skills/wix-manage/references/ecommerce/goal-reduce-cart-abandonment.md

---
name: "Goal: Reduce Cart Abandonment"
description: Maps cart abandonment reduction to recovery automation KPIs. Covers abandoned cart email automation activation, missing sales detection, and eligibility thresholds. Also references shipping flows that affect checkout drop-off.
layer: goal
references:
  - name: "Flow: Fix Coverage Gaps"
    path: ecommerce/flow-fix-coverage-gaps.md
    load: false
  - name: "Recipe: Apply Shipping Recommendations"
    path: ecommerce/recipe-apply-shipping-recommendations.md
    load: false
  - name: "Setup Store Pickup Location"
    path: ecommerce/setup-store-pickup-location.md
    load: false
---
# Goal: Reduce Cart Abandonment

> **Related skills**:
> - [Flow: Fix Coverage Gaps](https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/business-solutions/e-commerce/skills/flow-fix-coverage-gaps) — shipping coverage gaps block checkout entirely
> - [Recipe: Apply Shipping Recommendations](https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/business-solutions/e-commerce/skills/recipe-apply-shipping-recommendations)
> - [Setup Store Pickup Location](https://dev.wix.com/docs/api-reference/business-solutions/e-commerce/skills/setup-store-pickup-location)

Reduce checkout abandonment caused by shipping friction — coverage gaps, unexpected costs, and missing free shipping options — by optimizing the delivery step of the checkout funnel.

---

## Business Goal

The merchant wants to reduce the percentage of customers who abandon checkout, specifically at the delivery/shipping step. Shipping-related friction is the leading cause of checkout abandonment, and the delivery step conversion rate (delivery_step_cvr) is the primary metric.

**Benchmark:** A healthy delivery_step_cvr is approximately 65%. Stores below this benchmark have significant shipping-related friction.

---

## KPIs

| KPI | Definition | How to measure | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery step CVR | Customers completing delivery step / customers reaching delivery step | Site metrics: delivery_step_cvr | 65% |
| Cart abandonment rate | Carts created but not converted to orders / total carts | 1 - (orders / carts) | Industry avg ~70% |
| Free shipping qualification rate | Orders qualifying for free shipping / total orders | Track orders meeting free shipping threshold | Higher is better |
| Revenue from recovered checkouts | Incremental revenue from improved conversion | (new_cvr - old_cvr) * checkout_sessions * AOV | - |

---

## Triggers

Activate this goal when the merchant expresses any of the following intents:

- "cart abandonment"
- "checkout drop-off"
- "shipping friction"
- "delivery step"
- "people are leaving at checkout"
- "customers not completing orders"
- "why are customers abandoning"
- "checkout conversion"
- Any request about reducing drop-off during the purchase flow

---

## Diagnostic Questions

Before recommending actions, assess the root cause of abandonment. Ask or investigate:

1. **Where are buyers dropping off?** — Is it specifically the delivery step, or payment, or earlier in the funnel?
2. **Are shipping costs visible before checkout?** — Surprise shipping costs are the #1 abandonment driver.
3. **Is there a free shipping option?** — Free shipping (even with a threshold) dramatically reduces abandonment.
4. **Are there shipping coverage gaps?** — Customers in unserved regions cannot complete checkout at all.
5. **Are shipping rates reasonable?** — Rates above 10-15% of order value cause sticker shock.
6. **Are payment methods adequate?** — Missing payment options can look like shipping-step abandonment in metrics.
7. **Are recovery emails enabled?** — Abandoned cart emails can recapture 5-15% of abandoned carts.

---

## Recommended Actions (Prioritized)

Actions are ordered by impact. Address blocking issues first, then conversion drivers, then optimization.

### Priority 1: Flow: Fix Shipping Coverage Gaps (Blocking)

Coverage gaps are the most critical issue — if a customer's region is not covered by any shipping option, they literally cannot complete checkout.

**When to use:** When delivery profiles show regions without active shipping options, inactive regions, or missing domestic coverage.

**Impact:** Removes a hard blocker. Customers in uncovered regions have 0% conversion.

### Priority 2: Flow: Add Free Shipping (Conversion Driver)

Free shipping is the single most effective lever for reducing cart abandonment. Even with a minimum order threshold, offering a free shipping option significantly improves delivery step conversion.

**When to use:** When the store has no free shipping option, or when the existing free shipping threshold is set too high relative to AOV.

**Impact:** Typically improves delivery_step_cvr by 10-20 percentage points. The threshold should be calibrated to AOV (typically 1.2x-1.5x AOV).

### Priority 3: Flow: Optimize Shipping Rates (Sticker Shock Reduction)

High shipping rates cause sticker shock even when coverage exists. Rate optimization ensures pricing is competitive and proportional to order value.

**When to use:** When shipping rates are disproportionately high relative to product prices, or when rates lack tiered/conditional pricing.

**Impact:** Reduces abandonment from price sensitivity. Most effective when combined with free shipping at a threshold.

---

## Measurement Plan

### Before optimization

1. Record baseline delivery_step_cvr from site metrics
2. Record current cart abandonment rate
3. Identify the specific shipping configuration state:
   - Number of active regions with shipping options
   - Presence/absence of free shipping
   - Average shipping rate as percentage of AOV

### During optimization (weekly monitoring for 30 days)

1. Track delivery_step_cvr weekly
2. Compare week-over-week trend
3. Monitor free shipping qualification rate (if threshold was added)
4. Check for new coverage gaps if regions were modified

### After optimization (30-day assessment)

1. Calculate CVR improvement: `new_delivery_step_cvr - baseline_delivery_step_cvr`
2. Estimate revenue recovered: `cvr_improvement * checkout_sessions * AOV`
3. Evaluate threshold effectiveness:
   - Free shipping qualification rate > 40% = threshold well-calibrated
   - Free shipping qualification rate < 10% = threshold too high, consider lowering
4. Assess whether further optimization is needed:
   - delivery_step_cvr >= 65% = healthy, monitor quarterly
   - delivery_step_cvr 50-65% = improving, continue optimization
   - delivery_step_cvr < 50% = investigate non-shipping causes (payment, UX)

---

## Decision Matrix

| Scenario | Priority Action | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Regions without shipping options | Fix Coverage Gaps (P1) | Hard blocker — 0% conversion in uncovered regions |
| No free shipping option exists | Add Free Shipping (P2) | #1 conversion driver for delivery step |
| Free shipping exists but threshold too high | Add Free Shipping (recalibrate) | Lower threshold to match AOV |
| High shipping rates, free shipping exists | Optimize Shipping Rates (P3) | Reduce sticker shock for below-threshold orders |
| delivery_step_cvr >= 65% | No immediate action needed | Already at healthy benchmark |
| Abandonment not at delivery step | Investigate other causes | Payment methods, UX, trust signals may be the issue |