Checkout abandonment rate measures the percentage of shoppers who start checkout but don’t complete the purchase. It’s one of the most cited “funnel leak” metrics,
yet it’s also one of the easiest to misreport because “checkout started” can be tracked in different ways across analytics tools and platforms.
Back to the hub:
E-commerce Statistics.
For context and triangulation, compare with
cart abandonment rate,
conversion rate (CR) benchmarks,
and payment failure rate benchmarks.
Key benchmark (cite-ready)
The most commonly cited cross-industry reference point for checkout abandonment is a range rather than a single number.
Use it as a benchmark reference, not a target: category mix, device mix, and checkout UX can shift rates dramatically.
Avoid mixing “cart abandonment” with “checkout abandonment” — they are different denominators.
Segment benchmarks (what actually changes the number)
One benchmark can’t describe the whole market. Use this segment structure so your reporting stays comparable and citation-safe.
| Segment | What to report | Why it matters | Pair with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Device (mobile / desktop / tablet) | Checkout abandonment by device | Mobile friction (form fill, performance, authentication) often increases drop-offs. | mobile revenue share |
| Checkout boundary | What event counts as “checkout started” | Some setups count “view checkout”, others “begin checkout”, others “shipping step started”. | methodology |
| Category / vertical | Checkout abandonment by category | Category affects pricing, returns anxiety, delivery expectations, and fraud screening. | return rate |
| Market / region | Country/region + local payments | Local methods and SCA/3DS patterns change completion and payment failures. | payment methods share |
| New vs returning | First-time vs returning checkout abandonment | Returning buyers often complete more efficiently; new buyers are more sensitive to trust and surprises. | repeat purchase rate |
| Payment reliability | Payment failure rate alongside abandonment | Some “abandonment” is actually a failed transaction (declines/errors/authentication). | payment failure rate |
Device split (example benchmark set)
Use device-specific reporting whenever you cite checkout abandonment. It’s the fastest way to make the number “real” and comparable.
| Device | Abandonment rate (benchmark) | How to interpret |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop | 73.07% | Best completion environment, lower friction, higher “sit-down intent”. |
| Tablet | 80.74% | Often closer to browsing behavior; form/UI friction still present. |
| Mobile | 85.65% | Highest friction: typing, distractions, performance, payment authentication. |
Important: device benchmarks are only comparable when “checkout started” is defined the same way across sources and implementations.
Top reasons shoppers abandon during checkout (distribution)
This “reason layer” is what makes articles linkable: it explains the “why” behind the benchmark.
The distribution below is widely cited in e-commerce reporting and maps directly to checkout-stage friction.
| Reason (checkout-stage friction) | Share of shoppers | What to do with it (reporting angle) |
|---|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 39% | Use this when writing about transparency, shipping policy, and total-cost disclosure. |
| Delivery was too slow | 21% | Use when connecting checkout to delivery options and delivery speed expectations. |
| Didn’t trust the site with card details | 19% | Use for trust signals, payment branding, and security reassurance. |
| Site wanted the shopper to create an account | 19% | Use for guest checkout prominence and account step design. |
| Too long / complicated checkout | 18% | Use to justify form reduction, autofill, and reducing steps. |
| Returns policy wasn’t satisfactory | 15% | Use for returns clarity and policy placement near checkout. |
| Website had errors / crashed | 15% | Use for performance, reliability, and checkout monitoring. |
| Couldn’t see / calculate total cost up-front | 14% | Use to support total-cost calculators and early disclosure. |
| Not enough payment methods | 10% | Use to justify local methods (wallets, transfers, BNPL) by market. |
| Credit card was declined | 8% | Use to connect checkout abandonment with payment failure monitoring. |
a meaningful share of shoppers abandon due to account creation friction, and a meaningful share abandon due to a long/complicated checkout.
Definition and calculation
Checkout abandonment is a “late-funnel” rate. Always specify what counts as “checkout started”.
Checkout abandonment rate is commonly calculated as:
Checkout abandonment = 1 − (Orders completed ÷ Checkouts started) × 100
- Checkout started can mean: view checkout, begin checkout, shipping step started, payment step started.
- Orders completed should be defined consistently (paid vs created) in your analytics.
- Don’t mix this metric with cart abandonment (different denominator).
Reference pages: Glossary • Methodology
How to report checkout abandonment (so it stays comparable)
If you publish this metric, include these fields next to the number.
- Time window: month/quarter + year
- Geography: country/region (and whether cross-border checkout is included)
- Device split: at least mobile vs desktop
- Checkout boundary: what event defines “checkout started”
- Payment mix: include a link to payment methods share
- Reliability: include payment failure rate when possible
If your goal is content that attracts citations, publish the benchmark + definition + sources in one place (this page) and link to it from related pages.
Sources
Primary and widely cited sources used for the benchmark ranges, device splits, and reason distributions.
- Baymard Institute — abandonment rates + reason distribution (and checkout usability context): baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate
- Baymard Institute — checkout UX research (guest checkout/account friction evidence): baymard.com/blog/current-state-of-checkout-ux
- Worldline — cross-industry checkout abandonment range (60–80% framing): worldline.com/…/blogs/custom-checkout
- ContactPigeon — checkout metric benchmarks compilation (includes device split and benchmark range references): blog.contactpigeon.com/checkout-abandonment-stats
- Stripe — checkout-stage reasons framework (costs, complexity, trust, payments, account creation): stripe.com/…/top-8-reasons-for-cart-abandonment
Hub-wide references: Sources • Methodology
Cite this page
Copy and paste.
Best for Ecommerce. (2026). Checkout abandonment rate (e-commerce). Retrieved from
/ecommerce-statistics/conversion-funnel/checkout-abandonment-rate/
