Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw hundreds of enticing online offers, with retailers competing for customer attention.

However, analytics startup Formisimo reveals that many online shopping carts were abandoned over the weekend due to complicated or slow checkout processes.

Many online customers were left frustrated, with just under a quarter (24.95%) of consumers completing the purchasing process from midnight Thursday (November 27) to midnight on Monday (December 1).

On mobile devices, only one in five shoppers finished the buying process.

In explaining the results, Formisimo cites factors including complicated check-out process, site crashes and retailers asking for so much information that shoppers become bored and leave the site.

Buying elsewhere

Some of the highest shopper-drop-off rates were found in Britain, with almost 70% of consumers abandoning carts before completing the purchasing process.

CEO of Formisimo, Al Mackin commented on the loss of sales which are due to the irritation felt by consumers

“After all the browsing and searching to find a great deal you’d be amazed at how many shoppers hate filling in their details in an online checkout – so much so that they go and buy from elsewhere.

“With tempers frayed they’re less patient with processes that ask for too much information, that have errors, or that are simply confusing. On some of the busiest online shopping days of the year online retailers are losing up to 80% of their potential sales right at the end of the buying cycle.”

Earlier this year, coupons publisher vouchercloud confirmed that shoppers are typically impatient when it comes to online checkouts, with 57% of consumers abandoning a site if they are kept waiting for three seconds or more.