Drop Off Rate Calculator
This tool calculates the percentage of people, items, or processes that do not complete a defined journey or step. It's crucial for analyzing funnels, conversion steps, and process efficiency.
Calculate Your Drop Off Rate
Understanding Drop Off Rate
The Drop Off Rate measures the percentage of users, customers, or items that exit a process, funnel, or pathway before completion. A high drop-off rate at a specific step indicates a potential bottleneck or issue at that point, such as confusing forms, unexpected costs, technical errors, or lack of interest.
Drop Off Rate Formula
The formula is simple and direct:
Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Or, conversely, you can calculate the Completion Rate first:
Number Completed = Total Started - Number Dropped Off
Completion Rate = (Number Completed / Total Started) * 100
Then: Drop Off Rate = 100% - Completion Rate
Why Calculate Drop Off Rate?
- Identify Bottlenecks: Pinpoints where users are leaving your website, application, or process.
- Improve Conversion: Understanding drop-offs helps optimize steps to encourage completion.
- Assess Performance: Tracks changes in user behavior over time or compares performance across different channels.
- Optimize Resources: Helps focus improvement efforts on the most critical stages.
Drop Off Rate Examples
See how drop-off rates are calculated in various scenarios:
Example 1: Website Checkout Funnel
Scenario: A retail website tracks users entering the checkout process.
Known Values: Total Started Checkout = 500 users, Number Dropped Off before completing purchase = 150 users.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (150 / 500) * 100 = 0.3 * 100 = 30%
Conclusion: 30% of users who start the checkout process abandon it before buying.
Example 2: Email Campaign Subscribers
Scenario: An email campaign sends a sign-up link, tracking those who clicked vs. those who completed the form.
Known Values: Total Clicked Link = 800 subscribers, Number Dropped Off (didn't complete form) = 200 subscribers.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (200 / 800) * 100 = 0.25 * 100 = 25%
Conclusion: 25% of subscribers who clicked the link didn't finish signing up.
Example 3: Application Process
Scenario: A company tracks candidates who start vs. complete the job application.
Known Values: Total Started Application = 120 candidates, Number Dropped Off before submitting = 40 candidates.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (40 / 120) * 100 ≈ 0.333 * 100 = 33.3%
Conclusion: Roughly 33.3% of candidates who started the application did not finish it.
Example 4: Online Course Enrollment
Scenario: An online learning platform tracks users who add a course to their cart vs. those who pay.
Known Values: Total Added to Cart = 350 users, Number Dropped Off before payment = 105 users.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (105 / 350) * 100 = 0.3 * 100 = 30%
Conclusion: 30% of users who put a course in their cart did not complete the enrollment.
Example 5: Manufacturing Process Step
Scenario: A factory tracks items passing through a specific quality check step.
Known Values: Total Items Entering Check = 1000 items, Number Dropped Off (failed check) = 50 items.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (50 / 1000) * 100 = 0.05 * 100 = 5%
Conclusion: 5% of items fail at this quality check step.
Example 6: Sales Pipeline Stage
Scenario: A sales team tracks leads progressing from "Demo Scheduled" to "Proposal Sent".
Known Values: Total Demos Scheduled = 75 leads, Number Dropped Off (didn't get proposal) = 15 leads.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (15 / 75) * 100 = 0.2 * 100 = 20%
Conclusion: 20% of leads with scheduled demos do not receive a proposal.
Example 7: Onboarding Flow
Scenario: A software company tracks new users starting the initial setup flow.
Known Values: Total Started Onboarding = 250 users, Number Dropped Off before completing setup = 88 users.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (88 / 250) * 100 = 0.352 * 100 = 35.2%
Conclusion: 35.2% of new users abandon the onboarding process.
Example 8: Customer Support Inquiry
Scenario: A support team tracks inquiries opened versus those resolved.
Known Values: Total Inquiries Opened = 400, Number Dropped Off (closed without resolution by customer/system) = 60.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (60 / 400) * 100 = 0.15 * 100 = 15%
Conclusion: 15% of support inquiries are closed without explicit resolution by the team (indicating self-resolution, abandonment, etc.).
Example 9: Free Trial Conversion
Scenario: A service tracks users who sign up for a free trial versus those who convert to a paid plan.
Known Values: Total Started Free Trial = 90 users, Number Dropped Off (did not convert to paid) = 72 users.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (72 / 90) * 100 = 0.8 * 100 = 80%
Conclusion: 80% of users who start a free trial do not become paid customers.
Example 10: Event Registration
Scenario: An event organizer tracks people who start the registration form vs. those who submit it.
Known Values: Total Started Registration = 600 people, Number Dropped Off before submitting = 180 people.
Formula: Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100
Calculation: Drop Off Rate = (180 / 600) * 100 = 0.3 * 100 = 30%
Conclusion: 30% of people who begin the event registration process do not complete it.
Frequently Asked Questions about Drop Off Rate
1. What is the definition of Drop Off Rate?
It's the percentage of users or items that fail to complete a specific step or the entire journey in a defined process or funnel.
2. What is the formula for Drop Off Rate?
Drop Off Rate = (Number Dropped Off / Total Started) * 100. "Number Dropped Off" refers to those who exited the process at or after the start point and before completion.
3. What does a high drop-off rate indicate?
A high rate suggests there's a significant issue at that stage, potentially related to user experience, clarity, technical problems, cost, or value proposition.
4. Is Drop Off Rate the opposite of Conversion Rate or Completion Rate?
Yes, essentially. If a step's completion rate is X%, its drop-off rate is (100 - X)%, assuming there are only two outcomes: completion or drop-off.
5. How can I improve a high drop-off rate?
Analyze the specific step where drop-offs occur. Gather user feedback, check for technical issues, simplify forms, clarify information, or improve the value proposition.
6. What are typical drop-off rates?
This varies massively depending on the industry, process type (e.g., website checkout vs. internal training completion), step complexity, and traffic source. There's no single "good" rate; benchmarking against your own past performance or direct competitors is often more useful.
7. Can the Number Dropped Off be zero?
Yes, if everyone who started the process completed it, the number dropped off would be 0, and the drop-off rate would be 0%. This is usually ideal but rarely happens in practice.
8. Can the Number Dropped Off be greater than the Total Started?
No. By definition, you cannot have more people drop off than the total number who began the process. If your data shows this, there is a tracking or data collection error.
9. How is this different from Bounce Rate?
Bounce rate typically measures the percentage of single-page sessions on a website (users who leave after viewing only one page). Drop off rate tracks users exiting at a specific point *within* a multi-step process after having started that process.
10. What inputs does this calculator need?
It needs the total number who *started* the process or step, and the number who *did not complete* it (i.e., dropped off).
