• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, April 22, 2025

If you are prone to outbursts of profanity when trying to buy online, you are not alone. People are so frustrated by the process of logging in that a 87% have abandoned a purchase because they are fed up, according to a new study by Frontegg titled: Forgot Your Password? So did Everyone Else—And they Ditched Your Site Because Of It. 

The average value of these transactions is $85. Worse, 13% of shopper have left behind orders worth $150.  

Frequent shoppers — those who buy online multiple times per week—are even more likely to jump: 92% have done so. 

The most common log-in frustrations are:

• Forgetting/resetting passwords — 68% 
• Getting locked out of accounts — 47% 
• Passwords having to meet specific requirements — 41%
• Multi-step authentication — 38%
• Long/complex password requirements — 36% 
• CAPTCHA/security challenges — 35%

Many consumers prefer guest checkout for these reasons:

• Faster/easier to check out as a guest — 77% 
• Don’t want to receive marketing emails/promotions — 71% 
• Don’t plan to shop there regularly — 57% 
• Already have too many online accounts — 50%
• Don’t trust websites with their personal information — 28%
• Had trouble logging into accounts in the past — 14%

The most frustrating online accounts are: 

• Banking and financial services — 43% 
• Government websites — 38%
• Online shopping websites — 30% 
• Work-related accounts — 28%
• Email providers — 26% 
• Streaming services — 23%
• Social media platforms — 22% 

Here are a couple of other negative findings: 

• Roughly 65% will bail when forced to create an account.
• 55% will stop using a site after forgetting their password.  

Frontegg surveyed 1,003 consumers.