How to set up an abandoned cart email Shopify successfully

Most e-commerce store owners face the problem of abandoned cart orders. In most cases, potential customers begin filling out their checkout form, only to abandon it and never return.

Site owners have to fix this problem if they don’t want to lose sales. And, the most effective approach for solving this issue is to set up an abandoned cart email in Shopify that encourages customers to come back and finalize their purchases.

In this blog, we will give you a comprehensive guide on how to set up an abandoned cart email in Shopify successfully. Let’s dive into the article now!

What is a Shopify abandoned cart email?

A Shopify abandoned cart email is a type of automated email that Shopify store owners can send to customers who have placed items in their cart but haven’t finalized their purchase. These emails are designed to remind and encourage customers to return to the website and complete their abandoned cart transactions.

The primary purpose of a Shopify abandoned cart email is to recover potentially lost sales by re-engaging with customers who showed an initial interest in the products but did not follow through with the purchase. 

In fact, according to a study by Baymard Institute, emails sent to recover abandoned shopping carts typically achieve an average open rate of 45% and a click-through rate of 23%. This means that nearly half of all abandoned cart emails are opened, and over a fifth of those emails lead to a customer returning to their cart and completing their purchase.

These emails typically include information about the abandoned items, sometimes with images and descriptions. They may also include incentives like discounts or free shipping to entice customers to complete their purchases.

Shopify provides tools and settings for store owners to customize the content and timing of these emails, allowing for personalized and automated follow-up. The goal is to re-engage customers and improve the conversion rate of abandoned cart visitors, thereby increasing the overall sales and revenue for the online store.

Why do you need to set up an abandoned cart email in Shopify?

• Recover Lost Sales: Many potential customers start the checkout process but abandon their carts for various reasons, such as distractions, uncertainty, or unexpected costs. Abandoned cart emails allow you to recover these potentially lost sales by re-engaging with these customers.
• Increase Conversion Rates: Abandoned cart emails are highly effective in prompting customers to return to their carts and complete their purchases. Sending a well-timed and persuasive email can significantly increase your conversion rates.
• Customer Retention: Sending an abandoned cart email demonstrates that you value your customers and are willing to assist them in the purchasing process. This can enhance customer loyalty and increase the likelihood of them returning to your store in the future.
• Customization and Personalization: Shopify allows you to customize and personalize your abandoned cart emails. You can include product details, images, and even offer discounts or incentives to entice customers to return, making the email more effective and appealing.
• Automated Follow-Up: Abandoned cart emails can be automated, saving you time and effort. Once you set up the email sequence, Shopify will automatically send follow-up emails at scheduled intervals, ensuring you don’t miss an opportunity to recover a sale.
• Data Collection and Analysis: By using abandoned cart emails, you can gather data and insights into customer behavior. You can analyze which products are frequently abandoned and use this information to optimize your website and pricing.
• Competitive Advantage: In the competitive e-commerce landscape, offering abandoned cart recovery emails is a standard practice. Implementing this feature can give you an edge and help you stay competitive in the market.

In summary, setting up abandoned cart emails in Shopify is crucial for recovering potential sales, increasing conversion rates, retaining customers, and improving your overall e-commerce success. It’s a valuable tool for reducing cart abandonment rates and maximizing revenue for your online store.

12 Steps to set up abandoned cart email in Shopify

Setting up abandoned cart email functionality in Shopify involves a series of steps. Here’s a 12-step guide to help you configure this feature:

Step 1: Log in to Your Shopify Admin

Open your web browser, go to Shopify, and log in to your admin dashboard.

Step 2: Access the Shopify Admin Dashboard

Once logged in, you’ll land on your Shopify admin dashboard.

Step 3: Navigate to Settings

Select “Settings” positioned in the lower-left corner of your Shopify admin panel.

Step 4: Choose Notifications

In the “Settings” menu, select “Notifications.”

Step 5: Set Up Your Abandoned Checkout Email

• Scroll down to the “Abandoned Checkouts” section.
• Click on “Abandoned Checkouts” to configure your abandoned cart email.

Step 6: Customize Email Content

• Customize the subject, sender name, and email content of your abandoned cart email.
• You can use placeholders to personalize the email, such as the customer’s name or abandoned cart details.

Step 7: Enable the Abandoned Checkout Email

Make sure to toggle the “Enabled” option to activate the abandoned cart email.

Step 8: Schedule Email Timing

Choose the timing for sending the abandoned cart email. Shopify offers various options, for example, sending it 1 hour, 6 hours, or 24 hours following cart abandonment.

Step 9: Customize Additional Notifications (Optional)

While in the “Notifications” settings, you can also customize other email notifications related to orders, shipping, and customer interactions if needed.

Step 10: Preview and Test the Email

• Before saving your changes, use the “Preview” option to preview how the email will look to customers.
• You can also dispatch a test email to your own address to ensure it looks and functions as intended. 

Step 11: Save Your Settings

After customizing the email and setting the timing, click the “Save” button to implement your alterations.

Step 12: Monitor and Analyze Results

• Once the abandoned cart email is active, regularly monitor its performance through Shopify’s reporting and analytics tools.
• Analyze how effective your emails are in recovering abandoned carts, and consider making adjustments if necessary.

By following these 12 steps, you can successfully set up and configure abandoned cart emails in your Shopify store to recover potentially lost sales and enhance your e-commerce business’s success.

Tips for successfully setting up abandoned cart email in Shopify

Setting up abandoned cart email functionality in Shopify is just the beginning. To ensure the success of your abandoned cart email campaign, consider the following tips:

• Timing is Crucial: Choose the right timing for your abandoned cart emails. Test different time intervals (e.g., 1 hour, 6 hours, 24 hours) to find what works best for your audience.
• Personalization: Customize your emails with the customer’s name, abandoned cart items, and any other relevant information. Personalized emails are more engaging.
• Compelling Subject Lines: Craft attention-grabbing subject lines that encourage customers to open your email. A clear and persuasive subject line is key to getting noticed.
• Clear Call to Action (CTA): Make the purpose of the email clear and include a prominent CTA button that directs customers back to their cart. Use action-oriented phrases like “Complete Your Purchase.”
• Incentives and Discounts: Consider offering incentives or discounts in your abandoned cart emails. Sometimes, a small discount can be the push customers need to complete their purchase.
• Engaging Content: Your email content should be captivating, concise, and visually appealing. Use high-quality images of the abandoned items and concise product descriptions.
• Social Proof: Include social proof, like customer reviews or testimonials, to build trust and show the value of the products left in the cart.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly since many customers access their emails on mobile devices. Your email and the checkout process should work smoothly on smartphones and tablets.
• A/B Testing: Experiment with different email templates, subject lines, content, and incentives. A/B testing can assist you in determining what resonates most effectively with your audience.
• Segmentation: Divide your email list according to customer behavior. For example, send different follow-up emails to first-time visitors and returning customers.
• Monitor and Analyze: Use Shopify’s analytics tools to monitor the effectiveness of your abandoned cart emails. Keep an eye on metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
• Follow Up with a Series: Consider sending a series of abandoned cart emails rather than a single reminder. A well-timed sequence can be more effective in recovering sales.
• Customer Support: Provide clear contact information in your emails in case customers have questions or encounter issues during the checkout process.
• Optimize Your Checkout Process: Make sure your checkout process is as smooth and user-friendly as possible to reduce cart abandonment in the first place.
• Compliance with Anti-Spam Regulations: Ensure that you comply with anti-spam regulations in your region when sending emails. This involves offering a straightforward method for recipients to opt out of receiving further emails.

By implementing these tips, you can increase the effectiveness of your abandoned cart email strategy and recover more sales from customers who have shown an interest in your products but didn’t complete their purchases.

5 Shopify abandoned cart recovery apps for your Shopify store

Recovering abandoned shopping carts is a crucial aspect of e-commerce, and there are various Shopify apps designed to help you with this task. Here are five Shopify abandoned cart recovery apps that were popular at the time:

Avada Email Marketing, SMS, Pop Up provides a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to transform their website visitors and potential leads into loyal customers. 

This platform allows you to engage and convert your customer base through multiple communication channels, such as email marketing, SMS, push notifications, and WhatsApp. 

The primary functionalities encompass intelligent email campaigns, automated processes, mass emailing, newsletters, SMS marketing, sales popup forms, audience segmentation, in-depth analytics, campaign monitoring, interactive spin-to-win elements, and push notifications.

Key characteristics: 

• Automation Workflows 
• Newsletter campaigns 
• Capturing leads via Popup & Forms 
• Various email marketing templates
• Personalization

Pricing: Free to install, 16$ per month for the pro level, and 47$ per month for the advanced level. 

Rating: 4.9 stars based on 1,419 reviews

2. PushOwl

Through PushOwl‘s web push feature, you can effortlessly transform store visitors into subscribers in a single click, without personal details like email addresses or phone numbers.

Deliver web push notifications to your subscribers’ devices, promoting products and offers directly on their screens, effectively converting them into customers and boosting sales. Web push notifications serve as an ideal marketing avenue for swiftly engaging and marketing to unidentified online shoppers.

Leveraging PushOwl enables you to enhance sales by employing focused web push strategies and easily reclaiming abandoned shopping carts, ultimately driving more purchases.

Key characteristics: 

• Instantly collect subscribers 
• Craft a web push campaign in minutes
• Recover abandoned carts 
• Understand customer behavior and personalize your marketing
• Track your web push marketing performance

Pricing: Free to install, 2 options for business level, starting from 19$/ month and 38$/ month

Rating: 5 stars based on 2,759 reviews

3. Sendvio: Email Marketing & SMS

Sendvio stands as an all-inclusive email and SMS marketing automation solution designed to cultivate customer loyalty and enhance customer retention.

With Sendvio, you can effortlessly integrate robust editors directly into your Shopify dashboard. This integration provides you with access to diverse template libraries for email campaigns, popup forms, and finely-tuned workflows. 

These resources empower you to craft personalized email and SMS automation strategies that offer substantial value to your customers.

Key characteristics: 

• Workflow editor for email and SMS automation 
• Ready-made templates 
• Audience management toolset 
• Revenue reports 
• Multiple tools to improve and protect reputation.

Pricing: free to install, 11$/ month for starter level, 38$/ month for growth level, and 98$/ month for business level. 

Rating: 4,9 stars based on 449 reviews

4. Postscript SMS Marketing

Postscript is a versatile tool designed for developing and implementing SMS programs to boost revenue by actively engaging customers through text messages.

Postscript facilitates meaningful interactions and conversions throughout every phase of the customer journey. Whether you’re communicating individually or reaching a large audience, Postscript ensures that your text messages are personalized, conversational, and fully compliant with relevant regulations.

Leverage SMS Marketing to expand your subscriber list, craft effective messaging strategies, offer customer support, and drive sales. SMS Sales combines the expertise of trained sales associates with specialized SMS Sales software to interact with your subscribers, effectively converting more of them into satisfied customers.

Key characteristics: 

• Drive traffic and sales 
• Track revenue and ROI 
• Manage and respond to text conversations
• Engage audiences 
• Ensure your messages arrive quickly 

Pricing: Free to install, 100$/ month for the growth level, and 500$/ month for the professional level. 

Rating: 4,9 stars based on 1,932 reviews

5. Zalify Pixels, Popups & Emails

Zalify is a tool for seamlessly gathering precise customer data, enabling the creation of tailored campaigns and realizing a greater return on investment (ROI).

By harnessing Zalify’s capabilities, you can unlock your marketing potential. The tool aids in the collection of accurate customer data, which can be leveraged to create highly personalized popups and email campaigns that not only boost sales but also maximize ROI.

Zalify provides unparalleled insights into customer behaviors and interactions, equipping you with the knowledge needed to make well-informed marketing choices and drive sustainable growth.

Key characteristics: 

• Seamless browser and server-side pixel tracking
• Integrated traffic, product, and sales data into a single report
• Retrieve abandoned shopping carts and checkouts 
• Create personalized popups, forms, and email campaigns

Pricing: Free to install, 19$/month for the basic level, 49$/ month for the pro level, and 99$/ month for the premium level.

Rating: 4,9 stars based on 137 reviews

The bottom line

In conclusion, mastering the art of setting up abandoned cart emails in Shopify is not just about recovering lost sales; it’s about building lasting connections with your customers. By creating a seamless, personalized, and timely recovery process, you not only entice shoppers to complete their purchases but also demonstrate your commitment to their needs.