Picture this: you’ve spent weeks polishing your online store, stocking up on great products, and launching snazzy marketing campaigns. Visitors arrive, browse, fill up their carts…and then they vanish. It’s like watching a nearly finished painting go up in smoke—frustrating, to say the least.
If you own or manage an ecommerce store, you’ve likely seen it happen: a potential customer clicks away before completing the purchase. This phenomenon is what we call cart abandonment, and it’s a massive barrier to ecommerce success. Here at Otterdev, we specialise in UX, conversion rate optimisation, and all things e-commerce, especially for small businesses and SMEs looking to make the most of every visitor. Today, let’s dive into why customers abandon their carts and what you can do to fix it—without burning through your budget.
Why Cart Abandonment Matters
According to the Baymard Institute, the average shopping cart abandonment rate across all industries hovers around 70%. That means that for every ten people who add an item to their cart, seven leave without buying. It’s startling, and if your figures are anywhere near that ballpark, you’re likely losing out on significant revenue.
For smaller ecommerce stores and SMEs, every sale matters, and boosting conversion rates by even a few percentage points can be a game-changer. At Otterdev, we’ve seen first-hand how some quick UX adjustments—like streamlining a checkout page—can raise sales by 20% in as little as two weeks.
Unclear UX: When Users Are Left Guessing
Ever visited a website where buttons aren’t labelled clearly, shipping charges come out of nowhere, or you simply don’t know what step you’re on in the checkout process? That’s what we mean by an unclear user experience (UX).
- Poor Layout: Customers don’t know where to click or how to navigate the final steps.
- Hidden Costs: Suddenly springing extra charges for taxes or shipping at the last minute can cause immediate drop-offs.
- Overcrowded Pages: Too many banners, pop-ups, or upsell items can lead to “decision fatigue.”
Real Example: We recently analysed a site where upsell items were placed front and centre just as customers were about to confirm payment. This distraction drew people away to explore more products, and although some did buy additional items, many ended up not returning to their cart at all. Classic case of “too many choices” leading to no choice.
Quick Fixes:
- Use a progress indicator in the checkout process (e.g., “Cart → Details → Payment → Confirmation”).
- Limit upsells to one or two items maximum, or move them to a more subtle placement in the checkout flow.
- Keep the visual design clean and concise, ensuring prominent “Add to Cart” or “Checkout” buttons.
Desktop-Only Mindset: Ignoring Mobile Users
We hear it all the time: “My site looks fantastic on a laptop!” That’s great, but these days, a huge chunk of online shopping happens on mobile devices. If you’re not regularly checking (and optimising) how your site performs on phones and tablets, you’re potentially sacrificing a large portion of your revenue.
- Clunky Layout: Buttons too small, text too large, or forms that don’t load properly on mobile.
- Slow Load Times: Mobile data connections can be flaky, and if your pages load slowly, visitors bounce.
- Unoptimised Images: Large image files can cripple site speed on mobile devices.
Quick Fixes:
- Use responsive design techniques that automatically adjust layout based on screen size.
- Compress images and leverage lazy loading so that mobile users don’t wait forever for product photos to appear.
- Test your mobile checkout from various devices—Android, iPhone, different browsers—to catch issues before your customers do.
Limited Payment Methods
In Singapore, we often see buyers opting for PayNow—scanning a QR code is far quicker than typing out credit card details. Meanwhile, in other regions, digital wallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay are on the rise. If customers don’t see a preferred or trusted payment method, they may think twice about entering their card details.
- Security Concerns: Some shoppers are hesitant to key in card numbers on smaller sites.
- Local Preferences: Certain countries have strong adoption of direct bank transfers or regional e-wallets.
- Complex Payment Fields: Long forms with countless mandatory fields increase drop-off rates.
Quick Fixes:
- Offer multiple payment options, including major credit cards, PayPal, and local methods (PayNow in Singapore, for instance).
- Make your SSL certificates and security badges visible to build trust.
- Enable guest checkout to remove friction; asking for account creation can scare off first-time customers.
Slow Website and Loading Speeds
A slow site can drive potential buyers away faster than you can say, “Please wait.” Research consistently shows that ecommerce conversion rates drop significantly with every second added to page load time.
- Heavy Plugins and Scripts: Too many pop-ups, trackers, or chat widgets can bloat load times.
- Non-Optimised Images and Videos: High-resolution media is great to look at but can sabotage speed.
- Server Issues: Hosting on slow or unreliable servers can cause your site to hang or crash.
Quick Fixes:
- Switch to a faster hosting provider if necessary.
- Compress images and reduce the number of unnecessary third-party scripts.
- Consider using a content delivery network (CDN) to speed up loading times across different regions.
Side Note: Imagine navigating an ecommerce site with near-instant page loads thanks to SSR (Server-Side Rendering). That kind of speed can leave your competition in the dust because shoppers won’t have the chance to get bored or frustrated. If you’re curious about how headless technology makes these lightning-fast experiences possible, speak to us—we’re happy to show you some real life case studies.
High Additional Costs (Shipping, Taxes, and Hidden Fees)
Have you ever found the perfect pair of shoes, only to discover at checkout that shipping costs almost as much as the product? That’s a surefire way to lose a sale.
- Sticker Shock: Unexpected shipping costs, taxes, or handling fees.
- Complex Shipping Rules: If your store charges variable rates based on location or weight, it can get confusing.
- Delivery Delays: Even if costs are transparent, excessively long shipping times can make people bail out.
Quick Fixes:
- Be transparent about shipping from the get-go. Show estimated shipping costs on product pages.
- Offer free shipping thresholds (e.g., free shipping for orders above £50 or S$80) if it’s financially viable.
- Simplify shipping rules so that customers can easily see their final cost without an elaborate calculation process.
Too Many Clicks to Check Out
In an ideal world, “Add to Cart” followed by “Pay Now” should be enough. But some sites add multiple steps—account registration, extra forms, even mandatory surveys—that test your customers’ patience.
- Mandatory Sign-Ups: Forcing customers to create an account before purchase.
- Excessive Form Fields: Asking for too much information—“Where did you hear about us?,” “What’s your favourite colour?”—can be off-putting.
- Redundant Confirmation Screens: Over-confirming or re-checking details leads to frustration.
Quick Fixes:
- Implement a one-page checkout or a minimal multi-step process that’s logically structured.
- Encourage account creation after the purchase, not before.
- Remove non-essential form fields. Focus on what’s necessary to complete the transaction and deliver the product.
Wrong Currency and Localisation Issues
A shopper in Australia might be startled if all prices show up in US dollars or Singapore dollars. Currency confusion and questionable exchange rates drive shoppers away quickly.
- Automatic Currency Converters: They can sometimes fail or show the wrong default currency.
- VAT or GST Surprises: In certain countries, taxes need to be clearly stated.
- Lack of Local Language: Even though English is widely understood, local wording or references can help build trust.
Quick Fixes:
- Integrate a reliable currency converter that detects or allows users to choose their location.
- If applicable, itemise taxes like GST or VAT up front, so shoppers aren’t caught off guard.
- Customise content or forms slightly for each region (e.g., address fields that match local formats).
Overcoming the Fear: Is Fixing Cart Abandonment Too Expensive?
A common objection we hear is, “Won’t a conversion rate and UX revamp cost loads of money?” The short answer: it doesn’t have to. Our philosophy at Otterdev is about moving fast and testing fast. We focus on small, high-impact improvements that can be quickly deployed, tested, and refined:
- Test in Bite-Sized Chunks: Tweak your checkout flow or add a local payment method, then measure the impact over a week or two.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Use your analytics to see exactly where drop-offs happen. That’s where you start making changes.
- Modular Approach: Rather than a complete site overhaul, we tackle problem areas one by one—like mobile checkout or shipping transparency. This keeps costs manageable and results easy to track.
By prioritising incremental improvements, we’ve helped ecommerce brands boost their sales by 20% within two weeks—all without a massive redesign or months of development.
Concluding Thoughts: Why Cart Abandonment Is More Serious Than You Think
Cart abandonment isn’t just about losing a one-off sale. It could mean missing out on repeat customers and damaging your brand’s credibility. If someone has a frustrating checkout experience once, they’re far less likely to return. Conversely, a slick, seamless, and transparent checkout not only completes the sale today—it can help earn loyalty for tomorrow.
The good news? Small tweaks can yield big results. Whether it’s adding PayNow in Singapore, decluttering your upsell offers, or simply speeding up your site, these solutions are accessible, budget-friendly, and quick to implement—especially if you have the right strategy in place.
If you’re worried about that growing pile of abandoned carts, you’re not alone—and you’re certainly not stuck. Here at Otterdev, we’re all about finding fast, effective fixes. If you want to learn more about quick ecommerce UX wins, reach out to us. We’ll help you address the key reasons behind cart abandonment and create a checkout experience that’s simple, swift, and user-friendly—no expensive overhauls required.
