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Peak Atlas

Problem · Cart abandonment in the shop

The cart is full. The order doesn't arrive.

Someone who puts something in the cart wants to buy. If they leave at checkout, something usually surprised or stopped them. You can narrow that down.

Find the reason for drop-offUnderstand the causes

Try it right away

Five questions to your checkout.

Walk through your checkout in your head once, ideally on your phone. The result names the spot where you should start first.

01When does the customer see the shipping costs?
02Do you have to create a customer account to order?
03How long is the checkout?
04What about the payment methods?
05How does a new visitor know they can trust the shop?

0 of 5 answered

Your result

Answer all questions. Then this shows where the problem probably starts and which small step helps first.

Assumptions and limits

  • Some carts are always abandoned, for example to save for later or compare prices. The goal is not zero.
  • The diagnosis does not replace measuring each checkout step or testing with real customers.
  • The diagnosis doesn't check legally required information at checkout.

Your entries stay in this browser. Nothing is saved or sent.

How you'll notice

Many carts. Few orders.

  • The number of carts created is far above the number of orders.
  • Customers email asking for a payment method you don't offer.
  • Ads bring visitors to the cart, but revenue stays the same.

Understand the causes

Four reasons why customers leave at checkout.

  1. 01

    Surprising costs

    How you'll notice
    Many drop-offs exactly at the step where shipping and total appear.
    Why it happens
    The final price is only visible late.
    What helps
    Show shipping costs early, for example on the product page or with a free-shipping threshold.
    Limit
    Free shipping costs margin. Calculate beforehand whether you can afford it.
  2. 02

    Too many steps

    How you'll notice
    Drop-offs are spread across the whole checkout, especially on mobile.
    Why it happens
    Forced accounts, unnecessary required fields or multiple pages.
    What helps
    Offer guest checkout and remove every field not needed for delivery and invoicing.
    Limit
    Your process really does need some details. Shorter only means nothing superfluous.
  3. 03

    Payment fails or is missing

    How you'll notice
    Customers get as far as payment and drop off there.
    Why it happens
    The usual payment method is missing or payments fail.
    What helps
    Check failed payments with the payment provider and add the most requested payment method.
    Limit
    Every payment method has fees. More isn't automatically better.
  4. 04

    Lack of trust

    How you'll notice
    New visitors drop off more often than repeat customers.
    Why it happens
    Returns, contact, and reviews are hard to find.
    What helps
    Show returns, contact, and reviews near the payment step.
    Limit
    Trust elements help new customers; for repeat customers the reason lies elsewhere.

Ways to solve it

Self-test first, then measure.

Ways to fix abandoned checkouts in an online shop, compared
WayEnough ifLimit
Self-test: order once as a guest on your phoneYou want to find the obvious hurdles without analyzing data.You know your shop too well; some things only strangers notice.
Your shop system's statisticsYou want to know how many carts turn into orders.Often shows only the total, not the step where customers drop off.
Cart reminders by emailCustomers enter their address early, and you're allowed to contact them.Wins some back, but doesn't solve the reason for dropping out.
Peak OneYou want to see conversion, cart, and checkout next to products and margin.Needs a connected shop. A separate view for failed payments is planned.

Peak One in action

From the full cart to the first lever.

  1. TriggerWhere do we lose buyers on the way to checkout?
  2. 01 · MetricSignalStore Conversion shows how many visitors buy.
  3. 02 · MetricUnderstandingConversion Funnel answers where you lose visitors on the way to purchase.
  4. 03 · CartDecisionCart Performance shows what happens with carts; Checkout Performance, how well the checkout completes purchases.
  5. 04 · TaskActionThe change to checkout becomes a task in Peak Work, with an owner and a date.
Result: You change the step where most people actually drop off.

The apps for it

From visit to payment.

Three steps

Today in your own shop.

  1. 01 / 03

    Order it yourself

    On your phone, click through as a new customer all the way to payment and note every spot where you hesitate.

  2. 02 / 03

    Costs up front

    Show shipping costs where the customer decides: on the product page or in the cart.

  3. 03 / 03

    Record one number

    Note how many carts became orders this week, and compare again after the change.

Frequently asked questions

Briefly answered.

How many cart abandonments are normal?

That depends heavily on range, price, and traffic, so we don't give a number here. What matters more is whether your own figure drops after a change.

Do I need a specific shop for Peak One?

The views on conversion, cart, and checkout need a connected shop. Which shop systems can be connected is listed on the Integrations page.

Do cart reminders help?

They win back some of the purchases if you may contact the customers. They don't remove the reason for abandonment; for that, the checkout itself is the lever.

Keep exploring

What's included.

Welt Revenue

✦ A Peak principle

Understand before changing. Then every step counts.

Peak learns with you

More problems

Typical bottlenecks in growing companies, each with a tool you can try right away, the causes, and the path Peak One provides for it.

Alle Probleme

Solve it once. The rest follows.

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