Short version: An abandoned cart happens when someone adds a product to the cart but leaves before completing the order.
It is a normal part of e-commerce behavior because many shoppers compare prices, check delivery costs, save products for later, or browse without immediate intent. That means an abandoned cart is not always a failed sale. It becomes a useful signal when patterns show friction in the buying journey, such as unexpected fees, slow delivery, unclear returns, low trust, forced account creation, missing payment methods, or a complicated checkout flow.
Improving abandoned cart performance usually means making costs clear earlier, reducing unnecessary checkout steps, strengthening trust signals, and sending helpful recovery messages when the customer has given permission. The goal is not to chase every visitor, but to remove avoidable hesitation for people who were already close to buying.
Related terms: cart, checkout flow, and email automation.