Separate adding to cart from starting payment
Adding to cart, starting checkout and completing payment are separate events. A cart total can include someone comparing items or saving a choice. A checkout failure may involve shipping, a form error or payment. Define the population and observation window before turning those events into an abandonment rate.
Illustrative store: one shopper adds a tote and leaves without opening checkout. Another starts checkout, receives an address-validation error and exits before payment. Both journeys end without an order, but only the second supplies evidence about that checkout step. A review records the error and reproduction conditions instead of assuming that a discount or reminder would solve both cases.
Diagnose the step where the purchase task fails
An analytics drop-off does not establish why a person left, and missing events can imitate abandonment. Platform reports also use specific eligibility and timing rules. Shopify’s documented abandoned-checkout experience is more specific than a generic cart event, so the report label must stay attached to its definition.
Next, verify add-to-cart, checkout-start and purchase tracking independently. Locate the first observed obstacle, reproduce it where permitted and separate a broken task from an untested explanation before prioritizing a change.
Website field guide · How to diagnose cart abandonment · Payment gateway
Reference: Google Analytics: ecommerce events; Shopify Help: abandoned checkouts. Checked November 4, 2026.