Glossary

Abandoned Cart


When a user adds a product to the online shopping cart of an e-commerce site but doesn’t proceed to checkout and complete the purchase. Users may abandon because they aren’t ready to buy. Instead, they are using their cart as more of a “wish list” as they shop around and compare prices. Setting up automatic, personalized email alerts to remind users they have items in their cart is often just the nudge they need to finish checking out.

Nearly 70% of e-commerce shoppers abandon their carts before checking out. People leave stuff behind for all sorts of reasons. But here’s the good news: With abandoned cart emails, you can bring them back and encourage them to complete their purchase.

What are abandoned cart emails?

If you’ve ever left an online purchase behind, you may have received abandoned cart emails, which often come in stages. The 1st is usually a gentle reminder to complete your purchase. The 2nd might give you a deadline—“Your order is about to expire!”—and the 3rd usually includes a coupon or discount to bring you back. Small retailers often create and send these emails manually. If that’s too time consuming for your business, don’t worry—you can automate the process.