An abandoned cart email is an automatic reminder sent to a shopper who added items to their cart but didn't buy. A simple series is three emails: one within a few hours, one the next day, and a last one two or three days later. About 70% of online carts are abandoned, according to Baymard Institute.
I build abandoned cart emails and other automated flows for online stores, mostly in Klaviyo on Shopify. Here's how I'd set one up, with three example emails you can copy and make your own.
| When to send | What it says | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Reminder | 1 to 4 hours after they leave | You left something behind, with a photo and a link back to the cart |
| 2. Help | About 24 hours later | Answers the doubt that stopped them: shipping, returns or sizing |
| 3. Last nudge | 2 to 3 days later | A final reminder, plus an offer only if you choose to use one |
Why do shoppers abandon their carts?
The top reason is surprise costs. In Baymard Institute's research, 40% of shoppers who abandoned a cart said extra costs like shipping, tax or fees were too high. Slow delivery, not trusting the site with card details, and being forced to create an account came next.
| Reason | Share of shoppers |
|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% |
| Delivery too slow | 20% |
| Didn't trust the site with card details | 19% |
| Had to create an account | 18% |
| Checkout too long or complicated | 17% |
| Website errors or crashes | 17% |
Think of every abandoned cart as a shopping cart left in the middle of a parking lot. Somebody wanted that stuff enough to push it around. Then something got in the way, and they drove off. An abandoned cart email is you, politely, wheeling the cart back over to their car.
Do abandoned cart emails actually work?
Yes, because they reach people who already showed they wanted to buy. A shopper who added items to a cart is far warmer than someone who never visited. The email doesn't have to convince them from scratch. It only has to remove whatever stopped them.
The catch: an email cannot fix a broken checkout. If surprise costs are the top reason people leave, and your shipping price only shows up on the last step, the email just sends them back to the same surprise. (Surprise! Still $19 shipping.)
That's why I look at the store first. A free website audit checks the checkout steps where shoppers bail, before you spend time on emails.
Abandoned cart email examples you can copy
These three examples follow the series above. Copy them, change the words so they sound like you, and add a photo of the product and a button back to the cart in each one.
- Email 1. Subject: You left something good behind. "Hey {first name}, your cart is still here, exactly how you left it. No pressure. If you got pulled away, it's one tap to pick up where you left off." Button: Back to my cart
- Email 2. Subject: Quick question about your order. "Was anything unclear? Here's the short version: shipping is [your shipping], returns are [your policy], and if you're between sizes, [your sizing tip]. Reply to this email and a real person will answer." Button: Finish my order
- Email 3. Subject: Last call on your cart. "We'll stop bugging you after this one, promise. Your items are still here, but we can't hold them forever. [Optional: here's 10% off if you finish today.]" Button: Complete my order
Notice what is missing: guilt. No crying emoji. No "our hearts are broken." You're a store, not an ex.
When should you send abandoned cart emails?
Send the first email within a few hours, while the shopper still remembers the cart. Send the second about a day later and the last one two or three days after that. Stop the series the moment they buy, so nobody gets reminded about something they already paid for.
That last part matters more than it sounds. Nothing says "we're paying attention" like asking someone to finish an order that is already on a truck to their house.
Should you offer a discount in an abandoned cart email?
Not always. A discount can win back price-sensitive shoppers, but if every abandoned cart gets one, regular shoppers learn to leave carts on purpose. Try the series without a discount first, and add one only to the last email if your margins allow it.
Train your customers, or they will train you. Give a coupon to every abandoned cart and you will soon have a list full of professional cart-abandoners with a side hustle in coupons.
How do you set up abandoned cart emails on Shopify?
Shopify includes a basic abandoned checkout email you can turn on in its settings. Tools like Klaviyo add more control: a series of several emails, product images, and rules that skip people who already bought. Either way, test it yourself with a real cart before you trust it.
Testing sounds boring. It is boring. It's also how you find out your "last call" email goes out after the order is already delivered.
If you'd rather have it built, tested and tracked for you, that's part of my email follow-up service, with a 90-day money-back guarantee.
What I check on a store before writing any emails
Before I write a single email, I add something to the cart and try to buy it on my phone. I check when the shipping cost first shows up, whether I'm forced to make an account, and how many steps checkout takes. Those match three of the top reasons in Baymard's list.
- Shipping cost shown on the product page or in the cart, not only at the last step
- Guest checkout allowed, so nobody has to make an account
- The return policy one click away from the cart
- Payment logos and a secure checkout note visible
- Buttons big enough for thumbs on a phone
Fix those first. Then the emails have a fair shot.
Common questions
What makes a good abandoned cart email?
A good abandoned cart email is short, shows the product the shopper left, has one clear button back to the cart, and answers the doubt that stopped them, like shipping or returns.
How many abandoned cart emails should I send?
Two or three is a good starting point. More than that tends to annoy shoppers more than it helps. Stop the series as soon as they buy.
What is the average cart abandonment rate?
Baymard Institute puts the average online shopping cart abandonment rate at about 70%, based on 50 studies.
Are abandoned cart emails allowed in Canada?
They can be, but consent matters. CASL requires permission to send commercial emails, so make sure shoppers agreed to hear from you, for example with a clear signup checkbox at checkout. See CASL in plain words. This is general information, not legal advice.
Losing shoppers at checkout? Start with a free website audit. I'll show you where your store loses people and what I'd fix first.
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