/General Questions
Question
Why do people add to cart but not buy? My cart abandonment rate is 85%
Posted by •11/18/2025
I feel like I'm SO close to making this work but something is stopping people at the last second.
My stats:
Daily visitors: ~80-100
Add to cart rate: 12% (so like 10 people per day add to cart)
Actual purchases: 1-2 per day
This means I have an 85-90% cart abandonment rate. People clearly want the product (they're adding it to cart) but then they just... leave?
I'm selling kitchen gadgets, specifically a vegetable chopper/dicer for $42.99. I thought the price was reasonable and the product is actually really useful.
Things I've checked:
Checkout loads fine
I have PayPal and credit card options
Product images are decent
Description explains what it does
But for some reason people get all the way to adding it to their cart and then bounce. Is this normal? What could I be missing?
Should I set up cart abandonment emails or is there something wrong with my checkout that I'm not seeing?
My stats:
Daily visitors: ~80-100
Add to cart rate: 12% (so like 10 people per day add to cart)
Actual purchases: 1-2 per day
This means I have an 85-90% cart abandonment rate. People clearly want the product (they're adding it to cart) but then they just... leave?
I'm selling kitchen gadgets, specifically a vegetable chopper/dicer for $42.99. I thought the price was reasonable and the product is actually really useful.
Things I've checked:
Checkout loads fine
I have PayPal and credit card options
Product images are decent
Description explains what it does
But for some reason people get all the way to adding it to their cart and then bounce. Is this normal? What could I be missing?
Should I set up cart abandonment emails or is there something wrong with my checkout that I'm not seeing?
1 Reply
•11/18/2025
85% cart abandonment is HIGH but solvable. The good news? 12% add-to-cart rate means your product page is working. The bad news? Something between cart and checkout completion is killing your sales.
Here are the most likely culprits for kitchen gadgets:
1. Shipping Cost Shock
This is #1 reason for cart abandonment. Does your product page say "$42.99" but then checkout shows "$42.99 + $8.99 shipping"?
People hate surprise costs. For a $43 kitchen gadget, unexpected $9 shipping feels like a ripoff. Either:
Include shipping in the price ($49.99 free shipping)
Show shipping cost BEFORE they add to cart
Offer free shipping threshold ("Free shipping on orders $50+")
2. Shipping Time Expectations
Kitchen gadgets are often impulse buys. If your checkout says "Ships in 15-20 business days" people will think "I can get this on Amazon Prime in 2 days" and bounce.
You need to either:
Offer express shipping option
Use US-based supplier with faster shipping
Downplay the shipping time (don't show it prominently)
3. No Urgency/Scarcity
People add to cart thinking "I'll think about it" and never come back. Add:
"Only 7 left in stock"
"Sale ends tonight"
"Cart reserved for 10 minutes"
This pushes them to decide NOW instead of later (which = never).
4. Checkout Friction
Go through your own checkout on mobile right now. Common issues:
Forced account creation (HUGE killer, enable guest checkout)
Too many form fields (every extra field costs 5-10% conversions)
Slow page load (if checkout takes >3 sec to load, people bounce)
No trust badges visible at checkout
Complicated payment flow
5. Missing Trust Signals at Critical Moment
Cart/checkout is where anxiety peaks. Do you have:
"30-day money-back guarantee" visible?
Security badges (SSL, secure checkout icons)?
"Free returns" mentioned?
Contact information visible (phone/email)?
For kitchen products specifically, people worry about:
"Will this actually work?"
"Is this a scam?"
"What if it breaks?"
Address these fears AT the checkout page, not just product page.
Quick diagnostic test:
Add your own product to cart on your phone. Try to checkout. Where do YOU hesitate? Where does it feel sketchy or annoying? That's where your customers are bouncing.
Also - yes, set up cart abandonment emails, but fix the root problem first. Emails might recover 5-10% but fixing the actual issue could double your conversion rate.
Here are the most likely culprits for kitchen gadgets:
1. Shipping Cost Shock
This is #1 reason for cart abandonment. Does your product page say "$42.99" but then checkout shows "$42.99 + $8.99 shipping"?
People hate surprise costs. For a $43 kitchen gadget, unexpected $9 shipping feels like a ripoff. Either:
Include shipping in the price ($49.99 free shipping)
Show shipping cost BEFORE they add to cart
Offer free shipping threshold ("Free shipping on orders $50+")
2. Shipping Time Expectations
Kitchen gadgets are often impulse buys. If your checkout says "Ships in 15-20 business days" people will think "I can get this on Amazon Prime in 2 days" and bounce.
You need to either:
Offer express shipping option
Use US-based supplier with faster shipping
Downplay the shipping time (don't show it prominently)
3. No Urgency/Scarcity
People add to cart thinking "I'll think about it" and never come back. Add:
"Only 7 left in stock"
"Sale ends tonight"
"Cart reserved for 10 minutes"
This pushes them to decide NOW instead of later (which = never).
4. Checkout Friction
Go through your own checkout on mobile right now. Common issues:
Forced account creation (HUGE killer, enable guest checkout)
Too many form fields (every extra field costs 5-10% conversions)
Slow page load (if checkout takes >3 sec to load, people bounce)
No trust badges visible at checkout
Complicated payment flow
5. Missing Trust Signals at Critical Moment
Cart/checkout is where anxiety peaks. Do you have:
"30-day money-back guarantee" visible?
Security badges (SSL, secure checkout icons)?
"Free returns" mentioned?
Contact information visible (phone/email)?
For kitchen products specifically, people worry about:
"Will this actually work?"
"Is this a scam?"
"What if it breaks?"
Address these fears AT the checkout page, not just product page.
Quick diagnostic test:
Add your own product to cart on your phone. Try to checkout. Where do YOU hesitate? Where does it feel sketchy or annoying? That's where your customers are bouncing.
Also - yes, set up cart abandonment emails, but fix the root problem first. Emails might recover 5-10% but fixing the actual issue could double your conversion rate.