Shopify abandoned cart: how to recover the sales that were almost yours

Nico Bértolo · 2026-08-27

In short

• Most abandoned carts aren’t a “no”: they’re a “not now”.
• Tackle it from two sides: remove friction in the store and recover those who leave by email.
• A good recovery flow has two or three emails and doesn’t lead with a discount.

Someone has chosen a product, added it to the cart and left. They’re the warmest customer you have, and most stores let them go without doing anything. Recovering part of those carts is one of the most profitable improvements in ecommerce.

Why do people abandon a cart?

• Unexpected costs: shipping appears at the end and changes the decision.
• They were comparing: added to cart to decide later.
• Unanswered questions: sizes, delivery times or returns.
• Distraction: a call, a notification, the train arriving.
• Payment friction: mandatory sign-up or their payment method missing.

Reducing abandonment in the store itself

1. Show shipping before the cart: On the product page or with a “free shipping over…” notice.
2. Make the cart a step, not a page: A slide-out cart lets people keep shopping without losing the thread.
3. Turn on express checkout: Shop Pay, Apple Pay or Google Pay reduce payment to a few taps.
4. Answer questions in the cart: Delivery times and returns policy, visible right before paying.

The email flow that recovers carts

1. Email 1 · a few hours later: A friendly reminder with the product and a button to return. No discount.
2. Email 2 · the next day: Answer the typical questions: reviews, shipping, returns.
3. Email 3 · two or three days later: If your margin allows, this is where an incentive can come in.

Leading with a discount teaches customers to abandon their cart to get one. Keep the incentive for the end, and only if needed.

At The Sole Hunters we built seven email flows, including abandoned cart, to recover sales and take load off support.

A real 224 case

Frequently asked questions

Does Shopify include cart recovery?

Yes, Shopify can send an automatic abandoned checkout email. For multi-email, segmented flows, Klaviyo is the usual choice.

When should the first abandoned cart email go out?

A few hours after abandonment, while the customer still remembers the product.

Should you always offer a discount?

No. Many sales are recovered with just a reminder and by answering questions. A discount, if any, works best at the end.