Apr 09, 2018

Question of the Day: What percent of online shopping carts are "abandoned" before checkout?

Answer: 77%

Questions:

  • Why do you think so many people fill their online carts with items that they don't end up buying?
  • Have you ever done this? Explain the reasons you chose to abandon the items. 
  • Retailers have great ways to track how you move around their website. How might they try to get you to buy after you have abandoned items? 

Click here for the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (Shopify): 

As of August 2017, 77.3% of all online retail orders — e.g., shopping carts — were abandoned instead of purchased. That’s according to cumulative data gathered by independent research firm Statista. And it’s a nearly 10% increase from that same firm’s January 2017 data. 

Looks like this ad in an airport tunnel seen by Danielle was using old data:):

About the Authors

Danielle Bautista

Danielle is a native of Southern California and a recent graduate from the University of Maine, where she braved the frigid winters—a feat in and of itself—and earned her Bachelor's degree in International Affairs. She has a passion for working with non-profit organizations and serving populations in underprivileged communities. When Danielle isn't writing NGPF blog posts, spearheading various outreach projects, or managing contests and flash surveys, you can find her doing some sort of outdoor activity, learning a new hobby, or cracking what she thinks are witty puns!

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Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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