Recovering abandoned carts is one of the most effective ways to boost sales in an online store. Many WooCommerce store owners ask, how to see abandoned carts in WooCommerce? Tracking abandoned carts helps you understand customer behavior and implement recovery strategies to convert lost sales.
In this guide, we will explore various methods to track and analyze abandoned carts in WooCommerce, including plugins, built-in features, and custom solutions.
What is an Abandoned Cart?
An abandoned cart occurs when a customer adds items to their shopping cart but leaves the website without completing the purchase. This can happen due to various reasons, such as high shipping costs, checkout friction, or distractions.
Why Track Abandoned Carts?
- Recover lost revenue – Send reminder emails or discount offers.
- Understand customer behavior – Identify bottlenecks in the checkout process.
- Improve conversion rates – Optimize the shopping experience to reduce abandonment.
How to See Abandoned Carts in WooCommerce
1. Using a Plugin to Track Abandoned Carts
Since WooCommerce does not provide built-in abandoned cart tracking, plugins are the easiest way to monitor them.
Recommended Plugins:
- WooCommerce Cart Abandonment Recovery – Tracks abandoned carts and sends automated recovery emails.
- Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce – Provides detailed cart abandonment tracking and email reminders.
- Retainful – Offers abandoned cart tracking and follow-up emails with discount incentives.
Steps to See Abandoned Carts Using a Plugin:
- Install and activate a WooCommerce abandoned cart plugin from the WordPress plugin repository.
- Navigate to the plugin settings (usually under WooCommerce > Abandoned Carts).
- Enable cart tracking and set a time period for identifying abandoned carts.
- View reports to analyze abandoned carts and customer details.
2. Checking Abandoned Carts via Google Analytics
Google Analytics can help track checkout behavior, showing where users drop off in the buying process.
Steps to Track Abandoned Carts in Google Analytics:
- Enable Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking in Google Analytics.
- Go to Admin > View > Ecommerce Settings and enable checkout behavior tracking.
- Analyze the Checkout Behavior Report under Conversions > Ecommerce.
- Identify where users abandon the checkout process and optimize those steps.
3. Custom Code to Track Abandoned Carts
For those who prefer a tailored solution, adding custom tracking code can help log abandoned carts.
Example Code to Log Abandoned Carts:
function track_abandoned_carts() {
$user_id = get_current_user_id();
if (!WC()->cart->is_empty() && empty(WC()->session->get('cart_abandoned'))) {
WC()->session->set('cart_abandoned', true);
error_log("User $user_id abandoned their cart");
}
}
add_action('wp_logout', 'track_abandoned_carts');
Conclusion
Tracking abandoned carts in WooCommerce is essential for maximizing sales and improving the customer journey. By using plugins, Google Analytics, or custom code, you can gain valuable insights and implement recovery strategies to win back lost customers.
Would you like help setting up abandoned cart emails or further optimizing your WooCommerce checkout process?