Abandoned baskets of online stores - a new form of entertainment for youth in the pandemic

Filling your cart with items and leaving the site without making a purchase has become the post-pandemic equivalent of window gazing for young shoppers.

Analysts have noted a new trend among visitors to online stores - the growth of abandoned baskets. This expression refers to a situation in which a potential customer "wanders" through store pages, sends items to the cart, and then leaves the site without making a purchase. This kind of pastime has been gaining popularity, which is especially true of the younger generation. 

One possible explanation for this trend is an analogy with window gazing. Whereas previously it was possible to go shopping, looking through store windows, trying things on, without making a purchase, the pandemic has made its adjustments. Most stores have closed, but the habits of shoppers have not disappeared.

Forced to stay at home, many found a virtual substitute for such activities and began to fill online stores' baskets. Online shopping, however, may not always be the answer since customers, especially younger ones, are often short in cash, which results in abandoned baskets. 

Filling online shopping baskets has become something of an online pastime. This non-burdensome activity can kill time and distract you from your problems or negative news. Scrolling through the pages of a trendy online store is much more enjoyable than killing time on social media, where you can stumble upon negative information. Adding an item, especially an expensive one, to the cart gives visitors to the store site a kind of satisfaction, albeit fleeting, and this phenomenon during lockdowns has become massive.

According to CNBC experts, the "abandoned cart" rate of mid-2020 was at about 94.4 percent, up from 85.1 percent in the prior period. In monetary terms, that's billions of dollars in potentially lost e-commerce revenue. Most retailers, however, do not view this trend as a loss of revenue, as interested site visitors would not have spent the money. Still, familiarity with the products could lead to an actual purchase in the future. 

Photo credit: depositphotos.com.

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