Online shopping is not always about buying right away. CouponFollow commissioned a survey of 1,016 Americans to better understand what people leave in their carts, why they pause at checkout, and what brings them back. For everyday shoppers, those habits matter because abandoned carts often reflect rising costs, coupon hunting, and even emotional browsing.
Key Takeaways
- Nearly 9 in 10 Americans who hold off checking out to wait for a coupon or a lower price come back to find the item sold out or more expensive.
- The average American has $150 in unpurchased items sitting in their online carts right now.
- Almost 3 in 4 Americans (74%) abandon an online cart to search for a coupon.
- Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) abandon a cart after seeing taxes and fees appear at checkout.
- More than 1 in 3 Americans (35%) browse online stores to cope with stress, boredom, or anxiety, rising to more than 1 in 2 Gen Z shoppers (53%).
- Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (32%) say a limited-time discount or flash sale would get them to complete a purchase they would otherwise abandon.
America’s Ghost Cart: The Never-Buy Shopping Habit
For many shoppers, the online cart has become more than a place to hold items before checkout. It also works as a wishlist, a planning tool, and sometimes a way to browse without committing to a purchase.
- The average American has $150 in unpurchased items sitting in their online carts right now.
- Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (87%) who wait to buy find the item gone or the price higher when they return. More than 2 in 3 (68%) specifically encounter a price increase.
- Almost 3 in 4 Americans (74%) abandon a cart after seeing taxes and fees appear at checkout. American women are more likely than American men to do so: 4 in 5 American women (80%) compared to almost 7 in 10 American men (69%).
- Nearly 3 in 4 Americans (74%) left a cart to search for a coupon or promo code. Exactly 4 in 5 millennial shoppers (80%) report this behavior, compared to more than 1 in 2 baby boomer shoppers (52%).
- More than 1 in 2 Americans (51%) search for a coupon or promo code almost always before buying anything online. Millennial shoppers lead at more than 1 in 2 (57%), followed by Gen Z shoppers at more than 1 in 2 (53%).
- Beyond price and discounts, 1 in 4 Americans (25%) abandon carts out of guilt about spending money, and more than 1 in 5 (21%) simply get distracted or forget about the purchase.
- A price drop or sale alert brings back over a third of American shoppers (36%), making it the top trigger. Getting paid and simply remembering the item follow close behind, each cited by about a third of shoppers (33%).
- Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (32%) say a limited-time discount or flash sale would get them to complete a purchase they would otherwise abandon.
Why Shoppers Walk Away and What Brings Them Back
The final step in online shopping often creates the most friction. From unexpected costs to coupon searches and second thoughts, many shoppers leave checkout looking for a better deal or more time to decide.
- Nearly 3 in 5 Americans (59%) add items to an online cart knowing they will never buy them. Among American women, nearly 2 in 3 (64%) report the same.
- Over 1 in 3 Americans (35%) browse online stores to cope with stress, boredom, or anxiety. American women are nearly twice as likely as American men to do so: nearly 1 in 2 American women (45%) compared to more than 1 in 4 American men (26%).
- More than 2 in 5 Americans (43%) add items to a cart just to feel closer to a purchase they cannot yet afford. Among American women, that figure reaches 1 in 2 (50%).
- Nearly 2 in 3 Americans (64%) say the most common reason they browse without intending to buy is to keep track of things they might want later. Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say they browse to feel in control of what they would buy.
- The most abandoned product categories are clothing and apparel (59%), electronics and gadgets (42%), beauty and skincare (36%), shoes and accessories (35%), and health and wellness (31%).
Methodology
CouponFollow commissioned an online survey of 1,016 Americans to explore online shopping habits, including how people browse, what ends up in their carts, and what happens next. The survey was conducted in March 2026. The sample included adults across these generations: Gen Z (15%), millennials (49%), Gen X (26%), and baby boomers (8%). The sample was 49% male, 50% female, and 1% other or prefer not to say. For questions involving open-ended dollar amounts, outliers were removed using the interquartile range (IQR) method prior to calculating averages.
About CouponFollow
CouponFollow helps online shoppers save time and money by tracking the web's best deals and promo codes. Browse our website today to start saving instantly at your favorite stores!
Fair Use Statement
The information in this article may be shared or referenced for noncommercial purposes only. If you reuse or cite this research, please include a link and an attribution to CouponFollow.
