Your cart abandonment rate is probably around 70%. That means seven out of ten people who add something to their cart just... leave.
They were about to buy your thing. Credit card in hand. Then their kid started screaming, their boss Slacked them, or they just closed the tab to "think about it."
And now they've completely forgotten you exist.
Sad.
A decent abandoned cart email sequence recovers 15-25% of that lost revenue. That's money you're leaving on the table if you're not doing this.
Why Abandoned Cart Emails Actually Work
Timing. That's it.
Someone was interested enough to add your product to their cart. The intent was there. They just got distracted or had second thoughts.
An email 1-4 hours later catches them while they still remember wanting it. It's not intrusive. It's helpful.
Conversion rates on these? 5-10x higher than your regular promo emails.
Not a typo. That's real.
The psychology is simple: People hate unfinished tasks. An abandoned cart creates a tiny bit of cognitive dissonance. Your email gives them an easy path to resolve it.
And before you say, "But won't I annoy people?"
Oh please.
That's just something a 22-year-old fake guru told you so you'd feel better about not following up. Cool story.
The unsubscribe rate on cart abandonment emails is under 0.5%. Lower than almost any other email type. People expect these. They're part of the shopping experience now.
The 5-Email Sequence (Timing Matters)
Here's the exact sequence that works. Don't get cute and try to reinvent it. (And make sure your subject lines are on point — they determine whether anyone opens these at all.)
Email 1: The Reminder (1 hour after abandonment)
Subject: "You left something behind"
Just remind them. No discount. No pressure. Show them what's in their cart with product images and a clear CTA to complete checkout.
Conversion rate: 3-5%
Email 2: The Social Proof (6-8 hours after abandonment)
Subject: "Still thinking about [product name]?"
Add customer reviews, ratings, or "X people bought this today" stats. Address common objections through social proof.
Conversion rate: 2-4%
Email 3: The Urgency (24 hours after abandonment)
Subject: "Your cart expires in 24 hours"
Create legitimate scarcity. If you hold inventory for 48 hours, say so. If stock is actually limited, show it. Don't manufacture fake urgency. People can smell it.
Conversion rate: 1-3%
Email 4: The Discount (48-72 hours after abandonment)
Subject: "Here's 10% off to complete your order"
This is where you offer an incentive. Not on email 1. You've already converted the easy ones. Now you're negotiating with the price-sensitive shoppers.
Keep the discount modest. 10-15% max. You're trying to close the deal, not give away margin.
Conversion rate: 3-6%
Email 5: The Final Nudge (7 days after abandonment)
Subject: "Last chance: Your cart is about to expire"
The hail mary. Restate the discount. Add urgency. Make it easy with a one-click checkout link.
After this, if they haven't bought, move on. They're not converting.
Conversion rate: 1-2%
What to Say in Each Email
Every email needs three things: product imagery, social proof, and a clear CTA.
Show the exact items they abandoned with images. Make the CTA button massive and obvious. Include customer reviews or testimonials. Pre-fill their cart when they click through.
Skip the paragraphs explaining your return policy. Skip unrelated product recommendations. Skip burying the checkout button under a wall of text.
The goal is to remove friction, not add more content.
And please, for the love of deliverability, don't send these from a no-reply email address. People have questions. Let them reply.
Common Mistakes That Kill Recovery Rates
Sending all 5 emails to everyone.
If someone converts on email 1, don't send them emails 2-5. Segment based on behavior. This should be automatic in any decent ESP. (For more on browse abandonment emails, see our dedicated guide.)
Offering a discount in email 1.
You're training people to abandon carts to get a discount. Don't do this. Let emails 1-3 convert the people who were already going to buy.
Using generic subject lines.
"Your cart is waiting" performs 40% worse than personalized subject lines with the product name or brand.
Test: "Your [Product Name] is waiting" or "Still want those [Category] items?"
Not mobile-optimizing.
60% of cart abandonments happen on mobile. If your email doesn't render perfectly on iPhone, you're losing half your potential conversions.
Test every email on mobile before you launch the sequence.
Ignoring deliverability.
Abandoned cart emails have a weird relationship with spam filters because they're triggered, not broadcast.
Make sure you're authenticating your domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Use a reputable ESP. Warm up your sending domain if it's new.
One client ignored this, got their abandoned cart emails routed to spam, and wondered why their recovery rate was 2%. It's not the copy. It's your infrastructure.
FAQ
How many abandoned cart emails should I send?
3-5 emails over 7 days is the sweet spot. Less than 3 and you're leaving money on the table. More than 5 and you're annoying people for diminishing returns.
When should I offer a discount?
Email 4 (48-72 hours after abandonment). Don't train customers to abandon carts for a discount by offering it too early.
What if someone already purchased?
Suppress them immediately. Use your ESP's conversion tracking to remove buyers from the sequence. Sending cart emails to someone who already bought makes you look incompetent.
Should I send these to everyone who abandons?
No. Exclude people who abandon carts under $10 (not worth the send cost) and anyone who's abandoned 10+ times without buying (they're browsers, not buyers).
Do these work for digital products or just physical goods?
They work for anything. SaaS free trials, online courses, event tickets. The psychology is the same. Adjust the timing (digital products can be faster since there's no shipping) but the structure holds.
What's a good recovery rate?
15-25% of abandoned carts converted is strong. Below 10% means something is broken (deliverability, timing, copy, or your checkout flow itself).
If you're not running an abandoned cart sequence, you're literally giving away 15-25% of your revenue to... nobody. Just leaving it there.
Set this up once. Let it run. Print money.