Cart abandonment on Black Friday 2026: causes and how to reduce it

During Black Friday, special offers attract visitors, but they do not guarantee sales. Whether customers complete their purchases depends on how much they trust the online store and how easy it is to pay.

According to our 2026 survey, “Payment methods: The definitive decision”, 25% of Spanish consumers would buy from a competitor if the online payment process took too long.

Below, we look at the main causes of cart abandonment in ecommerce and how to reduce them ahead of Black Friday.

What is the main cause of cart abandonment in ecommerce?

The main reason for cart abandonment is a lack of trust in the website, cited by 69% of respondents in our survey. Unexpected costs and difficulties during checkout are also significant factors.

These are the most frequently cited reasons for abandoning an online purchase, ranked from highest to lowest. Respondents could select more than one option:

• Lack of trust in the website (69%): concerns about the reliability or security of the online store.
• Unexpected additional costs (59%): discovering shipping fees, commissions or other charges at the final stage of the purchase.
• Too many checkout steps (20%): lengthy payment processes or complicated forms.
• Preferred payment method unavailable (19%): not being able to use the customer’s preferred payment option.

During campaigns such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, online retailers invest significant budgets in marketing and customer acquisition. This can generate high volumes of traffic, but if customers cannot complete their payments, much of that investment may be wasted.

The conclusion is clear: before focusing on technical adjustments, ecommerce businesses must prioritise payment security, transparency and ease of use.

How long are consumers willing to wait for a payment page to load?

57% of Spanish consumers are willing to wait a maximum of 10 to 30 seconds for a payment page to load, according to our survey.

The results reveal three different responses to excessive waiting times:

• 48% would try to complete their purchase again later.
• 27% would wait for the page to finish loading.
• 25% would abandon their purchase and look for the same product at another online store.

A payment issue does not always mean a lost sale, but it can delay the transaction or drive customers towards competitors. During high-traffic campaigns such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this risk becomes even more relevant.

If you want to prepare the rest of your online store for the campaign, read our article on how to ensure online payments during high-demand periods⁠.

How to reduce cart abandonment during Black Friday

To improve the payment experience and help customers complete their purchases, retailers can take several measures and use payment solutions tailored to their business needs.

1. Build trust and display all costs from the start

With 69% of respondents citing a lack of trust and 59% mentioning unexpected costs, this should be a priority.

• Display the final amount as early as possible, including shipping costs, fees and taxes, rather than revealing them at the last step.
• Provide a recognisable payment page that reflects your brand identity, so customers feel they are still shopping in a familiar environment.
• Choose a payment provider that complies with PCI DSS standards and offers fraud prevention tools.

At PaynoPain, we meet PCI DSS requirements and provide fraud prevention tools. We also allow businesses to customise their payment pages to match their brand identity.

2. Offer your customers’ preferred payment methods

Almost one in five consumers (19%) would abandon a purchase if their preferred payment method was unavailable. Offering several options allows retailers to adapt to different customers and markets.

At PaynoPain, we integrate more than 50 local and international payment methods⁠ into a single platform, including:

• Bank cards: Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal.
• Local payment methods: Bizum (Spain), MB Way (Portugal) and BLIK (Poland).
• Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL): Klarna, FLOA and Cofidis, among other solutions.

This allows businesses to offer greater payment flexibility for both domestic and international purchases.

3. Simplify your ecommerce checkout

20% of respondents abandon purchases because the checkout process involves too many steps. The less information customers have to enter, the better, especially when shopping on mobile devices.

Some useful measures include:

• Simplifying forms and removing unnecessary fields.
• Avoiding mandatory account registration before checkout.
• Optimising the payment process for mobile devices.
• Making it easier to enter payment details and reducing manual actions.

There are also solutions designed to speed up the final stage of the purchase.

With Click to Pay⁠, customers can pay using previously registered Visa or Mastercard cards, without manually entering their card number, expiry date or other details for every purchase.

The system allows users to select a saved card and confirm the transaction using the appropriate authentication method, making online payments more convenient, particularly on mobile devices.

For more tips on optimising your checkout, read our article on the keys to a frictionless shopping experience⁠.

4. Prepare your ecommerce for traffic peaks

Before launching any major sales campaign, it is important to check that your online store is working correctly and test the purchasing process across different devices.

You should also verify that all payment methods are properly configured and that your infrastructure can handle increased transaction volumes.

At PaynoPain, we offer an ecommerce payment gateway⁠ with integrations for platforms such as WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Shopify, Magento and Odoo, as well as API solutions for custom developments.

These options make it easier to integrate payment processing into different ecommerce platforms and adapt the solution to each retailer’s needs.

Reduce cart abandonment in your online store

Do you want to optimise your online payments and remove obstacles from the checkout process?

Contact our team using the form below, and we will help you find the payment solution that best suits your business.