Abandoned carts are one of the biggest challenges in e‑commerce today. On average, about 70.19% of online shopping carts go abandoned before purchase ( Baymard Institute, 2025; SellersCommerce, 2025). That means nearly 7 out of every 10 shoppers leave without buying—even after showing interest. But there’s hope: abandoned cart email campaigns are among the most effective tools you can use to recover lost sales.
As Mr. Phalla Plang, Digital Marketing Specialist, says: “Abandoned cart emails are like a gentle tap on the customer’s shoulder—reminding them of what they already wanted, not pushing too hard.”
Why Shoppers Abandon Their Carts
Understanding the reasons behind cart abandonment helps tailor your email strategy:
- A whopping 48% abandon carts due to extra costs at checkout—like shipping, taxes, or hidden fees.
- Around 26% drop off because the site forces them to create an account.
- 25% don’t trust the site enough to enter payment details.
- A complex, 22% find the checkout too long or difficult to complete (SellersCommerce, 2025) (Sellers Commerce, Barilliance).
That means the primary issues are transparency, trust, and simplicity—and a well-timed reminder email can guide them back.
How Effective Are Abandoned Cart Emails?
Here’s what the data tells us about their performance:
- Klaviyo (2024) benchmarks show:
- Open rate: ~50.5% (top 10% reach ~65.3%)
- Click rate: ~6.25% (top 10% reach ~13.3%)
- Conversion rate: ~3.33% (up to ~7.69%) (Klaviyo).
- Open rate: ~50.5% (top 10% reach ~65.3%)
- Moosend reports:
- Email open rate: 40–45%
- Click-through rate (of opened): 21%
- Conversion (from those who click): 50% complete purchase (Email Marketing Platform).
- Email open rate: 40–45%
- ConvertCart (Apr 2025):
- Overall open rate: 41.18%
- Click-through rate: 21%
- Conversion rate: 50%
- Average order value from these recovery emails is 58% higher than usual purchases (Website).
- Overall open rate: 41.18%
- CampaignMonitor states conversion rates exceed 10%—higher than typical marketing emails (campaignmonitor.com).
This shows that cart abandonment emails consistently achieve higher engagement and better results than standard campaigns.
Why They Work
- High intent – These shoppers already placed items in their cart.
- Timing – Reminders sent soon reinforce intent.
- Personalization – Showing product details feels tailored.
- Trust & clarity – Clear reminders reduce doubts.
- Increased AOV – Recovered orders from these emails tend to be larger (Hotjar, Website).
Timing: When to Send Your Email Sequence
Well-timed follow-ups boost results:
- First email: within 30 minutes to 1 hour of cart abandonment—moatly brands send within 1 hour (growth-onomics.com, rejoiner.com).
- Second & third emails: within the first 3 days. After six days, most stop sending (rejoiner.com).
Three-email sequences outperform single-email strategies—companies using multiple reminders report much higher revenue (Hotjar).
Key Elements of High-Converting Emails
- Compelling subject line: E.g., “Forgot something?” or “Your items are waiting.” Personalization boosts open rates.
- Product details: Include images, names, and prices for clarity.
- Strong CTA: Button like “Return to your cart” works best on mobile.
- Trust elements: Show secure payment badges, free shipping, simple returns.
- Incentives: Only add discounts if needed—but urgency helps: “Limited stock!” or “24-hour hold.”
- Mobile-friendly design: Clean layout and bold buttons—most users are on mobile.
Email Sequence Strategy
| Email # | Timing | Goal & Tone |
| 1 | 30 min–1 hr post-abandon | Gentle reminder with cart summary and link |
| 2 | 24 hours later | Reiterate value, add urgency (“Stock may run out”) |
| 3 | Day 2–3 (within 72 hrs) | Final nudge, maybe include a small incentive |
Three-email flows outperform one-off reminders, generating significantly more revenue (Analyzify, growth-onomics.com, rejoiner.com, Hotjar).
Measuring Success
Track these critical metrics:
- Open rate – Are recipients opening emails?
- Click-through rate – Are they returning to cart?
- Conversion rate – Are they purchasing? (Often >10%) (campaignmonitor.com, Flowium)
- AOV – Orders from these emails can be 58% higher (Website).
Enhancing Performance Tips
- Use A/B testing on subject lines and timing.
- Add social proof like reviews to reduce hesitation.
- Try urgency tactics, e.g., countdown timers in the email.
- Simplify checkout experience—guest checkout and fewer fields reduce drop-offs.
- Pair reminder emails with SMS for even higher recovery (noted in broader omnichannel strategies, though no direct stat here).
Note
Cart abandonment is a real issue—about 70% of carts go abandoned, with lost opportunities totaling trillions annually. But abandoned cart email campaigns offer high returns. They trigger open rates around 40–50%, clicks around 20%, and conversions well above 10%, often with recovered AOV 58% higher than average.
By sending a well-timed 3‑email sequence, personalized, clear, and user-friendly, brands can recover lost sales effectively.
As Mr. Phalla Plang puts it: “Abandoned cart emails are like a gentle tap on the customer’s shoulder—reminding them of what they already wanted, not pushing too hard.”
If you’re not using them yet, now’s the time. Simple, smart, and powerful—these emails can turn abandoned carts into real revenue.
More Read
References
Klaviyo. (2024). Abandoned cart benchmark report: Rates & statistics. Retrieved from Klaviyo blog (growth-onomics.com, Klaviyo)
Moosend. (2021). 20+ cart abandonment stats to reduce your lost sales. Retrieved from Moosend blog (Email Marketing Platform)
ConvertCart. (2025, April 17). Cart abandonment rate statistics (2025). Retrieved from ConvertCart blog (Website)
SellersCommerce. (2025, May 13). Shopping cart abandonment statistics (2025). Retrieved from SellersCommerce blog (Sellers Commerce)
Rejoiner. (n.d.). Abandoned cart email statistics & strategy guide. Retrieved from Rejoiner resources (rejoiner.com)
CampaignMonitor. (n.d.). What is the average conversion rate for cart abandonment? Retrieved from Campaign Monitor knowledge base (campaignmonitor.com)
Email remarketing. (n.d.). Email remarketing. In Wikipedia. Retrieved from Wikipedia (Wikipedia)
