Abandonment rate

Abandonment rate refers to the percentage of customers or users who begin a certain process (such as starting an online checkout or beginning a phone call) but do not complete it. This can be used as a metric to measure the effectiveness of a website or customer service experience, as a high abandonment rate may indicate that customers are having difficulty completing the desired action. It also called as drop-off rate, bounce rate, or exit rate.

Abandoment rate factors

There are several factors that can impact abandonment rate, including:

• Usability: A website or application that is difficult to navigate or use can lead to customers abandoning the process.
• Length of process: The longer the process, the more likely customers are to abandon it.
• Required information: Asking for too much personal or sensitive information can discourage customers from completing the process.
• Technical issues: Technical problems such as slow loading times or broken links can lead to customers leaving a website or application.
• Friction: Any additional step that does not add value to the process like a Captcha or additional form fields.
• Price: If the cost of a product or service is higher than customers are willing to pay, they may abandon the process.
• Alternatives: If customers have other options to consider, they are more likely to abandon the process.
• Trust: If customers do not trust a website or business, they may not complete a purchase or other action.
• Mobile Optimization: If your website is not mobile optimized, users on mobile devices will have a harder time completing the process which increases the chance of abandonment.
• Personalization: If the process is not personalized to customer's preference, they may not find it relevant and drop off

It's important to note that some level of abandonment is normal, but a high rate could indicate a problem that needs to be addressed.

Similar metrics

Other metrics that are similar to abandonment rate include:

• Bounce rate: This measures the percentage of visitors who leave a website after only viewing one page.
• Exit rate: This measures the percentage of visitors who leave a website from a specific page.
• Conversion rate: This measures the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
• Cart abandonment rate: This measures the percentage of customers who add items to their online shopping cart but do not complete the purchase.
• Funnel abandonment rate: This measures the percentage of users who drop off at each step of a multi-step process, such as an online checkout.
• Engagement rate: This measures how actively users engage with a website, application, or service.
• Time on site: This measures how long a user stays on a website before leaving.
• Return rate: This measures the percentage of users who return to a website after their initial visit.
• Repeat purchase rate: This measures the percentage of customers who make more than one purchase from a business.

These metrics can be used in conjunction with abandonment rate to gain a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior and identify areas for improvement.

References

• MUSTER, Robert Florentin. Online shopping abandonment rate a new perspective: the role of choice conflicts as a factor of online shopping abandonment. 2016. Master's Thesis. University of Twente.
• FEINBERG, Richard A., et al. Operational determinants of caller satisfaction in the call center. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 2000.
• PRISHCHEPOV, Alexander V., et al. Underlying drivers and spatial determinants of post-soviet agricultural land abandonment in temperate Eastern Europe. In: Land-cover and land-use changes in Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Springer, Cham, 2017. p. 91-117.