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Expert answer · 2 min read

What's the difference between cart abandonment rate and checkout abandonment rate?

I've been diving deep into my store analytics lately, and I'm getting confused about these two metrics that everyone keeps talking about. My Shopify dashboard shows different numbers for cart abandonment and checkout abandonment, and honestly, I'm not sure which one I should be more worried about. Last month, I noticed that about 70% of people who add items to their cart don't complete a purchase, but then I see another stat saying only 20% abandon at checkout. That's a huge gap, and I'm scratching my head trying to understand what's happening in between. Are these people just window shopping? Did they get sticker shock when they saw shipping costs? Or maybe they're comparing prices with competitors? I'm spending a fortune on Facebook ads to drive traffic, and seeing all these abandoned carts is killing my ROAS. I need to understand exactly where people are dropping off in my funnel so I can fix the right problem. Some of my merchant friends tell me to focus on checkout abandonment because those shoppers are more serious, while others say cart abandonment is where the real opportunity lies. I'm tired of guessing and throwing random solutions at the wall. I need to know the real difference between these metrics so I can implement the right strategies and stop leaving money on the table.
Muhammed Tüfekyapan

Muhammed Tüfekyapan

Founder & CEO, Growth Suite ·

The short answer

Cart abandonment rate measures visitors who add products but never start checkout. Checkout abandonment rate measures visitors who start checkout but do not complete payment. Checkout abandonment is typically 15-25 percentage points lower than cart abandonment and represents higher-intent visitors.

In depth

Cart Abandonment Rate vs. Checkout Abandonment Rate

These two metrics measure different stages of the conversion funnel and require different recovery strategies. Using them interchangeably leads to misallocated recovery spend.

Definitions

MetricFormulaTypical Rate
Cart abandonment rate(Carts - Orders) / Carts x 10068-75%
Checkout abandonment rate(Checkouts - Orders) / Checkouts x 10050-60%

Why Checkout Rate Is Lower

Visitors who start checkout have already passed the product selection stage. They have higher purchase intent and are closer to converting. The drop-off that remains is caused by friction (form complexity, payment issues, unexpected costs) rather than product indecision.

Which to Prioritize

  • High checkout abandonment rate (above 60%): Fix checkout UX first - form fields, payment options, trust signals
  • High cart abandonment but normal checkout rate: Focus on pre-checkout recovery - exit-intent popups, email capture, retargeting

Reporting Both Separately

Track both metrics monthly. If cart abandonment rate rises but checkout abandonment holds steady, the problem is higher up in the funnel (product pages, pricing perception). If checkout abandonment rises independently, the problem is in the purchase flow itself.

Growth Suite: Funnel Report + Advanced Cart Drawer

The Funnel Report tracks both cart and checkout abandonment rates separately, letting you pinpoint exactly where in your conversion funnel drop-off is happening. The Advanced Cart Drawer reduces checkout friction by streamlining the cart-to-checkout transition on all devices.

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