5. Website Performance Issues
How many times have you been browsing an online store and left the page just because it was too slow to load? It has definitely happened to all of us!
Also, your customers go through the same thing sometimes in your store, which pushes them to leave.
Any website that is slow, glitchy, or poorly optimized always angers the customer. So, when a customer waits a long time for the checkout page to load, the customer is likely to abandon the process.
How to fix it
- Make sure you use good and fast hosting.
- Compress and optimize images to improve load speed. You can use tools like iLoveIMG.
- Delete any unused plugins, as they may slow down your store.
- Make sure the site is mobile-friendly.
6. Lack of Discounts or Incentives
Sometimes cart abandonment isn’t caused by technical issues at all, but rather because customers don’t receive incentives to make a purchase, like free shipping, certain discounts, or coupons. So, if your store doesn’t offer any incentives but competitor do, your customer will abandon their carts.
How to fix it
- Provide free shipping when order reaches a certain amount.
You can easily apply this strategy by using tools like “WooCommerce Free Shipping Bar: Amount Left for Free Shipping”, which encourages your customers to add more items to get free shipping.
- Offer seasonal discounts.
- Apply loyalty programs
Quick Tips to Reduce Cart Abandonment
- Use exit intent popups when shoppers are about to leave your store.
Offering them a discount, free shipping, coupons, or anything triggers them to complete the purchase process.
- Simplify checkout page
Use one-page checkout and remove any unnecessary fields, and allow guest checkout and autofill.
- Send Abandonment cart email
Sometimes customers forget their products in the cart, so there is no problem in sending some reminder emails.
- Social proof
Sometimes, all a customer needs is to see the positive experience of others to feel confident enough to complete their purchase. So, add customer reviews, feedback, and rating on the product and checkout page.
- Simplify navigation
Make sure your customer can easily move between cart, product pages, and checkout without confusion.
Final Thoughts
Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges any online store owner faces, and I think no one wants to lose more money.
Understanding the reasons behind abandoned carts, such as extra costs, complicated checkout processes, slow website performance, limited payment methods, and more, allows you to take action.
Therefore, to reduce this loss, you can show costs clearly upfront, display multiple payment options, use social proof, use one checkout page, and offer discounts and loyalty programs.
Always remember that being transparent with your customers in all aspects and making your store easy to navigate are essential factors that encourage shoppers to complete their purchase.
