Abandonment is normal — but not this much
People browse with baskets the way they use shopping lists; some abandonment is simply how humans shop online. But when the large majority of baskets never complete, something in the checkout is actively pushing people away. That's recoverable revenue, not a fact of life.
The number one cause: surprise costs
Shipping revealed at the final step is the classic conversion killer. The fix isn't free shipping — it's early honesty. State delivery costs (or the threshold for free delivery) on the product page, before anyone's invested. A customer who sees the true price early and stays is worth ten who get surprised and leave.
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Friction everywhere else
Forced account creation, twelve form fields, a checkout that breaks on phones, payment methods people don't use. Each is a small leak; together they're a flood. Guest checkout, autofill-friendly fields and the payment options your customers actually expect (cards, PayPal, Apple Pay/Google Pay) close most of them.
Trust gaps at the moment of payment
Handing over card details is the moment of maximum doubt. Recognisable payment logos, a real returns policy, visible contact details and reviews near the buy button all lower the perceived risk. These are exactly the trust issues we design for in every e-commerce build.
Measure before you redesign
Guessing which step loses people wastes money. Even basic analytics showing where in the checkout visitors exit tells you where to fix first. Repair the leakiest step, watch for a month, then move to the next — steady, evidence-led improvement beats a blind rebuild every time.
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