Abandoned shopping carts: how it works
Here you can see what happens from when the customer adds an item to the shopping cart until the email is sent, what stops it, and why an email might not be sent. The setup is described in the article
ℹ️ Requires Plus
From shopping cart to email
1.The shopping cart is saved. The store saves the shopping cart when the customer's email address is known. For a logged-in customer, it is the email on the account. A guest must have entered their email at checkout.
2.The waiting time passes. The first email arrives after the time you have set following the last change to the shopping cart. If the customer modifies the shopping cart again, the waiting time starts over from that change.
3.The email is sent. The store sends out reminders in batches every 15 minutes. Therefore, an email may arrive up to fifteen minutes after the scheduled time.
4.Next email. If you have selected two or three, the store waits the amount of time you have set after the previous email.
5.The shopping cart is deleted. After the last email, the saved shopping cart is deleted. Shopping carts that have not been modified for 30 days are also deleted.
Shopping carts are only saved while the feature is active. If you turn it off, all saved shopping carts are deleted.
What the email contains
- The products in the shopping cart, with name and quantity. The name is in the customer's language, or in the store's default language if missing.
- A button that opens the shopping cart with the same products and quantities again. The shopping cart is cleared first, so the customer doesn't get duplicate items. Price and name are read anew, so a changed price is displayed correctly.
- In the last email: a discount code that only works once, if you have selected a discount.
- The customer's name, if the template uses it. Guests do not have a name.
The email is sent from the store's standard sender address. If you have entered text in multiple languages in the email builder, the store uses the text in the customer's language and falls back to the default language.
What stops the reminders
Event | Result |
|---|---|
The customer places an order | The shopping cart is deleted and the emails stop. This also applies to an order created by an employee for the customer. |
The customer unsubscribes from the newsletter | Applies when the target audience is Newsletter subscribers: no more emails. |
The customer recently received a reminder | A new sequence waits until the pause is over (default 7 days). |
The products are disabled or deleted | They are omitted. If no products remain, no email is sent. |
The customer account is deleted | The shopping cart is deleted without an email. |
You turn off the feature | All saved shopping carts are deleted. |
The numbers on the page
Number | What it shows |
|---|---|
Open shopping carts | Carts that are saved and have not become an order. The number may lag by up to one minute. |
Customers with reminder | Customers who have received at least one email. |
Customers who ordered | Customers who ordered after receiving an email. All subsequent orders from the customer are counted, not just the order for this specific cart. |
Recovered | The proportion of customers with a reminder who ordered afterwards. |
Frequently asked questions
Why didn't the customer receive an email?
Go through these in order:
1.Is the feature enabled? You see the label Active at the top of the page.
2.Guest or account? A guest without an account will not receive an email when the target audience is Newsletter subscribers Change to All if you have a legal basis.
3.Newsletter? A customer with an account must have opted in to the newsletter in this target audience.
4.Does the store know the email address? A guest must have entered it in the standard checkout. Guests using the checkout from Acendy or Klarna do not provide the store with an email address before the order, so they do not receive a reminder.
5.Has enough time passed? The email is sent only after the waiting time is over, and in a batch every 15 minutes.
6.Has the customer placed an order? If so, the shopping cart has been deleted.
7.Did the customer receive a reminder recently? Then a new series will wait until the pause is over.
8.Are the products in the shopping cart turned off? Then no email will be sent.
9.Is outgoing email stopped for the store? Then the reminders will wait until it is turned back on.
Why did the customer receive two emails about the same shopping cart?
If the store also uses an automatic flow for abandoned shopping carts, for example in Klaviyo or via Flow in Personalized Shopping, both solutions will send their own email. Use only one of them.
Can the customer unsubscribe?
Customers with an account can unsubscribe from the newsletter, and the emails will stop when the target audience is "Newsletter subscribers" . The email does not have its own unsubscribe link.
What happens if I change the target audience afterwards?
The change applies from the next round. If you switch to "All" , you must confirm the legal basis again.
How many emails are sent in each round?
Up to 500 shopping carts per email set in each round. If there are more, the rest will be sent in the next round.