Someone spent 47 minutes on your site last night. Looked at six different products. Read the reviews. Checked the shipping policy twice. Then they closed the tab and went to bed.
That's browse abandonment. It's not cart abandonment. They didn't even get that far.
And most ecommerce brands just let these people disappear forever.
Weird.
What Browse Abandonment Emails Actually Are
Browse abandonment emails trigger when someone looks at products on your site but leaves without adding anything to their cart. It's different from cart abandonment, where they at least showed buying intent by adding items.
Here's the thing: browse abandonment emails get 80% higher open rates and 50% higher click-through rates than regular email campaigns. Those numbers aren't made up. They're from actual ecommerce data. (See our email marketing benchmarks by industry for context on what "good" looks like.)
Why? Because the email is about something the person was just thinking about. It's relevant. It's timely. It doesn't feel like marketing.
"But they didn't add anything to cart, so they're probably not interested."
Cool take. Wrong, but cool.
Someone who spent real time looking at your products is interested. They just got distracted. Or they wanted to think about it. Or their kid started screaming and they had to close the laptop.
These people are not cold leads. They're warm. They just need a nudge.
Browse Abandonment vs Cart Abandonment
Quick breakdown because people confuse these constantly:
| Type | What Happened | Intent Level | Email Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browse Abandonment | Viewed products, left without adding to cart | Medium | Soft reminder, recommendations |
| Cart Abandonment | Added to cart, didn't checkout | High | Urgency, maybe discount |
| Checkout Abandonment | Started checkout, didn't finish | Very High | Direct recovery, remove friction |
See the difference? Browse abandoners need a gentler touch. They're earlier in the buying process.
Sending them a "YOUR CART IS WAITING" email when they never had a cart? That's confusing. And kind of desperate.
When to Send Browse Abandonment Emails
Timing matters. Here's what actually works:
Email 1: 1-4 hours after browsing
Not immediately. Give them time to come back on their own. But don't wait a full day either, or they'll forget what they were looking at.
Email 2: 24 hours later
Only if they didn't open the first one or didn't convert. This one can show related products or highlight reviews.
Email 3: 3-4 days later (optional)
Some brands do a third. Keep it light. Maybe a "still thinking about it?" angle with social proof.
Most browse abandonment flows are 2 emails. Three is pushing it. Four is harassment.
What to Include in Browse Abandonment Emails
The basics that work:
1. The exact product they viewed
This is obvious but brands screw it up constantly. Dynamic content that pulls in what they actually looked at. Not random products. Not bestsellers. The specific thing.
2. Product image front and center
People are visual. A big, clean product image beats a wall of text every time.
3. One clear CTA
"Continue Browsing" or "Take Another Look" or "See It Again." Not three different buttons. Not a paragraph explaining why they should click. One button.
4. Social proof (optional but effective)
Reviews, star ratings, "47 people bought this today." Something that makes them feel like other humans validated the choice.
5. Return policy or shipping info
Sometimes people leave because they're not sure about returns or shipping costs. Address that directly.
Browse Abandonment Email Examples That Work
Let me break down what makes good ones actually good.
The Simple Reminder
Subject: "Still thinking about it?"
Body: Product image, product name, one sentence like "You were checking this out earlier. It's still here if you want it." Single CTA button.
Why it works: No pressure. No fake urgency. Just a helpful reminder.
The Recommendation Angle
Subject: "You might also like these"
Body: The product they viewed plus 3-4 related items. "Based on what you were browsing, these might be up your alley."
Why it works: Gives them options. Maybe the first product wasn't quite right, but something similar is.
The Social Proof Play
Subject: "This one's popular"
Body: Product image, star rating, snippet of a great review. "327 people bought this last month. Here's what they're saying."
Why it works: Removes doubt. If other people love it, maybe they will too.
The Soft Scarcity
Subject: "Running low on [product]"
Body: Only use this if it's actually true. "We noticed you were looking at [product]. Heads up, we only have 12 left."
Why it works: Real scarcity creates urgency without being manipulative. Fake scarcity destroys trust.
Subject Lines That Get Opens
Browse abandonment subject lines should be:
- Short (under 50 characters)
- Specific to what they viewed (if possible)
- Curious, not pushy
Good examples:
- "Still thinking about the [product name]?"
- "You left something behind"
- "Did you forget about this?"
- "Your recently viewed items"
- "That [product] is still available"
Bad examples:
- "HURRY! Don't miss out on this DEAL!" (They didn't add to cart. Calm down.)
- "We miss you!" (Creepy from a brand they barely interacted with)
- "Last chance to buy!" (It's not. You'll have it tomorrow.)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Sending to everyone who visits
Someone who looked at one product for 3 seconds doesn't need a browse abandonment email. Set a threshold. Good email segmentation applies here too. Maybe they viewed 2+ products, or spent more than 30 seconds on a product page.
Including a discount immediately
You're training people to abandon intentionally. Save discounts for cart abandonment or email 2/3 of the sequence. The first browse abandonment email should just be a reminder.
Forgetting mobile optimization
More than half your emails get opened on phones. If your product images are tiny or your CTA button is impossible to tap, you've wasted the send.
No exclusion rules
If someone already bought, stop sending browse abandonment emails for that product. Sounds obvious. You'd be surprised how many brands mess this up.
Setting Up the Flow
Most ESPs make this straightforward (see our guide on email marketing automation for the bigger picture):
- Create a segment for people who viewed products but didn't add to cart
- Set your time delay (start with 2 hours)
- Build the email with dynamic product blocks
- Set exit conditions (purchased, added to cart, unsubscribed)
- Turn it on and monitor
Start simple. One email. See how it performs. Then add a second if conversion rates justify it.
Don't over-engineer this. A basic browse abandonment email that actually sends is worth more than a sophisticated 5-email flow that you never finish building.
FAQ
What's the difference between browse abandonment and cart abandonment?
Browse abandonment is when someone views products but leaves without adding anything to cart. Cart abandonment is when they add items to cart but don't check out. Cart abandoners have shown more buying intent, so they get different messaging.
How long after someone browses should I send the first email?
1-4 hours works for most brands. Too soon feels creepy. Too late and they've forgotten. Test different windows, but 2-3 hours is a solid starting point.
Should I offer a discount in browse abandonment emails?
Not in the first email. Start with a simple reminder. If they don't convert after 2-3 emails, then consider a small incentive. Leading with discounts trains people to expect them.
How many browse abandonment emails should I send?
Most successful flows use 2 emails. Some brands do 3. More than that is usually overkill. If they haven't converted after 3 touches, move on.
What's a good open rate for browse abandonment emails?
Industry average is around 35-45% open rate, significantly higher than regular promotional emails. Click rates typically range from 5-10%. If you're below these, check your subject lines and send timing.