Cart questions that show why shoppers stop before checkout
Ask shoppers what is keeping them from finishing the order, what surprised them in the total and what would get them to buy today. Each question below comes with when to ask it and what the answer tells you.
What cart abandonment survey questions tell you
Cart abandonment survey questions ask shoppers why they haven't finished an order: the total, the shipping cost, a wait for payday or a page that broke. A full cart belongs to a shopper who has already chosen, and these answers show which of those reasons you can fix and which you can only wait out.
Ask on the cart page, with an exit intent trigger for shoppers about to leave or an idle trigger for carts left open. Two or three questions is enough at that moment. The message that the cart is still there works as a last step for shoppers who say they are about to buy.
Each written answer gets a category, a theme, a type such as bug or complaint, and a sentiment, and each response an urgency, so a broken cart page reaches your developers first. Selecting an answer in Results filters the whole page, for example to shoppers held back by shipping costs.
- Questions
- 13
- Best asked
- On the cart page, as the shopper hesitates
- Industry
- E-commerce
- Where to find them
- From library in the Usertick survey editor, on every plan
The 13 the cart before you buy questions, with when to ask each
Grouped by what they tell you. Use them as they are or change the wording.
What is holding the order back
Start with the main reason, then learn how long carts sit and whether the cart works as a list.
- 01Yes / No
Is there anything still sitting in your cart?
A yes or no on whether anything is still in the cart. Ask it on a return visit or by email, and use logic to skip the rest for shoppers with an empty cart.
- 02Multiple choice
What is keeping you from finishing the order?
The main reason the order is on hold, from the total to a broken page. The donut shows the share for each, and every answer about a broken page needs an owner the same day.
- 04Dropdown
How long do you usually leave things in your cart?
How long the shopper usually leaves items in the cart. Results shows the share for each, which helps you time a reminder in your own email tool.
- 05Yes / No
Do you use the cart as a list of things to think about?
A yes or no on whether the cart doubles as a list. A large share of Yes means many abandoned carts are a habit rather than a lost sale, worth knowing before you chase them.
The total
Ask how clear the total was and what surprised the shopper, since a surprise at the total stops more orders than a choice of product.
- 07Big scale
How clear was the total before you reached checkout?
How clear the total was before checkout, on a scale of 1 to 10. A column per step in Results shows whether shipping and taxes appear early enough.
- 08Emoji
How did you feel when you saw the total?
A row of faces for the moment the shopper saw the total. Results shows each face's share. Read it beside the open question about what surprised them.
- 09Text
What surprised you in the order total?
An open question for the surprise in the total. Each answer arrives with a theme, so shipping, taxes and fees are easy to filter and count.
- 12Slider
What total feels right for an order like this?
The total that feels right for an order like this, on a slider. Results shows the median and the middle half, a guide for where to set a free shipping threshold.
What would close the order
End with the offers and fixes that would get the shopper to buy, and a way back to the cart.
- 03Multiple choice
What would get you to finish the order today?
Shoppers pick everything that would get them to buy today, from free shipping to pay later. Bars show each share, a guide to which offer to test first.
- 10Text
What do you wish the cart page showed?
An open question for what the cart page should show. Answers arrive typed as ideas or questions with a theme, such as a delivery date or a clearer returns line.
- 06Customer effort
How easy was it to change quantities in your cart?
A customer effort score for changing quantities. A low average points at small buttons on phones or a cart that reloads after every change.
- 11Number
How many items were in your cart?
How many items were in the cart. Results shows the median and the middle half, which helps you see whether large carts stall more often than small ones.
- 13Call to action
Your cart is still here
A message in place of a question, reminding the shopper the cart is saved. Show it last, so the survey closes with a way back to the order.
Tips for asking about the cart before you buy
Small choices that get honest, useful answers.
- 01
Ask as the shopper hesitates
Use the exit intent trigger on the cart page, or the idle trigger for carts left open, with page targeting on the cart.
- 02
Keep it to two or three questions
Ask the main reason and one follow-up. A long survey in the cart costs the order it is asking about.
- 03
Fix broken pages first
Give every answer about a broken page an owner in the inbox, and send them to your developers through a workflow on every plan.
- 04
Test one offer at a time
Use the answers about what would close the order to pick one change, then compare the next period's answers with the period before.
Add these questions to a survey
From the library to the first answers.
- 1
Open the library
In the Usertick survey editor, choose From library, filter by industry and topic, and add several questions at once.
- 2
Or paste your own list
Paste questions reads up to 10 questions from any text on Free, 100 on Starter and 200 on Pro and above, keeps your wording and picks an answer type for each.
- 3
Choose where it runs
Show the survey on your website, send it by email, share its link and QR code, or switch it to a conversation.
- 4
Read the answers
Results counts every score and choice, and Usertick reads each written answer and files it by topic, on every plan.
Templates and more questions about the cart before you buy
Full surveys that ask about the same things, and neighboring topics in the library.
Templates
Browse all templatesFrequently asked questions
On the cart page, as the shopper hesitates. Use the exit intent trigger for shoppers about to leave, or the idle trigger for carts left open.
Two or three: what is keeping the shopper from finishing, what would get them to buy today and an open question about the total.
Yes, by email. Usertick sends to a contact list now or on a date up to 30 days ahead, with no automatic send when a cart is abandoned, so send in daily batches or put the link in your own cart email.
Keep it to the cart page with page targeting, and show it inside the page or as a side button when a popup would cover too much.
Yes. The question library comes with every plan, the free plan included, and the free plan covers 150 responses a month across your surveys.
Yes. Once a question is in your survey, reword it, change its options or its answer type, and add logic to skip it for some answers.
Yes. The library is translated into Usertick's built-in languages, and in any other language it shows in English for you to translate.
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