Abandoned cart email examples
Abandoned cart email examples: the three-email sequence, timing, subject lines, when to offer a discount, and the mistakes that train people to wait.
TLDR
- The classic sequence is three emails: a reminder within the hour, help or proof after a day, and a last nudge (maybe with an offer) after two or three days.
- The first email does most of the work. Make it simple: the product, a picture, one button back to the cart.
- Don’t discount in email one. You’ll train people to abandon on purpose.
The three-email sequence
Email 1: the reminder (within an hour). “You left something behind.” Product photo, name, price, and one button back to the cart. No discount, no essay. Most people just got distracted.
Email 2: the help (about a day later). Answer the objection. Shipping, returns, sizing, reviews. “Still thinking? Free returns for 100 days.” Some brands add a short quote from a customer here.
Email 3: the last nudge (two or three days later). The cart’s about to expire, stock is low (only if true), or here’s a small offer. This is where a discount goes, if you use one at all.
Subject lines
You left something behindStill thinking about the trail runners?Your cart's waiting (and it ships free)Last call on your cart
Naming the product beats a generic line, every time.
For SaaS checkouts
The same idea works when someone starts a paid plan and bails. Email one: “You were almost set up, here’s the link back.” Email two: answer the pricing question (“Can I cancel anytime? Yes.”). Email three: offer a call or extend the trial. Keep it human, it’s often a person’s credit card at stake.
Mistakes
- Discount in email one. Your best customers learn to wait.
- Fake urgency. “Only 2 left!” when there are 2,000. People notice.
- No picture. They forgot what they wanted. Show them.
- Five emails. Stop at three.
Collect sequences, not single emails
An abandoned cart flow only makes sense as a sequence: the order and the gaps are the strategy. Next time you abandon a cart on purpose (we all do it for research), forward each email to your swipe file. Savepad keeps emails as emails, and on paid plans you can keep them as a sequence: in order, with the time between each. Same goes for welcome emails and onboarding flows. The email swipe file post has more.
FAQ
When should you send an abandoned cart email?
The first within an hour or so, while they still remember. A second after about a day, and a third after two or three days. Test your own timing.
Should abandoned cart emails include a discount?
Not in the first one. Save it for the last email, if at all. Discounting straight away teaches regular customers to abandon carts on purpose.
How many abandoned cart emails should you send?
Two or three. Most of the recovered revenue comes from the first one, and after the third you're just annoying people.