Filling and abandoning online shopping carts is a “pandemic pastime” for young consumers. 

Filling and abandoning online shopping carts is a “pandemic pastime” for young consumers. During the pandemic, young consumers who are shopping less in-person have been adding items to carts and leaving them, which to them is the equivalence of “window shopping.” Others use the abandoned carts as wish lists, a space to hold items, or just simple reminders to themselves. This isn’t a new concept, but “the pastime” has increased during COVID as a way to cure boredom, but also spend less money. According to Amperity research, the onset of the pandemic showed a 94.4% cart abandonment rate compared to 85.1% last year—and that equates to “billions of dollars in forgone ecommerce revenue.” YPulse’s Retail’s New Reality trend report found that 51% of 13-39-year-olds have left items in a shopping cart to purchase later while online shopping. However, as the pandemic rages on, more young shoppers are completing their purchases, suggesting that the “window shopping is transitioning to the real thing.” (CNBC)