Two-thirds of online shoppers surveyed for DHL’s 2026 e-commerce report said they had abandoned a purchase because the delivery offer did not meet their expectations, while 52% of businesses identified delivery as a reason for abandoned carts.
The figures compare shoppers’ reported experiences with businesses’ perceptions. They do not mean that 67% of all online orders are abandoned, or that changing delivery options would recover a specific share of sales.
DHL surveyed 29,000 shoppers in 29 countries and 5,800 online businesses in 28 countries between December 2025 and February 2026. The full report compares the reasons shoppers gave for leaving with the reasons sellers said they could identify.
Costs appear at the end of a sale
Delivery was not the only source of friction. In the survey, 63% of shoppers said unexpected customs or tax charges had caused them to abandon a purchase, while 45% of businesses said they could see that reason for abandonment. Shoppers could select more than one reason.
For international purchases, the price on a product page may not include every charge a buyer will eventually face. Where a retailer can calculate or explain shipping costs, import charges and delivery estimates early, customers have more information before committing time to checkout.
A customer’s stated reason and a retailer’s observation can differ. A store may know that a visitor left during checkout, but not whether the visitor disliked the shipping price, was interrupted, or intended to buy later. The two survey groups were not matched to the same transactions.
DHL, a logistics company with an interest in delivery services, said free shipping was the most frequently cited encouragement to complete a purchase. Retailers still have to pay for shipping. The business decision is whether to absorb the cost, charge for it, offer a threshold or provide several delivery choices.
Payment methods and working discounts
Preferred payment methods also appeared in the survey: 62% of shoppers reported abandoning a purchase because their preferred method was unavailable, compared with 45% of businesses that identified it as a reason.
A retailer can compare the payment options requested by customers with its own transaction fees, fraud exposure and customer-service requirements. Adding a payment method can have costs, so a trial and a comparison of completed orders may be more informative than assuming every extra option will pay for itself.
Discounts can create their own problem when a code fails. Some 57% of shoppers reported abandoning an online purchase because a code did not work or was invalid, compared with 39% of businesses that identified that reason. A merchant can test eligibility rules on a phone and desktop, make exclusions clear and check whether an expired code is still being promoted.
Our earlier reporting on discounts that are difficult to qualify for describes a separate research finding about promotion design.
Measure the whole purchase process
The survey required shoppers to have bought an item online during the previous three months, excluding groceries, tickets and flights. Participating businesses had to sell products online regularly. The results reflect surveyed online buyers and sellers, not every consumer or business.
A checkout review should follow a real order from product page to confirmation, including mobile screens, fees, delivery estimates and payment errors. Sellers can then compare changes in completed orders with the expense of implementing them, rather than judging a redesign by clicks alone.
