Abandoned cart emails: how to recover lost sales

MailyScaly team · Updated 2026-04-29 · ~8 min read

According to long-running research by the Baymard Institute, about 70% of all online shopping carts are abandoned — the shopper adds a product but never makes it to checkout. If your store sells $20,000 a month, that means roughly the same amount (or more) stalls one step short of the checkout every single month. An abandoned cart email sequence is the cheapest way to win some of it back — and in this guide we’ll show you exactly how to build one.

Why shoppers abandon carts

Before writing the emails, it’s worth understanding the reasons — because a good abandoned cart email answers them directly. The most common ones (according to Baymard surveys):

• Unexpected extra costs — shipping fees or taxes only revealed at checkout;
• Being forced to create an account before buying;
• A checkout process that’s too long or confusing;
• “I’ll think about it” — the shopper is simply comparing, hesitating, or postponing the decision;
• Doubts about returns or security.

Notice: not one of these reasons is “I don’t need the product.” The intent to buy was there — which is why a reminder works so well.

Why email, specifically?

An abandoned cart email reaches someone who was just one step away from buying — which is why its metrics are in a different league from regular campaigns. Averages published by various platforms (Omnisend, Klaviyo): an open rate of ~40%, i.e. 2–3 times higher than a standard newsletter, and typically 5–15% of abandoned carts recovered. Best of all, it’s an automation: you build it once and it works every day without you lifting a finger.

The 3-email sequence: structure, timing, content

In our experience, a three-email sequence works best. One email leaves money on the table, and five start to annoy. Here’s the formula:

Email #1 — the reminder (after 1 hour)

The simplest and most profitable email in the sequence. Its job is simply to remind and remove friction: one clear link back to the full cart (not to the homepage!). Show the products with photos and prices — the shopper should instantly remember what they left behind.

Email #2 — addressing doubts (after 12–24 hours)

If the first email didn’t work, there’s a doubt in the way. In the second email, answer it before the shopper even puts it into words: show your return policy, delivery speed, and real customer reviews of those exact products. Social proof works brilliantly here — “47 shoppers bought this item this month”.

Email #3 — the final nudge (after 48–72 hours)

The last message for those who weren’t moved by the reminder or the reassurance. Here it’s fair game to use urgency (the cart reservation is expiring, stock is running low — only if it’s true!) and, if your margins allow it, an incentive: free shipping or a 5–10% discount.

Discount strategy: how not to train customers to wait

A healthy rule: a discount only in the third email, and only for those who didn’t open or click the first two. Better still — segment: an incentive is justified for a first-time visitor (the first-purchase barrier is the highest), while a loyal customer usually only needs a reminder. In Omnisend automations, this is done with a conditional branch based on order history.

Technical setup in Omnisend

1. Trigger: use the standard “Abandoned Cart” event (requires a working store integration — Shopify, WooCommerce, or API).
2. Exit condition: make absolutely sure the sequence stops once the shopper completes the order — nothing is worse than a “return to your cart” email sent to someone who has already bought.
3. Cart contents block: add the dynamic “Cart items” block — products, photos, prices, and the button all update automatically.
4. Frequency capping: if a shopper abandons a cart several times a week, the sequence shouldn’t fire every single time — set a cooldown between runs.
5. A/B test: start with the subject lines of the first email — the biggest volume, the fastest results.

The 5 most common mistakes

1. One email instead of a sequence — the second and third emails together typically add 30–50% of the sequence’s total revenue.
2. First email sent a day later — intent has cooled and the shopper is already at a competitor’s.
3. A discount right away — see above: you’re training shoppers to wait.
4. Linking to the homepage instead of a direct link to the cart — every extra step costs conversion.
5. The sequence doesn’t stop after purchase — a technical detail that wrecks trust in all of your email.

How to measure results

• Recovery rate: what % of sequence recipients completed their purchase. Benchmark: 5–15%; below 3% means the sequence needs fixing.
• Revenue per recipient (RPE): the best metric for comparing email variants against each other.
• Unsubscribe rate: if the third email generates noticeably more unsubscribes than sales, shorten the sequence or soften the tone.

Omnisend shows all three metrics in the automation report — check them monthly, not daily: a sequence needs volume before the numbers become reliable.

Frequently asked questions