Abandoned carts: what actually brings people back
Most abandoned carts were never going to convert. Some were. Remove the reasons people leave, then remind well. What works, in order.
The short answer
Most abandoned carts were never going to become orders: people compare prices, save items for later, check shipping costs and leave. Some were going to convert and did not, because something in the store stopped them: a shipping cost that appeared at the last step, a forced account, a slow page, a missing payment method. Recovery starts with removing those reasons. Only then do reminders earn their place, and the reminders that work are timely and plain, not discount-first.
Fix the reasons people leave
| Reason | What the shopper experienced | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Surprise costs | Shipping, duties or fees appearing at the final step | Show total costs early; free shipping thresholds visible; duties calculated upfront for cross-border |
| Forced account creation | ”Create an account to continue” | Guest checkout on; account offered after purchase |
| Slow pages on phones | Checkout or cart took seconds to respond | App audit, image sizing, theme clean-up |
| Missing payment method | Their usual method was not offered | Local methods per market: iDEAL, Bancontact, wallets, cards |
| Trust gaps | No returns policy visible, no contact details, no security signals at payment | Clear policies near the button; contact details in the footer; recognised payment badges |
| Form friction | Long forms, address errors, no autofill | Shopify checkout already handles most of this; do not replace it |
Then remind, well
- Timing. The first message within a few hours, while the intent is warm. Not a minute later, not three days later.
- Content. The cart, with images and a single button back to it. A plain sentence. No discount.
- Tone. Helpful, not pressuring. “Your items are still here” beats manufactured urgency.
- A second message a day or two later for those who did not return, still plain. Then stop.
- Respect the answer. A shopper who bought elsewhere or unsubscribed is left alone.
Measuring honestly
Recovery is orders that came back through the reminder, attributed to the click, not everyone who abandoned and later bought anyway. Recovery apps report the second number because it is larger. Compare the plain-reminder recovery against a period with no reminders, and look at margin per recovered order, not only count.
What this means for you
Look at where shoppers drop out by step, fix the reasons in the table before spending on reminders, then send one timely plain message and at most one more. Measure recovery by attributed orders and margin. Fixing surprise costs and speed recovers more than any email sequence, and that the native reminder does the rest.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal abandonment rate?
High everywhere, because carts are used as wish lists and price checks. Rather than comparing with a published average, compare your own rate over time and by step: how many reach checkout, how many reach payment, how many complete. The step with the biggest drop is where to look.
Should the first reminder include a discount?
No. A discount in the first message teaches shoppers that abandoning produces a coupon. Send a plain reminder with the cart first. If you use an incentive at all, keep it for a later message and for shoppers who have not bought before, and measure whether it changes margin as well as recovery.
How many reminders?
One timely reminder recovers most of what can be recovered. A second, a day or two later, adds some. Beyond that you are training people to ignore you. Stop when the shopper buys or asks you to.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Abandoned checkouts (accessed 2026-09-11)