Shipping Cost and Checkout Statistics
Extra costs like shipping, taxes and fees are the top fixable reason shoppers abandon checkout: 40% of US shoppers cite them in Baymard's 2025 survey. Here are 30+ sourced, dated figures on free shipping, delivery speed and thresholds, with what each one means for your checkout.
Shipping cost and checkout statistics
Sourced figures on how shipping fees, free-shipping offers and delivery speed affect checkout abandonment and order value.
Shipping cost and checkout statistics measure how delivery pricing and delivery promises change what shoppers do at checkout. They cover how often surprise fees lead to abandoned carts, how many shoppers expect free shipping, how speed and price trade off, and how a free-shipping threshold changes basket size.
Every figure on this page names its publisher and survey year so you can cite it. Most of the large surveys sample US shoppers. Treat them as directional for EU stores and check them against your own checkout funnel data before you change your shipping policy.
Key statistics
• 70.22% of online shopping carts are abandoned on average (Baymard Institute, running average of 50 studies, updated September 2025). • 40% of US shoppers who abandoned a checkout did so because extra costs (shipping, tax, fees) were too high (Baymard Institute, 2025). • 20% of US shoppers abandoned because delivery was too slow (Baymard Institute, 2025). • 12% abandoned because they couldn't see or calculate the total order cost up front (Baymard Institute, 2025). • 81.34% of online consumers name free shipping as their top delivery priority, ahead of fast shipping at 68.41% (Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate Insights, 2024, n=1,013). • 75% of US consumers prefer free shipping over faster shipping (FedEx / Morning Consult, 2024, n=2,103). • Only 48% of merchants offer free shipping (FedEx / Morning Consult, 2024). • 90% of US consumers will wait two or three days for delivery to avoid shipping costs (McKinsey, 2024, n>1,000). • More than 80% of consumers would still buy if free delivery took four to seven days (McKinsey, 2024). • 81% of US consumers will add items to their order to avoid delivery charges (FedEx / Morning Consult, 2024).
The data points the same way in every survey. Shoppers don't mind paying the price on the product page. What they reject is a higher total at checkout. Shipping is the single biggest source of that surprise, and since 2022 it has overtaken delivery speed as the delivery factor shoppers weigh most.
How shipping costs drive checkout abandonment
Reasons US online shoppers abandoned checkout, excluding shoppers who were 'just browsing' (share of respondents)
| Abandonment reason | Baymard 2025 | Previous Baymard wave |
|---|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% | 39% |
| Delivery was too slow | 20% | 21% |
| Didn't trust the site with card details | 19% | 19% |
| Site wanted me to create an account | 18% | 19% |
| Too long / complicated checkout | 17% | 18% |
| Website had errors / crashed | 17% | 15% |
| Returns policy wasn't satisfactory | 13% | 15% |
| Couldn't see / calculate total order cost up front | 12% | 14% |
| Credit card was declined | 10% | — |
| Not enough payment methods | 9% | — |
Three of the top eight reasons are about shipping: extra costs (40%), slow delivery (20%) and not seeing the total cost up front (12%). Shoppers could pick more than one reason, so the percentages overlap. Even so, shipping-related friction outweighs every other cause on the list.
Baymard also reports that 42% of US shoppers have abandoned a cart because they were 'just browsing'. That group is removed from the table above. The figures you can act on therefore apply to shoppers who intended to buy, which is why fixes to fee transparency show up directly in completed orders.
The headline 70.22% abandonment rate has barely changed over the past decade. The 'extra costs' share has moved between the high 30s and high 40s depending on the survey wave; Contentsquare cites 48% for an earlier Baymard edition. The ranking hasn't changed: extra costs top the list in every wave.
McKinsey's 2024 US survey points the same way from a different angle. It found that more than 90% of consumers are likely to abandon a cart with high shipping costs, and that cost has replaced speed as the top factor shoppers use to judge an online delivery.
Free-shipping expectations in 2024–2025
What online shoppers prioritise and do on delivery (2024)
Free shipping is now the default expectation. In the Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate Insights 2024 survey, 81.34% of shoppers ranked it as a top delivery priority, 13 points ahead of fast shipping. Only 12.64% had paid for expedited delivery in the previous six months.
The FedEx / Morning Consult study (May 2024, 2,103 US consumers) found that 57% prioritise free shipping when buying online, slightly more than the 54% who prioritise finding the best price. Yet only 48% of the merchants FedEx surveyed offer free shipping, so more than half of stores fall short of what most shoppers expect.
Shoppers now expect returns to be free as well. In the Bizrate data, 53.11% want free return shipping. Red Stag Fulfillment, citing the National Retail Federation, reports that 82% of consumers call free returns an important consideration, up from 76% in 2024. For apparel and footwear stores, where return rates are high, returns policy belongs in the shipping conversation.
For a store in the €1M–€15M range, the takeaway isn't that you must ship everything free. Shoppers compare your total cost against stores that do. If you charge for shipping, show the fee before checkout so it doesn't show up as Baymard's 'extra costs too high' reason.
Delivery speed, reliability and free-shipping thresholds
Delivery-speed preferences and threshold behaviour: key survey figures
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers willing to wait 2–3 days to avoid shipping costs | 90% | McKinsey, 2024 |
| Prefer free standard delivery over paid expedited | More than 95% | McKinsey, 2024 |
| Would still buy if free delivery took 4–7 days | More than 80% | McKinsey, 2024 |
| Rank of delivery speed among priorities (2022 → 2024) | #1 → #5 | McKinsey, 2024 |
| Willing to pay $1–2 extra for sustainable shipping | More than 35% | McKinsey, 2024 |
| Prefer free shipping over faster shipping | 75% | FedEx / Morning Consult, 2024 |
| Will add items to avoid delivery charges | 81% | FedEx / Morning Consult, 2024 |
| Chose a slower shipping option to save money | 44.62% | Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate, 2024 |
| Add items to cart to meet a free-shipping minimum | Nearly half | Shippo, 2023 |
| Add items to cart to qualify for free shipping | 58% | UPS / comScore Pulse of the Online Shopper (older study) |
Speed matters less than it did. McKinsey found that delivery speed fell from the top-ranked priority in 2022 to fifth in 2024. Shoppers now rate on-time reliability above raw speed. A late package hurts satisfaction more than a slow one that arrives on the promised day.
Thresholds turn that patience into larger baskets. In the FedEx study, 81% of shoppers said they would add items to avoid delivery charges, and the older UPS / comScore figure of 58% is still widely quoted. McKinsey's own recommendation to shippers includes raising free-shipping thresholds. A threshold priced just above your typical basket is one of the most dependable ways to lift average order value (AOV).
Speed still matters by category. McKinsey notes that shoppers are less willing to wait more than three days for household consumables but more willing to wait for fashion. A replenishment beauty SKU and a seasonal jacket need different delivery promises.
How to use these numbers
Most large shipping surveys (Baymard, McKinsey, FedEx, Bizrate) sample US consumers. Use them as directional benchmarks for EU and UK stores, not as targets. Survey answers are stated preferences, and survey respondents can pick multiple reasons, so percentages don't add up to 100%. When you cite a figure, give the publisher and year, and use the 58% UPS / comScore figure only as historical context because newer data (FedEx, 81%, 2024) exists. Before you change prices, compare each benchmark with your own checkout step drop-off, split by device and shipping region.
Turning shipping statistics into checkout decisions
Start with transparency, which costs nothing. Baymard's 12% 'couldn't see total cost up front' group can be fixed with a shipping estimate on product and cart pages and a sitewide free-shipping message. You don't have to give up any margin to fix it.
Next, set your threshold from your own data. A common starting point is 15–30% above your current median order value, which keeps the bar within one add-on of a typical basket. Then measure the result on net revenue per visitor rather than AOV alone, because a threshold that lifts AOV but lowers conversion can still lose money.
Finally, test before you change policy across the whole store. Threshold level, progress-bar copy and paid-versus-free standard delivery are all good candidates for A/B tests within broader checkout optimization. Segment results by mobile and desktop and by shipping region. A Shopify Markets setup that ships across the EU can see very different sensitivity to shipping fees by country.
Watch where the drop-off actually happens. If most exits occur on the shipping-method step, the fee is the likely cause. If they occur after shoppers enter an address, a delivery date that is too late or missing may be the problem. Step-level funnel data shows which statistic on this page matches your own checkout.
Shipping cost and checkout statistics: FAQ
In Baymard Institute's 2025 survey, 40% of US shoppers who abandoned a checkout said extra costs such as shipping, tax and fees were too high. Earlier survey waves reported between 39% and 48%. It is the top-ranked fixable reason for abandonment in every wave.
Baymard Institute's running average of 50 studies puts it at 70.22% (updated September 2025). The figure has stayed around 70% for years. Benchmark your store's rate against your platform and device mix rather than against this single headline number.
Free shipping wins clearly. FedEx / Morning Consult (2024) found that 75% of US consumers prefer free shipping over faster shipping. McKinsey (2024) found that more than 95% prefer free standard delivery to paid expedited delivery.
McKinsey's 2024 survey found that 90% of US consumers will wait two or three days to avoid shipping costs, and more than 80% would still buy if free delivery took four to seven days. Reliability matters more than speed: shoppers would rather get a package on time than fast but late.
Yes, according to the survey data. FedEx / Morning Consult (2024) found that 81% of consumers will add items to avoid delivery charges, and Shippo (2023) reported that nearly half add items to reach a minimum. Measure the result as net revenue per visitor, not AOV alone.
Start roughly 15–30% above your median order value so most shoppers are one add-on away from qualifying. Check that the margin on the extra items covers the shipping cost you absorb. Then A/B test two or three threshold levels before rolling one out across the store.
In the FedEx / Morning Consult 2024 merchant research, 48% of merchants offered free shipping, even though most consumers prioritise it. That gap means a well-designed threshold can still set you apart, especially in categories where competitors charge flat fees.
It removes a documented cause. 12% of US shoppers in Baymard's 2025 survey abandoned because they couldn't see or calculate the total order cost up front. A shipping estimator on product and cart pages, plus a clear free-shipping message, deals with this directly.
Increasingly, yes. 53.11% of shoppers in the Digital Commerce 360 / Bizrate 2024 survey want free return shipping, and Baymard (2025) found that 13% abandoned because of an unsatisfactory returns policy. Apparel and footwear stores are the most exposed.
Most large shipping surveys sample US consumers, so treat them as directional for EU and UK stores. Expectations about cross-border fees, duties and delivery windows differ by country. Use your own checkout funnel data, split by shipping region, as the final benchmark.
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