The short answer: The abandoned cart email examples that work share five things. They show the exact items left in the cart, answer the shopper's likely doubt (shipping cost, delivery time or trust), have one clear button back to checkout, sound like the store, and arrive within hours. Below are nine examples to adapt, and why each works.
Most carts never turn into orders. Baymard Institute averages 50 studies of online shopping and puts the documented cart abandonment rate at 70.22%. You can't win all of those back, but a well-written reminder is one of the few emails a shopper actually expects. The examples below are written out in full, so you can copy the structure, swap in your own words and products, and send something better than a generic "You forgot something".
What is an abandoned cart email?
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to a shopper who added products to their cart, or started checkout, and left without paying. It reminds them what they picked and links them straight back to finish the order.
On Shopify there are two moments, and they are easy to mix up. Shopify Messaging has a Recover abandoned cart template for shoppers who add products but don't start checkout, and a Recover abandoned checkout template for shoppers who start checkout but don't complete an order (Shopify Help Center). Shopify counts a checkout as abandoned when it stays incomplete for more than ten minutes after the customer has entered their email (Recovering abandoned checkouts).
Most of the "abandoned cart emails" in example galleries are really checkout emails. That is good news for your copy: the shopper has given you an email address, so you know who they are and exactly what they chose.
Why do shoppers abandon their carts?
Good examples start from the reason the shopper left. Baymard's survey of US online shoppers found that 42% have abandoned a cart because they were "just browsing / not ready to buy". Leaving those aside, these were the most common reasons, and the example below that answers each one:
| Reason shoppers gave (Baymard) | Share | Example that answers it |
|---|---|---|
| Extra costs too high (shipping, tax, fees) | 40% | 2. The shipping-cost answer |
| Delivery was too slow | 20% | 3. The delivery-date answer |
| Didn't trust the site with card details | 19% | 4. The trust and returns email |
| The site wanted me to create an account | 18% | 5. The guest checkout nudge |
| Returns policy wasn't satisfactory | 13% | 4. The trust and returns email |
| Couldn't see or calculate the total cost up front | 12% | 2. The shipping-cost answer |
Some reasons, such as a checkout that crashed (17% in the same survey), are site problems no email can fix. If one reason dominates your store, fix the checkout first and let the email do the reminding.
What makes an abandoned cart email work?
Strip any strong example down and you find the same seven parts. Use this as your checklist before you write a word:
- A subject line that says what the email is. The shopper should know it's about their cart before they open it. For a long list of ideas, see our abandoned cart email subject lines.
- Preview text that adds a second reason to open, such as "Your cart is saved" or "Free delivery over [amount]".
- The items themselves: image, product name, variant (size, colour) and price. This is the part shoppers recognise.
- One main button back to checkout, labelled with where it goes: "Return to my cart" or "Finish my order", not "Click here".
- An answer to the likely doubt: delivery cost, delivery date, returns or payment security.
- Your brand voice. The same tone as your site and other emails, so it reads like you and not like a system notice.
- A compliant footer. In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act requires an accurate subject line, your valid postal address and a working way to opt out, honoured within 10 business days.
9 abandoned cart email examples to adapt
Each example names when to use it, then gives a subject line, preview text, body and button. Replace anything in [brackets] with your own details and rewrite the words in your voice.
1. The plain reminder
Use it for: your first email, aimed at the large "just browsing" group.
Subject: Still thinking about the [product name]?
Preview text: Your cart is saved. Pick up where you left off.
Body: You left a couple of things in your cart. We've kept them together for you, so finishing your order takes one click. [Cart items with image, variant and price]
Button: Return to my cart
Why it works: it is short, it shows the products, and it doesn't offer a discount. Shopify's own guide suggests the first reminder shows the items without a discount (Shopify blog), which keeps your margin for people who would have bought anyway.
2. The shipping-cost answer
Use it for: stores with a free-delivery threshold or a simple flat rate. Extra costs are the top reason in Baymard's list.
Subject: Good news about delivery
Preview text: You're [amount] away from free delivery.
Body: Your cart comes to [cart total]. Add [amount] more and delivery is on us, or check out now for [delivery cost] to [country]. You'll see the full total, with tax, before you pay. [Cart items] [Two or three low-priced products that would cross the threshold]
Button: See my total
Why it works: it removes the surprise. The shopper knows the real cost before they click, which also answers the 12% who couldn't work out the total up front.
3. The delivery-date answer
Use it for: gifts, seasonal products, and any store where "when will it arrive?" decides the sale.
Subject: Order today, with you by [day]
Preview text: Your [product name] is ready to ship.
Body: Order by [time] today and your parcel leaves our studio the same day. Most orders to [region] arrive in [number] working days. [Cart items]
Button: Finish my order
Why it works: a concrete date beats "fast shipping". Only promise what your fulfilment really delivers; a missed date costs more than the sale.
4. The trust and returns email
Use it for: new or small stores, higher-priced products, and first-time buyers.
Subject: Any questions before you order?
Preview text: Easy returns, secure checkout, real people.
Body: Buying from a new shop can feel like a leap, so here are the basics. If it isn't right, you can return it within [number] days. Checkout is handled by Shopify, and you can pay with [payment methods]. Questions? Just reply to this email and [name] will answer. [Cart items]
Button: Back to my cart
Why it works: it answers the doubts behind two Baymard reasons (trust and returns) in three sentences, and the reply line proves a person is behind the store. Add product reviews only if they are real reviews of that product.
5. The guest checkout nudge
Use it for: stores whose checkout lets people buy without creating an account.
Subject: No account needed
Preview text: Check out as a guest in under a minute.
Body: You don't need an account to order from us. Your details are already filled in, so you can finish as a guest and create an account later if you like. [Cart items]
Button: Check out as a guest
Why it works: it speaks to the 18% who left because the site wanted an account. If your store does require accounts, skip this one and look at your checkout settings instead.
6. The honest low-stock note
Use it for: limited runs, handmade stock, and sizes that really are running out.
Subject: Only [number] left in your size
Preview text: We can't hold your [product name] for long.
Body: The [product name] in [size/colour] is nearly gone, and we won't be restocking it this season. It's still in your cart for now. [Cart item]
Button: Get mine
Why it works: it's urgency with a reason. Use it only when the stock figure is true: a subject line must match the content under CAN-SPAM, and a fake countdown teaches shoppers to ignore you. Shopify won't send its abandoned checkout email at all if none of the items are available to buy.
7. The second-email offer
Use it for: the second email, sent to shoppers who ignored the first.
Subject: A little something to finish your order
Preview text: [Offer] on your cart until [day].
Body: Your cart is still here, and we'd love you to have it. Use code [CODE] for [offer] on this order. It works until [day] at midnight. [Cart items]
Button: Use my code
Why it works: holding the incentive back to email two means you only give it to shoppers who needed a nudge. Shopify lets you add a discount to its abandoned checkout email, and Shopify's guide places any offer in the follow-up rather than the first reminder.
8. The "not quite right?" email
Use it for: the last email in the series.
Subject: Not quite right? These might be
Preview text: A few favourites customers pick instead.
Body: If the [product name] wasn't the one, here are a few things people often choose instead. Or reply and tell us what you're looking for, and we'll point you to it. [Three related products] [Small reminder of the original cart]
Button: Browse the picks
Why it works: by the third email, the shopper has probably bought elsewhere or changed their mind. Klaviyo suggests an exploratory email with popular or related products at this stage (Klaviyo), which keeps the door open without a third "you forgot" message.
9. The plain-text note from the owner
Use it for: small and founder-led stores, and as a test against your designed email.
Subject: A quick note from [your name]
Preview text: I saw you were looking at the [product name].
Body: Hi [first name], I'm [your name] and I run [store]. I noticed you didn't finish your order and wanted to check nothing went wrong at checkout. If you had a question about sizing, delivery or anything else, just hit reply. Your cart is here when you're ready: [link]. Thanks, [your name]
Button: none, just the link
Why it works: it reads like a person, invites a reply, and often surfaces the real reason for leaving, such as a payment error or a sizing question you can fix on the site.
Abandoned cart email flow examples: how many emails, and when?
Most stores send a short series of two or three emails and stop as soon as the shopper orders. The big email platforms don't agree on exact timings, so treat these as starting points to test, not rules:
| Source | First email | Second email | Third email |
|---|---|---|---|
| Klaviyo | 2–4 hours after abandonment | 24–48 hours later | Exploratory: popular or related products |
| Shopify blog | 2–4 hours, items shown, no discount | 24–48 hours, may include an offer | Popular or related products |
| Omnisend | 30–60 minutes | 24 hours | 72 hours |
Sources: Klaviyo, Shopify, Omnisend.
A simple flow built from the examples above:
- Email 1, a few hours after abandonment: the plain reminder (1), or the shipping (2), delivery (3) or trust (4) answer if you know your main objection.
- Email 2, about a day later: the second-email offer (7), or the low-stock note (6) when it's true.
- Email 3, two or three days later: the "not quite right?" email (8) or the owner's note (9).
Whatever you send, make sure the flow checks for an order before every email, so nobody who has already bought gets a reminder.
Abandoned cart email design: what to check before it goes live
- Read it on a phone first. One column, large product images, and a button wide enough to tap.
- Show the right variant. Size and colour matter as much as the product name.
- One main button. Secondary links (other products, help) should look secondary.
- Write alt text for every image, so the email still makes sense when images are blocked or read aloud by a screen reader.
- Keep colour contrast high on the button and price.
- Send yourself a test and click every link, including the checkout link, before switching the email on.
- Check the footer: unsubscribe link, store name and postal address.
Shopify's guide also suggests testing templates in several email clients, such as Gmail's mobile app, Outlook and Apple Mail, because each one renders HTML differently.
Example: an abandoned cart email written by tinyAlbert
tinyAlbert is a Shopify app that writes your email marketing, including the abandoned cart email, during setup. Here is how its version lines up with the checklist above, using what the app shows:
- The items: the Abandoned Cart automation pulls the products from each shopper's own cart into the email.
- The voice: it's written in the layout (Colourful, Minimalist or Professional), tone of voice (one of seven, such as Friendly or Formal) and content language (one of ten) you choose at setup.
- The trigger: tinyAlbert's workflows can start from Shopify's Checkout Started event, wait with a time delay and branch with a conditional split, all editable in a visual workflow builder.
- The checks: every automation has Preview (desktop and mobile), Edit, Send test and Regenerate (an AI rewrite), and nothing sends until you switch on its Activate toggle.
- The results: tinyAlbert counts an order towards an email when it's placed within 10 days of the shopper's latest open or click.
What it can't know is your store's main objection. Use Edit to add your delivery threshold, delivery dates or returns line from examples 2 to 4. If you switch tinyAlbert's version on, turn off Shopify's own abandoned checkout automation so shoppers don't get two reminders. You can see the email and the full flow on the abandoned cart emails feature page.
Mistakes that make abandoned cart emails backfire
- Fake urgency. "Your cart expires in 10 minutes" when it doesn't. Shoppers notice, and misleading subject lines break CAN-SPAM.
- A discount in every first email. Regular shoppers learn to leave carts on purpose to get a code.
- Two tools sending reminders. Shopify's automation and an app's automation both running means double emails. Keep one on.
- Emailing people who didn't agree to marketing. Shopify Messaging automations send only to customers subscribed to marketing by default. In the EU and Canada, consent rules are stricter; Shopify's guide summarises them, and it is worth checking with a professional for your markets.
- Broken or stale links. A checkout link that opens an empty cart, or a product that has sold out, wastes the click.
- Sounding like a robot. "Your shopping cart session has items pending" reads like an error message. Write like you talk to customers.
For the wider picture, from welcome emails to your campaign calendar, read our Shopify email marketing guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many abandoned cart emails should I send?
Two or three is the usual series. Klaviyo and Shopify both describe a first reminder a few hours after abandonment, a follow-up 24 to 48 hours later, and a final email with related or popular products. Stop the series as soon as the shopper places an order, and test whether your third email earns its place.
When should I send the first abandoned cart email?
Within hours, not days. Klaviyo and Shopify suggest 2 to 4 hours after abandonment; Omnisend suggests 30 to 60 minutes. Shopify itself counts a checkout as abandoned after ten minutes without payment once an email has been entered. Start with a few hours, then compare results against a shorter delay.
Should abandoned cart emails include a discount?
Not in the first email. Many shoppers were simply interrupted and will buy at full price once reminded. If you use an offer, put it in the second email, give it a real end date and keep it modest. Free delivery is often a better fit, because extra costs top Baymard's list of reasons people abandon checkout.
What's the difference between an abandoned cart and an abandoned checkout email?
An abandoned cart email goes to shoppers who added products but never started checkout. An abandoned checkout email goes to shoppers who started checkout, usually entering their email, but didn't pay. Shopify Messaging has a separate template for each. If you run both, check the timings so nobody gets two reminders for the same products.
Are abandoned cart emails free on Shopify?
Shopify Messaging's abandoned checkout email automations are free and don't count towards its 10,000 free emails a month, according to Shopify's pricing page. Other Shopify Messaging automations, including abandoned cart, count towards that allowance. tinyAlbert includes its abandoned cart automation from $3 a month for up to 100 contacts, after a 7-day free trial; see pricing.
Ready to set one up? Follow our step-by-step guide to setting up abandoned cart emails on Shopify, using Shopify's own tools or tinyAlbert.
tinyAlbert is an AI email marketing app for Shopify stores, made by tinyCo, the company behind tinyEmail. About tinyAlbert.