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The three customer experience mistakes most worth investigating in an online store are a difficult or surprising checkout, hard-to-find product and policy information, and a confusing returns process. They can make buying feel riskier or more work than it needs to be—but not every abandoned cart is a fixable problem. Some shoppers are only browsing or comparing options.

1. Why do customers abandon their carts?

Checkout friction is one possible reason: shoppers may encounter unexpected costs, too many irrelevant fields, a hard-to-find guest option, unclear errors, or confusing delivery choices. Baymard Institute’s 2025 checkout benchmark found mediocre or worse checkout UX on 64% of the desktop sites, 63% of the mobile sites, and 46% of the apps it assessed. These are benchmark findings, not a census of every online retailer. Read Baymard’s checkout UX findings.

But cart abandonment does not automatically mean the checkout failed. In Baymard’s 2025 update to its survey of US online shoppers, 42% said they had abandoned an order in the prior three months because they were browsing or not ready to buy; 17% cited a checkout that was too long or complicated. The figures describe reported reasons in that survey, not a prediction for any particular store. See the survey and its methodology.

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How to find avoidable checkout friction

  • Check cost visibility: Show the total price, including shipping and other applicable charges, before the final step—not as a surprise at payment.
  • Review required fields: Ask only for information needed to complete the order, and make optional fields clearly optional.
  • Make guest checkout easy to spot: Do not make creating an account appear to be the only path if guests can purchase.
  • Test error recovery: Errors should explain what needs fixing and preserve information shoppers already entered.
  • Clarify delivery choices: Make the available fulfillment options and their timing easy to compare.

A short, one-page checkout is not automatically better for every store. Observe where shoppers struggle and test changes with your own users rather than assuming a benchmark result guarantees a sales lift. Baymard describes its checkout research as drawing on extensive usability work, including more than 200 qualitative user/site sessions across 16 sites; that breadth does not establish the result a specific redesign will produce. About Baymard’s 2024 checkout research.

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Elebase USB to USB C Adapter for iPhone 18 Pro Max,USBC Car Charger Adapter
  • Read Before You Buy — No Video Output: These adapters support charging and USB 2.0 data transfer, but cannot transmit video signals. Except for standard USB webcams (which use USB data only), they are not compatible with HDMI/DisplayPort cables, video-capable USB-C hubs, or docking stations with video output.
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2. Where should shipping costs and return policies appear?

Put decision-critical information where shoppers are deciding, especially on product pages. A policy page can be complete and still be practically hard to find if someone must leave the product, search the site, and guess which link applies.

Baymard’s observed UX research found that 43% of sites did not provide shipping or return information on product detail pages, and 14% did not provide it in sitewide search results. These figures describe the sites in Baymard’s research, not all online stores. Baymard recommends multiple routes to this information because shoppers do not all look in the same place. See Baymard’s findings on shipping and return links.

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What shoppers need to know before buying

  • The full price and any applicable shipping fee.
  • Likely delivery timing and available delivery options.
  • Product attributes and current availability.
  • Return eligibility, deadlines, costs, and basic steps.

Make the information reachable from product pages and reinforce it through useful site navigation, search results, and the footer. Keep the details consistent across those routes so shoppers do not have to reconcile conflicting answers.

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3. How do returns affect customer loyalty?

Returns are part of the customer experience, not just an internal task after a sale. Shoppers may consider return terms before purchasing, and the return journey itself can shape whether they want to buy again.

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Baymard’s returns research reports that 54% of sites in its returns-flow benchmark had significant UX issues. In its survey, 11% of users said they had abandoned an order in the prior quarter solely because of an unsatisfactory returns policy. The research also reports that 7% would never again buy from the last site where they returned an item because of that experience, while another 13% said they would be unlikely to purchase again. These survey and benchmark results should not be read as universal rates or proof that a particular return policy causes the same outcome for every merchant. Read Baymard’s returns UX research.

Make the return journey understandable

  • Before purchase: Explain eligibility, timing, cost, and how to start a return in plain language.
  • After purchase: Make return initiation and status easy to find, with clear next steps.
  • When something goes wrong: Provide a visible support route for stalled or unclear returns.
  • Review the whole flow: Check whether shoppers retain control, can find the information they need at each step, and can get help without starting over.
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How to decide what to fix first

Use store-specific evidence to distinguish normal non-purchase from preventable friction. Start with the point where customers appear to hesitate, then test whether clearer information or a simpler interaction resolves it.

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  1. Look for where shoppers stop: Review available funnel and support data to identify whether the problem appears on product pages, at shipping selection, during payment, or after delivery.
  2. Check the experience directly: Walk through the purchase and return journeys on mobile and desktop. Look for hidden costs, missing details, confusing choices, and errors that are hard to correct.
  3. Watch representative users: Ask people who match your customers to complete realistic tasks, and note where they pause, backtrack, or ask for help.
  4. Change one friction point at a time: Make a focused change, then compare relevant behavior and customer feedback with the prior experience.

Baymard publishes a global average cart abandonment figure on its research overview, but such an aggregate is context rather than a target: it combines shoppers and stores with different products, intent, and buying conditions. Use your own observed behavior to judge whether a change helps. Baymard’s cart and checkout research overview.

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Best Value
Anker USB C Hub, 5-in-1 USBC to HDMI Splitter with 4K Display
  • 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
  • Powerful Pass-Through Charging: Supports up to 85W pass-through charging so you can power up your laptop while you use the hub. Note: Pass-through charging requires a charger (not included). Note: To achieve full power for iPad, we recommend using a 45W wall charger.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.