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If you run an online store, you need to be sending abandoned cart emails.
It's one of the easiest and most effective ways to boost your revenue with minimal effort. The ROI is amazing.
Around 76% of eCommerce carts are abandoned.
For every 100 visitors who add an item to their cart, 76 walk away without buying. That's a lot of potential revenue slipping away.
A solid email strategy can help you recapture many of those lost sales.
Abandoned cart-triggered email applications are available on all the major e-commerce platforms, including Magento and Shopify. No matter what platform you use, if you’re an e-commerce store owner, you should be putting abandoned cart emails to work for you.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the best practices for abandoned cart emails. We'll cover the optimal times to send them, the most effective subject lines, and what content to include.
Ready to increase your conversions and recover those lost sales?
Let's dive in!
What is an abandoned cart email?
An abandoned cart email is a follow-up message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but didn't complete the purchase. The goal is to remind them about the product and encourage them to come back and finish their order.
These emails usually include pictures of the items and sometimes a special offer or discount to motivate the customer. This strategy can help you recover lost sales and boost your overall conversion rates.
Tips for maximizing conversions with abandoned cart emails
Here are 14 abandoned cart email best practices to help you make the very most of this powerful marketing tool:
1. Craft catchy subject lines and preview text
Your subject line and preview text are super important. Make your subject line clear and catchy.
Subject lines are one of the easiest things to A/B test. So, you can learn what works by looking at what other eCommerce sites are doing. And 44% of companies mention their offer right in the subject line:
For example, if your abandoned cart email includes an offer like free shipping or 10% off, include it in the subject line where it's guaranteed to be seen.
The preview text should add a bit more context. Highlight the offer or create urgency with phrases like "Complete your purchase within 24 hours for a special discount."
2. Ease of navigation
Make it easy for customers to return to their carts. Add a clear button in your email that says something like "Return to Cart" or "Complete Your Purchase." It should be easy to spot.
The link in the email should take them straight to the checkout page. Once they're back on your site, simplify the checkout process. Remove any unnecessary steps or distractions.
You can also use an auto-save feature for items in shoppers' carts. This way, if customers leave your site and return later, their items are still there, ready to be purchased. There are plenty of WordPress plugins and Shopify apps that can help you with this.
3. Optimize for mobile shoppers
A lot of people shop on their phones. Mobile commerce in the US is estimated to be worth $621 billion in 2025. So, your emails and checkout process need to be mobile-friendly.
Make sure your emails look great on any device. Use responsive design so everything adjusts to fit different screen sizes.
Tiny buttons on small screens are frustrating, so use large, well-spaced buttons that are easy to tap. Most email marketing tools provide a preview test tool that lets you see how your email will be displayed on different screen sizes.
You also need to keep things fast. Mobile users are much more impatient than desktop users. So, make sure your emails and landing pages load quickly. Compress images and avoid heavy graphics.
4. Boost trust with social proof
Using social proof in your emails can make a big difference in convincing customers to complete their purchases. It helps to build trust and credibility.
Highlight a few positive reviews for the items left in the cart. You can also showcase any awards or endorsements your product has received. This reassures potential buyers that they're making a good choice.
Check out this example from Casper:
If you have a large customer base, mention it in your email. Include phrases like "Join over 10,000 satisfied customers" to boost trust.
5. Create a sense of urgency and scarcity
Creating a sense of urgency and scarcity in your abandoned cart emails can motivate customers to act quickly.
Start with time-limited offers. For example, you could include a heading like "Complete your purchase in the next 24 hours and get 10% off!"
Adding a countdown timer can give a clear visual cue that time is running out. Remind them of the benefits they might miss out on by not acting now.
6. Easy access to customer support
Customer support options in your abandoned cart emails can help seal the deal. Always include clear contact information. Let customers know how to reach you if they have questions.
Consider offering live chat for immediate help. It can provide instant support for shoppers who need quick answers when making a purchasing decision. You can also include a link to your FAQ page to address common concerns about shipping and returns.
7. Test and Optimize your emails
One of the most significant benefits of email marketing is the ability to test and optimize your emails. You can easily set up tests and make data-driven improvements.
Monitor open rates, clickthrough rates, and conversion rates. If your open rates are low, tweak your subject lines. If people aren't clicking through, adjust your email content and CTA buttons.
Use A/B testing to evaluate your changes. Create two versions of your email with slight differences and see which performs better. You can test different subject lines, CTA buttons, and email layouts.
Keep testing and tweaking your emails based on your metrics. This is a super effective way to boost conversions. According to a recent study, companies that run A/B testing achieve an 82% higher ROI from their email marketing than those that don't test.
8. Stay compliant with marketing laws and regulations
Make sure you know the laws that apply where you're selling. That could include GDPR in Europe and CAN-SPAM in the US. These laws usually require you to include your business name and address in your emails, and you need to honor unsubscribe requests quickly.
Always get permission before sending emails. No one likes unsolicited messages. And include an easy-to-find unsubscribe link in every email. If someone wants to opt out, it should be easy for them to do so.
9. Personalize your emails for better results
In this era of overstuffed email inboxes, personalization is one way of standing out from the crowd. Even one of the simplest forms of personalization—including the recipient's name in the subject line—has a dramatic effect.
According to a study by Experian, emails with a personalized subject line are up to 26% more likely to be opened than those without. They are also more than six times more likely to result in a transaction.
This alone provides a compelling case for personalization, but look at taking it one step further.
You can also use an email finder tool to help you find the right email address and personalized your email accordingly.
Given the high open rates associated with abandoned cart emails, this is a golden opportunity to market additional products based on items that have been browsed or already added to an abandoned cart.
Use bespoke content to create cross-selling opportunities. It is an excellent opportunity to deliver further branded content to customers who have already engaged with your site.
10. Segment your list for more targeted emails
Segmentation goes hand-in-hand with personalization. Segmenting your email database and aiming to deliver relevant content based on various criteria is an email marketing best practice that delivers measurable results.
MailChimp found that segmented email campaigns had a 14.31% higher open rate and 100.97% more clicks than non-segmented campaigns.
One powerful way to put segmentation to work in an abandoned cart email campaign is by segmenting your email list based on order frequency.
A customer who orders from you regularly may get annoyed if you inundate them with abandoned cart emails. Also, if you are offering an incentive—such as a discount or free shipping—does it make sense to offer that to someone who is already ordering regularly from you?
Conversely, first-time "shoppers" can be targeted more aggressively. They are less likely to be turned off by repeated emails reminding them they have abandoned a cart—particularly if there is some additional incentive for them to complete the sale.
11. Write engaging email content
It should go without saying that the copy of your abandoned cart email is key. Obviously, your primary goal is to get your lead to complete the transaction.
But treat this interaction as another opportunity to deliver a branded experience. Your copy should be consistent with your brand persona. Be creative, but keep it short and to the point—just like this paragraph!
12. Add product images to entice shoppers
Including an image or images of the product(s) that were in the abandoned cart is a no-brainer, but consider whether additional images may make for a better enticement.
Here's an example of a clever, concise, and very on-brand abandoned cart email from pet food site Doggyloot:
13. Timing - When is right?
Studies show that abandoned cart emails sent within the first few hours of a cart's abandonment fare better than the same email sent just twenty-four hours later.
In fact, abandoned cart emails sent in immediately upon abandonment generated 105% more revenue. In addition, 30% more shopping carts were recovered by real-time email, and those campaigns also had a 66% higher average order value.
While roughly 42% of sales take place within one hour of a visit to a website, there appears to be another sweet spot at around 24 hours after the initial visit. This suggests that some consumers "shop" at the same time every day and that perhaps they need to "sleep on it" before committing to a purchase.
While there is no argument that your first abandoned cart email should be sent within a few hours (at most) of abandonment, a second follow-up 24 hours to customers who have still not completed an order is advisable.
14. Offer tempting incentives
Incentives can motivate customers to complete their purchases.
Around 63% of users reported abandoning an order when confronted with shipping costs at checkout. Couple that with 44% of respondents stating "no free shipping" and 35% saying they were unaware of shipping costs as reasons for abandonment.
These statistics seem to make a compelling reason to offer discounts or free shipping as an incentive in your remarketing efforts. In fact, a recent study found that free shipping is the most prominent online shopping incentive.
Discounts are a powerful weapon in any retailer's arsenal, but they should be used sparingly. After all, they cost you money, and savvy consumers may wait for discounts to be triggered before placing an order. Consider only offering a discount after sending one or two informational branded emails. Giving a discount should be your last resort.
Eye-opening abandoned cart email stats
These stats reveal just how impactful abandoned cart emails can be. And the most effective tactics for driving sales.
The average cart abandonment rate for retail is 76.34%
A whopping 76.34% of online shopping carts are abandoned for retail eCommerce stores. This means 3 out of 4 carts are left behind. Abandoned cart emails can help you reclaim these potential sales.
The average conversion rate for cart abandonment emails is 2.9%
A sequence of recovery emails can re-engage customers and recover 2.9% of lost sales. For a store that averages $40,000 in monthly sales, that adds up to an additional $13,920 in revenue annually just by using abandoned cart emails.
Send emails within 1 hour for a 10.7% conversion rate
Timing matters. Sending a cart abandonment email within 1 hour can lead to a 10.7% purchase completion rate.
Personalization results in 82% higher open rates and 56% more sales
Personalizing your emails with customer names and specific cart items can increase open rates by 82% and boost sales by 56%.
31% of stores include offers in their abandoned cart emails
Including incentives like discounts or free shipping in your emails can significantly improve recovery rates. Over 30% of eCommerce stores offer a small discount or free shipping to entice customers to complete their purchase.
48% of people open emails on mobile, and 69% delete non-optimized emails
Almost half of emails are opened on mobile devices, and 69% of mobile users will delete emails that aren't mobile-friendly. Make sure your emails are responsive and look great on all devices.
Sending a third follow-up email increases the response rate by 33%
Sending multiple follow-up emails can boost your chances. A third follow-up email can increase the likelihood of a response by 33%.
Sense of urgency increases opens by 22%
Using urgent language in your emails can increase open rates. "Urgent" emails see a 22% higher open rate.
90% of online shoppers consider reviews when buying
Customer reviews and testimonials are powerful. Around 90% of consumers consider reviews when making a purchase.
Emails with images achieve 42% higher clickthrough rates
Adding images of the items can boost click throughs by 42%. Always include an image of the items left behind to boost conversions.
47% of people open emails based on the subject line
Nearly half of email recipients open emails based on the subject line alone. Craft compelling subject lines to increase your open rates.
6.25% of people click back to their abandoned carts
On average, 6.25% of recipients click through from abandoned cart emails back to their carts.
A/B testing can increase email marketing revenue by 50%
Regularly test different elements of your emails to see what works best. A VWO study found that eCommerce websites using split testing increase their average revenue by $3 per unique visitor—up to 50%.
27% drop in conversions if you wait one day
Timing is everything when it comes to abandoned cart emails. Sending your email within 1 hour of cart abandonment can achieve a 15% conversion rate. However, the conversion rate drops by 27% if you wait a full day.
Boost sales with cart abandonment emails
If you're not utilizing triggered emails to retarget customers who abandon their shopping carts, you're missing out on one of the most effective online marketing tactics. Adding abandoned cart emails to your strategy can help you recover lost revenue.
Look into adding this to your marketing mix today. Follow the abandoned cart email best practices and watch your revenue grow.
Optimizing your email strategy is just one part of running a successful store. You also need to sell the right products. That's where the SaleHoo Directory can help.
You can discover high-demand, low-competition products from a wide range of verified suppliers. Source quality products with confidence.
Explore the SaleHoo Directory!
If you have any questions about email marketing or anything else related to eCommerce, get in touch with our friendly support team. We're here to provide free, expert advice on how to build a winning eCommerce business.
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