70% of shoppers who add items to cart don’t complete their purchase. Abandoned cart recovery is one of the highest-ROI activities for any Shopify store. Here’s a proven multi-channel strategy.
Shopify’s Built-In Abandoned Checkout Emails
Shopify automatically sends abandoned checkout emails if a customer has entered their email address. Enable this in Settings → Notifications → Abandoned checkout. The default delay is 1 hour — good for a first reminder.
Set Up a 3-Email Recovery Sequence
The most effective recovery sequences send 3 emails:
- Email 1 — 1 hour after abandonment: Simple reminder, no discount. “You left something behind.” Show the products with a direct checkout link.
- Email 2 — 24 hours after abandonment: Add social proof. Include product reviews, trust badges. Still no discount yet — many customers just need a reminder.
- Email 3 — 72 hours after abandonment: Offer a small discount (10% or free shipping). “Last chance” subject line. Create urgency with limited stock if applicable.
Add SMS Recovery for 3-5x Higher Open Rates
SMS has 98% open rates vs 20% for email. Use Klaviyo, Postscript, or SMSBump to add SMS recovery alongside your email sequence:
- SMS 1: 30 minutes after abandonment — short, direct, checkout link
- SMS 2: 24 hours later — discount code if not recovered
Best Subject Lines for Abandoned Cart Emails
- “Did you forget something?” (friendly, no pressure)
- “Your cart is about to expire” (urgency)
- “[Name], complete your order for 10% off” (personalisation + incentive)
- “Still thinking about [Product Name]?” (product-specific)
What to Include in Recovery Emails
- Product image(s) from cart
- Product name, variant, price
- Direct link back to checkout (not homepage)
- Trust signals (free returns, secure payment)
- Customer service contact
Measuring Recovery Rate
In Klaviyo or your email platform, track recovered revenue from your abandoned cart flow. Industry average recovery is 5-10%. With a well-optimised multi-channel approach, 15-25% is achievable.
