Why shoppers abandon carts and how to solve it

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A customer found your site, browsed your products, added items to their cart... and then disappeared. No purchase. No conversion. Just an abandoned cart.

It’s frustrating, but you’re not alone. 

Cart abandonment is a challenge for every online store. 

The good news? Most of the reasons behind it are fixable.

From unexpected fees to limited payment options, small issues in the checkout flow can lead to big losses. 

In this article, we break down seven of the most common checkout issues that cause shoppers to abandon their carts and provide practical solutions for each. For payment-related problems, we also show how Silkpay helps merchants go beyond general fixes to deliver a more seamless and localized checkout experience.

Surprise costs

Unexpected costs such as shipping fees, taxes, or processing charges appearing at the last step of checkout often cause users to abandon their purchase. Customers do not like feeling tricked or blindsided.

Solution:

Be transparent. Show all costs as early as possible. Use shipping calculators or display estimated totals in the shopping cart. This reduces unpleasant surprises and builds trust with the customer.

Too many form fields

Long or complicated checkout forms frustrate users and slow down the purchasing process, especially on mobile devices. This can discourage users from completing the transaction.

Solution:

Use fewer and simpler fields. Only request the essential information. Enable features like address auto-fill to speed up the process and make forms more user friendly. A clean and minimal design, like what Allbirds uses, can make a significant difference.

How Silkpay takes it further:

Silkpay supports multiple mobile and web friendly payment methods, helping merchants offer a smoother and more localized checkout experience.

On mobile, for Alipay+, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay, customers are automatically redirected to their respective apps to complete payment without manually entering any details. For Apple Pay and Google Pay, the wallet interface appears with pre-filled information. Confirmation requires only face recognition or a password.

On the desktop, a dynamic QR code is generated for Alipay Plus, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay. Customers scan the code with their mobile app and complete the payment in-app.

For bank cards, details must be entered manually, but users can choose to save their card for future purchases depending on the merchant's settings.

By supporting streamlined and localized payment flows, Silkpay helps reduce checkout friction and encourages faster completion.

Too many choices

Too many offers or options can confuse users and slow down the checkout process. When shoppers are overwhelmed, they are more likely to hesitate or abandon their purchase.

Solution:

Keep it simple. Show only the most important information step by step. A clean and focused layout helps guide users to complete their purchase. Apple, for example, uses a minimal design to keep the shopper’s attention on the final action.

How Silkpay takes it further: 

With Silkpay, merchants can offer the payment methods that best match their market. 

Silkpay supports 30+ global and local payment methods and provides professional guidance to help merchants choose the most relevant options. 

This ensures that users see the payment choices they expect, without unnecessary clutter.

Lack of trust signals

When shoppers do not see clear indicators that their personal or payment information is secure, they are more likely to abandon the transaction.

Solution:

Add visible trust elements near the payment fields. This could include SSL certificates, trust badges, and short messages about data security. 

How Silkpay takes it further:

With Silkpay, merchants can accept globally-recognized and secure payment methods such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay, and UnionPay.

These familiar logos offer reassurance to customers, especially international ones. 

In addition, Silkpay adheres to the highest security standards and provides security badges for merchants to display on their checkout pages.

Forced account creation

Requiring users to create an account before they can buy often deters them, especially first time customers who just want a quick purchase.

Solution:

Let customers check out as guests. You can always invite them to create an account after the purchase is complete. Brands like Sephora use this approach effectively to avoid adding friction during checkout.

Limited payment options

If a shopper's preferred payment method is not available, they may choose to leave rather than compromise on convenience or security.

Solution:

Offer a wide variety of payment methods, and make them easy to find with recognizable icons. This reassures shoppers that they can pay the way they prefer.

How Silkpay takes it further:

Silkpay has an abundance of payment cases and solutions, supporting over 30 payment methods across multiple countries. 

By understanding the local payment habits in each market, Silkpay helps merchants offer the most suitable payment mix for their target customers. 

This localized approach ensures a more relevant and safe checkout experience.

Bad error messages

When error messages during checkout are unclear or when user data is lost due to an error, it leads to frustration and cart abandonment.

Solution:

Provide clear and helpful messages near the problem area. Preserve user input so they do not have to retype everything. A smooth error handling experience increases the likelihood that customers will continue the checkout process instead of giving up.

Conclusion

Reducing cart abandonment requires a combination of thoughtful user experience design and reliable payment infrastructure. 

Some issues, such as layout, form design, and guest checkout, depend on how you build and design your website, our suggestions for those areas are provided as general guidance.

However, when it comes to payment-related issues that directly impact your checkout conversion rate, Silkpay can provide you with more tailored and actionable solutions. 

By offering secure, fast, and familiar payment methods across both mobile and desktop, Silkpay helps eliminate key friction points in the checkout process. 

For markets that require localized payment options or simplified payment flows, Silkpay ensures that your customers can pay in the way that is most natural and convenient for them, without unnecessary steps or confusion.

Source:

https://www.commercegurus.com/

About the author: Silkpay

Based in Paris, Silkpay provides omnichannel and secure payment solutions to help physical stores and e-commerce in Europe and the Americas accept more than 30 of the world's most popular payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, CB, UnionPay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay as well as Asia-Pacific’s major e-wallets.

Silkpay is a winner of the LVMH Innovation Award. The company was also selected as a finalist for the "Money 20/20" Best Startup and in the "MPE Berlin” Startup Awards. Silkpay also won the "Best Fintech" awards from Capgemini and BPCE.

Silkpay helps merchants deliver the smoothest payment experience to their customers. We are a talented and international team driven by a single goal: to improve the customer experience and make payments simple and secure.