Why shoppers around the world abandon carts and what they expect from international checkout in 2026
Why shoppers around the world abandon carts and what they expect from international checkout in 2026
Global e-commerce has crossed the $6 trillion mark and according to Shopify, cross-border commerce is now growing faster than domestic sales in many regions. As more shoppers buy from brands outside their home country, the opportunity for global sales continues to accelerate.
But, as Passport discusses here, international demand alone doesn’t guarantee conversion. The final moments before checkout are a critical turning point and as global e-commerce scales toward 2026, even small points of friction in pricing, duties, taxes, or currency can quietly derail purchases. The cost of a confusing or inconsistent checkout experience is becoming harder to ignore.
International Transactions Amplify Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment remains one of the most persistent challenges in e-commerce. Based on UX research analyzed by the Baymard Institute, roughly 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned on average, highlighting how often shoppers leave before completing a purchase.
That challenge becomes more pronounced in cross-border transactions. International checkouts introduce additional layers of complexity — including pricing considerations tied to duties and taxes, delivery timelines affected by customs requirements, and payment preferences that vary across regions — all of which can increase hesitation during the purchase process.
As international e-commerce continues to grow, these challenges carry greater weight. What may once have been tolerated as a minor inconvenience is increasingly shaping whether global interest converts into revenue or ends in an abandoned cart heading into 2026.
Top Reasons Global Shoppers Abandon Carts
Online shoppers often don’t complete a transaction, not because they lose interest, but because something at checkout gives them pause. Data from the Baymard Institute shows that unexpected extra costs, including shipping fees, taxes, and duties, are the most common reason shoppers abandon carts. When those unexpected charges appear late in the purchase process, they undermine confidence at the moment a shopper is deciding whether to proceed.
For international customers, there are even more barriers beyond surprise expenses. Limited or unfamiliar payment options, delivery uncertainty driven by long transit times or vague estimates, currency confusion, lack of localization, and unclear return or refund policies all contribute to a higher perceived risk at the final step. As shoppers compare options across borders more frequently, even small gaps in clarity can derail an otherwise strong intent to buy.
Why These Issues Are Becoming Harder to Ignore
Cart abandonment has long challenged e-commerce brands, but its impact is intensifying as more profit becomes tied to cross-border sales, making international checkout shortcomings harder to overlook.
At the same time, tariffs, taxes, and regulatory requirements are becoming more visible to consumers, heightening sensitivity to total landed cost. Shoppers are also more price- and speed-conscious than ever, expecting the same level of price transparency and delivery reliability internationally as they experience domestically.
Plus, the rise of social commerce and international marketplaces is further raising the bar. As shoppers discover brands through global platforms and compare experiences across regions, they apply the same standards everywhere — regardless of where a brand is based. What once may have passed as acceptable is now more likely to push buyers elsewhere.
International Checkout Standards for 2026
As global demand continues to accelerate, checkout is emerging as a key point of differentiation. Buyers are no longer willing to navigate unnecessary complexity and increasingly expect e-commerce experiences to feel intuitive and seamless.
Heading into 2026, several standards have become clear.
Clear Landed Costs
Customers expect duties, taxes, and fees to be visible early in the purchase journey, and charges that appear after payment details are entered are no longer viewed as a normal part of shopping with a global brand. Duty-paid shipping models are also becoming a baseline in many international markets. By handling duties and taxes upfront, delivered-duty-paid (DDP) shipping helps international checkout feel more aligned with domestic buying experiences.
Beyond early cost visibility, pricing expectations can vary by region. In markets where taxes are typically included in listed prices, breaking them out late in checkout can be confusing for buyers. Aligning how product pricing and shipping costs are presented with local norms is becoming just as important as surfacing total cost upfront to maintain trust and reduce drop-off.
Payment Methods Matter
Payment preferences differ significantly across markets, making a single, standardized checkout experience increasingly ineffective for global audiences. According to Worldpay’s 2025 Global Payments Report, digital wallets, bank transfers, and other local payment methods account for a substantial share of online transactions.
Expanding payment options to reflect those local behaviors can deliver measurable results. Stripe reports that businesses offering additional relevant payment methods saw an average 7.4% increase in conversion and a 12% lift in revenue in 2024. In certain markets, the impact is even more pronounced. For example, Stripe found that offering Alipay to customers in China led to conversion increases of up to 91%, underscoring how closely checkout performance is tied to local payment habits.
Reliable and Faster Delivery
While same-day delivery may not be realistic everywhere, shoppers increasingly expect timelines they can understand and rely on. Ambiguity around shipping speed or customs processing introduces uncertainty that many buyers are no longer willing to accept.
As a result, more brands are exploring in-country fulfillment and local inventory strategies to improve delivery speed and consistency in high-demand markets.
Localized Experiences
Currency, address formats, language, and region-specific requirements are no longer nice-to-have features. Shoppers expect checkout to feel familiar and intuitive, even when purchasing from an international brand.
Easy Returns
Clear return instructions, predictable timelines, and local return options are becoming an important trust signal. Shoppers want reassurance that returns won’t be complicated or costly.
What Winning Brands Are Getting Right
International checkout is emerging as a competitive differentiator that many brands still underestimate. Shoppers increasingly expect clarity around what they’ll pay, when they’ll receive their order, and a seamless experience from start to finish, regardless of where a seller is based.
In a global marketplace where buyers can compare experiences across borders in seconds, checkout is no longer a background detail. Brands that fail to meet these rising standards risk losing international demand at the point of purchase, while those that adapt are positioned to turn checkout into a lasting advantage.
This story was produced by Passport and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
