Abandoned shopping carts are a huge missed revenue opportunity for ecommerce businesses. The average abandoned cart rate is 69.57%. However, sending targeted abandoned cart emails can recover many of those lost sales.
This guide will provide everything Shopify merchants need to create effective abandoned cart emails and win back customers using built-in Shopify functionality. We’ll cover:
Follow these steps to maximize abandoned cart recovery on Shopify and watch your conversion rates and revenue grow.
When a customer adds items to their cart but leaves without purchasing, you have a second chance to bring them back through abandoned cart messaging. Here’s why it’s worth optimizing your strategy:
Well-crafted emails can convert a significant portion of abandoned carts into paying customers, delivering an instant sales boost.
Analyzing cart abandonment behavior helps you identify and address usability issues impacting checkout conversion.
Sending dynamic, personalized emails showcasing their intended purchases improves remarketing relevance.
Asking for feedback provides insights into gaps in the buyer journey you can fix.
Reaching out shows customers you value their business and keeps your brand top of mind for future purchases.
Enabling Shopify’s built-in abandoned cart recovery functionality provides the foundation you need to execute this proven marketing strategy.
Shopify makes it easy to get automated abandoned cart emails up and running quickly:
In your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Checkout and toggle “Recover abandoned checkouts” on.
Specify how long after abandoning their cart customers should receive the email. We recommend 1 hour.
Edit the pre-populated email content to match your branding. You can fully customize the copy, design, images, etc.
Select a sender name and email address. Many stores use their branded domain (ex. hello@yourstore.com)
That’s the basic setup! Now let’s look at optimizing your abandoned cart messaging and email copy for maximum recovery.
Follow these best practices when customizing your Shopify abandoned cart emails:
Lead with a promotion like 15% off or free shipping to entice them to return and complete their purchase.
Get to the value proposition quickly. Clearly showcase the cart items they left and make the CTA prominent.
Avoid generic subject lines and instead reference the product they wanted or incentive being offered.
Add images of the products they intended to buy to remind them what caught their interest.
Configure your emails to be sent immediately after cart abandonment for optimal open rates.
Most will open emails on their phones. Use a responsive template optimized for mobile.
Invite them to reply with questions and offer to immediately help complete the purchase.
Asking a question provides insights into why they abandoned that you can use to improve conversion.
If you have reviews, testimonials, or customer images, weave them in to provide reassurance.
Here are some pre-built email templates and copy you can adapt for your Shopify store’s abandoned cart recovery campaigns:
Subject: Don’t Forget Your Cart!
Hi [First Name],
You recently visited [Store Name] and added the [product name + details] below to your cart, but didn’t complete checkout.
We wanted to let you know this item is still reserved for you! But I won't be able to hold it much longer.
Complete your purchase in the next 24 hours and use code SAVE10 to take 10% off your order.
[Image of product]
If you have any questions or need assistance completing your order, simply reply to this email. I’m happy to help get your purchase finalized!
We hope to see you again soon.
[Button to complete purchase]
Cheers,
[Your Name]
[Store Name]
Subject: Just 24 Hours Left to Get 25% Off!
Hi [First Name],
I noticed you started checkout at [Store] yesterday but didn’t complete your order for the [product name] below:
[Image of product]
I’m holding this item for just 24 more hours! Complete your purchase before it expires and take 25% off your order with code SUMMER25.
Sorry for the rush - I can only offer discounts for a limited time! Let me know if you have any other questions.
[Button to complete purchase]
Thanks,
[Your Name]
[Store Name]
Subject: Mind Taking a Quick Survey?
Hi [First Name],
I saw you visited [Store] and started a purchase for [product details], but didn’t complete checkout.
We really appreciate all customer feedback so we can improve our buying experience.
Please take a minute to complete 3 quick questions about what made you abandon your cart:
We value all your input to help us identify issues and make purchasing as seamless as possible. Thanks so much! Feel free to follow up if any other thoughts come to mind. We hope to see you again soon.
[Your Name]
[Store Name]
Beyond well-crafted email copy, here are some additional tips for recovering more lost sales:
With optimization, you can achieve a 50% or higher recovery rate from abandoned carts. Consistently nurturing them will become a proven sales strategy.
Here are answers to some common questions merchants have:
We recommend configuring emails to be sent immediately, within 1 hour max. The faster the better!
Aim for at least a 20-30% open rate. The quicker emails are deployed after abandoning, the higher open rates tend to be.
Shoot for a CTR of at least 15%. Well-designed abandoned cart emails can reach towards a 35% CTR.
Stick to 1 initial email, and 1 follow up reminder 24 hours later if they don’t respond. More than that sees diminishing returns.
Yes, tweak your messaging and offer in the follow-up email to increase appeal. Test subject lines as well.
Discounts, free gifts, free express shipping, and limited-time promotions tend to work well. Know your customers.
Bring back lost revenue and customers through optimized Shopify abandoned cart emails. Follow this guide to set up and maximize your automated campaigns. Consistently driving basket completion translates to dramatic sales growth.