Shopify Analytics: Boost Sales with Cart Abandonment Tracking

Want to stop losing sales on your Shopify store? Here’s how to use cart abandonment tracking:

  • What it is: Cart abandonment happens when shoppers add items but don’t buy.
  • Why it matters: It costs e-commerce $18 billion yearly. Fixing it can boost sales by 35%.
  • How Shopify helps: Built-in tools track abandonment and give you insights.

Key steps to reduce cart abandonment:

  1. Check your data weekly
  2. Send reminder emails (41% open rate)
  3. Make checkout faster (aim for under 4 minutes)
  4. Use exit popups (can convert 17% of leaving customers)
  5. Show all costs upfront
  6. Offer multiple payment options
Metric What to Know
Abandonment Rate Aim for below 70%
Recovery Rate How many abandoned carts become sales
Time to Checkout Shorter is better
Revenue Recovered Money from previously abandoned carts

Remember: About 7 in 10 shoppers abandon carts. Use these tips to win them back and boost your Shopify sales.

Basics of Shopify Analytics

Shopify

Shopify Analytics is your built-in data buddy. It helps you make smart choices for your store. Let’s dive in.

Shopify Analytics dashboard

The dashboard is your store’s health check. It shows:

  • Total sales
  • Sales by channel
  • Online store conversion rate
  • Returning customer rate
  • Average order value
  • Total orders

You can switch up the date range to spot trends. It’s like before-and-after photos for your store’s performance.

Main metrics in Shopify

Shopify tracks a bunch of numbers. Here are the big ones:

Metric What it means Why it matters
Conversion rate Visitors who buy Shows if your site turns lookers into buyers
Average Order Value (AOV) Money spent per order Tells you if your pricing and upselling work
Cart Abandonment Rate Almost-buyers who bail Flags checkout hiccups
Returning Customer Rate Repeat customers Measures customer loyalty

These numbers are like your store’s vital signs. They tell you where to focus.

Using data for business choices

Shopify’s data isn’t just pretty charts. It’s a goldmine for decisions:

1. Spot winners: Find your best-selling products. Stock up and show them off.

2. Tune up your site: See how visitors use your store. Fix the bumpy parts.

3. Target ads: Learn who’s buying. Speak their language in your marketing.

4. Smooth out checkout: High cart abandonment? Maybe you need more payment options or fewer steps.

5. Stock smarter: Use inventory reports to know what to restock and when.

Check these numbers regularly. It’s like giving your store a regular check-up to keep it healthy and growing.

Tracking cart abandonment in Shopify

Shopify’s tools make it easy to monitor cart abandonment. Here’s how to use them to boost your sales:

Finding cart abandonment data

To access your cart abandonment info:

  1. Log into Shopify
  2. Go to "Orders"
  3. Click "Abandoned Checkouts"

You’ll see a list of abandoned carts with customer info, email status, recovery status, and cart value. Shopify keeps this data for 3 months.

Key cart abandonment metrics

Two numbers to watch:

  1. Abandoned Cart Rate: How many people bail on their purchase.
    (Added to cart sessions – Completed sales) / Added to cart sessions x 100
  2. Cart Recovery Rate: How well you’re winning back lost sales.
    (Recovered carts / Total abandoned carts) x 100

Example:

Metric Value
Sessions added to cart 994
Completed sales 430
Abandoned cart rate 57%

This store is losing over half its potential sales. That’s a big opportunity.

Making sense of your data

  1. Look for patterns in abandonment times or products
  2. Check if your checkout process is too complex
  3. Track abandoned cart email effectiveness with UTM tags:

    {{ url }}&utm_source=shopify&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=abandoned
    
  4. Use Shopify’s Analytics Dashboard to check your online store conversion rate
  5. Review the Abandoned Reports page for email and recovery details

Ways to reduce cart abandonment

Want more Shopify sales? Let’s tackle cart abandonment. Here’s how to keep customers buying:

Make checkout easier

Smooth checkout is key. Pipcorn does it right:

  • Mobile-friendly pages
  • Progress bar
  • Autofill for shipping and billing

Customers zip through without frustration.

Add more payment options

Give choices. Helm Boots offers:

Payment Options
Shop Pay
Google Pay
PayPal
Amazon Pay

More options = faster purchases.

Use exit popups

Catch leaving customers with popups offering:

  • Discounts
  • Free shipping
  • Customer service help

Turn almost-sales into actual sales.

Send reminder emails

Don’t let carts gather dust. Follow-up emails work:

  • 45% open rate
  • Over 10% conversion rate

Keep it simple: remind, offer help, maybe add a small discount.

Be clear about shipping

No surprise costs at checkout. Casper does it right:

Free shipping & returns

Right under the "Add to Cart" button. No guessing games.

Each small change can boost sales. Keep testing and tweaking.

Advanced cart abandonment tracking

Want to level up your cart abandonment tracking? Let’s explore some powerful tools and methods.

Google Analytics + Shopify

Google Analytics

Google Analytics (GA) offers a deep dive into customer behavior. Here’s why it’s a game-changer:

  • Free and feature-rich
  • Tracks key metrics like traffic sources and conversion rates
  • Enables better customer segmentation

Getting started is easy:

1. Create a Google account

2. Turn on Enhanced Ecommerce tracking in Shopify

3. Add the GA tracking code to your Shopify admin

Pro tip: Go for GA4. It’s got better data privacy controls and smart insights.

Supercharge with apps

Shopify’s built-in analytics are good, but third-party apps can take you further:

App Standout Feature Cost
Omnisend Pro-level segmentation Free plan; Paid from $16/month
PushOwl Push notifications Free plan; Business from $19/month
Cartly Auto reminders Free plan; Pro at $14.99/month

Omnisend is a top pick. It’s about 40% cheaper than similar apps but packs a punch. It can track visitors with cookies, sending cart abandonment messages even to non-subscribers.

Custom reports: Your data, your way

Custom reports let you zero in on what matters most. Here’s how to make one in Shopify:

1. Head to Analytics > Reports

2. Hit "Create custom report"

3. Pick a report type

4. Name it

5. Tweak filters and columns

6. Save

Want more? Check out Mipler. It’s got 60+ built-in reports and lets you create your own. Add columns, set filters, and even get email alerts for key metrics.

"I love this app. It’s super easy to customize and there’s tons of flexibility with the data." – Mipler user from Singapore

Using cart abandonment data

Cart abandonment data can supercharge your sales. Here’s how to make it work for you:

Finding patterns in abandoned carts

Look for these trends:

  • When carts are abandoned
  • Which products are left behind
  • Price points where customers hesitate

eBags spotted a pattern: high-priced items were often abandoned. They used Google AdWords retargeting to fix this, boosting revenue by 15%.

Grouping customers by behavior

Split your cart abandoners into these groups:

Segment Behavior Approach
Window shoppers Add items, rarely buy Soft reminders
Price-sensitive Ditch pricey carts Time-limited discounts
Busy browsers Start checkout, don’t finish Streamline checkout

Tailoring ads to customers

Use these groups to create targeted ads:

1. Retargeting campaigns

Show ads for items left in carts.

2. Email sequences

Send reminders based on cart value and customer history.

3. Personalized offers

Give incentives that match customer preferences.

"Segmented emails make up at least 58% of all email revenue." – Email marketing study

Pro tip: Send your first recovery email within an hour of abandonment. It works best.

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Tips for tracking cart abandonment

Want to sell more on Shopify? Here’s how to keep an eye on those abandoned carts:

Check data often

Don’t let your stats collect cobwebs. Look at your cart abandonment numbers every week. You’ll catch trends fast and fix issues before they grow.

Studies show about 70% of online shoppers ditch their carts.

If you’re below that? Nice work. Above it? Time to make some changes.

Test checkout changes

A/B testing is your best friend. Here’s the drill:

1. Pick one thing to change: Maybe a new button color.

2. Split your visitors: Half see the old, half see the new.

3. Wait a bit: Give it a week or 1,000 visitors.

4. Look at the results: Did fewer people bail? If yes, keep it. If not, try something else.

Keep tweaking based on data

Your Shopify store needs constant care. Use your data to guide your changes:

  • High shipping costs scaring people off? Try free shipping over a certain amount.
  • Lots of mobile users giving up? Check how your site looks on phones.
  • People leaving at payment? Add more ways to pay.

Shopify gives you details on each abandoned cart. Use this info to figure out why people are leaving.

Measuring results of reducing abandonment

You’ve tweaked your Shopify store to cut cart abandonment. Now what? Let’s see if it worked.

Key numbers to watch

Keep an eye on these:

Metric What it means Why it matters
Cart abandonment rate % who add items but don’t buy Shows checkout health
Recovered carts # of abandoned carts that become sales Measures recovery success
Time to checkout How long to complete a purchase Longer times = more abandonment
Revenue from recovered carts Money from previously abandoned carts Shows value of your efforts

Figuring out ROI

Here’s how to calculate your return on investment:

1. Count recovered carts

2. Multiply by average order value

3. Subtract recovery costs

Example: 20 recovered carts x $50 average value = $1,000. Minus $200 in costs = $800 ROI.

Long-term gains

Cutting abandonment isn’t just about quick wins. It can lead to:

  • Higher customer lifetime value
  • Better word-of-mouth
  • Improved ad performance

"By targeting abandoned carts, you can recover close to 33% of those shoppers, potentially generating significant extra revenue."

Problems with tracking cart abandonment

Tracking cart abandonment isn’t easy. Here are some common challenges:

Keeping customer data safe

It’s a balancing act. You need data to improve, but customers want privacy.

The main issues:

  • Getting consent for data collection
  • Keeping data secure
  • Following privacy laws (like GDPR)

How to handle it:

1. Be transparent about data practices

2. Use strong security measures

3. Get legal help to stay compliant

Handling missing data

Sometimes, you won’t have all the info. This happens when:

  • Customers leave before entering their email
  • Browser issues block data collection
  • Tracking code fails

To deal with it:

  • Look at trends, not just individual cases
  • Use other data points to fill gaps
  • Check your tracking setup regularly

Balancing tracking and user experience

You want data, but not at the expense of customer experience.

Do Don’t
Use subtle tracking methods Overuse popups
Keep pages loading fast Slow down your site with scripts
Offer value for data Ask for unnecessary info

A smooth shopping experience often trumps perfect data collection.

"By targeting abandoned carts, you can recover close to 33% of those shoppers, potentially generating significant extra revenue."

This shows why tracking matters. But do it right – respect both your needs and customer preferences.

Future of Shopify Analytics and cart abandonment

Shopify Analytics is changing how stores tackle cart abandonment. Here’s what’s coming:

AI in predicting abandonment

AI is becoming a game-changer for spotting potential cart abandonment:

  • It recognizes patterns that signal a customer might bail
  • It helps create personalized offers to keep shoppers engaged

Dick’s Sporting Goods is already using AI to boost sales. They’re creating tailored content for shoppers based on AI insights.

Mobile-focused analytics

With more people shopping on phones, mobile data is crucial:

  • Stores can now track how customers use their mobile apps
  • This helps them smooth out the mobile checkout process
Device Cart Abandonment Rate
Mobile 85%
Desktop 70%

These numbers show why mobile matters so much.

Connecting with other sales channels

Shopify stores are looking at data from all their sales channels:

  • They can track if a customer who ditched their cart on the website later buys through Instagram
  • This helps create better-targeted ads to bring customers back

"The average online shopping checkout dropout rate stands at 70.19%, meaning that out of every 100 prospective buyers, 70 leave without completing their purchase."

This stat shows why using all available data is key to boosting sales.

Conclusion

Cart abandonment is a big problem. About 70% of shoppers ditch their carts. That’s a lot of lost sales.

Here’s why tracking it matters:

  • You can find checkout issues
  • You’ll learn why people leave
  • It helps you bring shoppers back

To use Shopify Analytics to fight cart abandonment:

1. Check your data often

Look at your abandonment rate every week. It helps you spot problems fast.

2. Use email reminders

Set up automatic emails for abandoned carts. They work well:

Metric Value
Open rate 41.18%
Click rate 9.50%
Sales (3 months) $60 million

3. Make checkout easier

Most shoppers want to check out in 4 minutes or less. Make it happen.

4. Try exit popups

They can convert about 17% of leaving customers.

5. Be upfront about costs

Hidden fees make people leave. Show all costs early.

6. Offer payment choices

More options = more trust = more sales.

FAQs

How do I track abandoned carts on Shopify?

Tracking abandoned carts on Shopify is simple:

  1. Open your Shopify Admin
  2. Click "Orders"
  3. Choose "Abandoned Checkouts"

You’ll see a list of all abandoned carts, including:

  • When they were abandoned
  • What items were left behind
  • The customer’s email

Is there a way to see abandoned carts on Shopify?

Absolutely. Here’s how:

  1. In your Shopify admin, go to "Orders"
  2. Click "Abandoned checkouts"
  3. Pick any abandoned checkout to view details

Shopify keeps this info for 3 months, giving you plenty of time to analyze and act.

How to calculate cart abandonment rate on Shopify?

Here’s a quick way to figure out your cart abandonment rate:

  1. In Shopify admin, head to Analytics > Dashboard
  2. Find "Added to Cart Sessions" and "Sessions Converted"
  3. Use this formula:
[(Added to Cart Sessions - Sessions Converted) / Added to Cart Sessions] * 100

Let’s say you have:

Metric Value
Added to Cart Sessions 994
Sessions Converted 430

Your calculation would be: [(994 – 430) / 994] * 100 = 57%

So, your cart abandonment rate is 57%.

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