In marketing, abandonment rate is a term associated with the use of virtual shopping carts. Also known as "shopping cart abandonment". Although shoppers in brick and mortar stores rarely abandon their carts, abandonment of virtual shopping carts is quite common. Marketers can count how many of the shopping carts used in a specified period result in completed sales versus how many are abandoned. The abandonment rate is the ratio of the number of abandoned shopping carts to the number of initiated transactions or to the number of completed transactions. Causes There are various reasons behind the high cart abandonment rate. In general, these reasons can be categorized as different risks that affect the user's decision to ultimately complete the purchase. Below are reasons that were identified in an empirical study. Complicated checkout process. Hidden prices that come out at the time of checkout like taxes or high shipping charge. Tough or lengthy registration process. No option to check out without signing up. Limited payment options. Decision to purchase from a land-based store (as opposed...