automation
The abandoned cart playbook: recover 10–15% of lost checkouts on autopilot
Roughly 7 in 10 carts are abandoned. That’s not a failure of your store — it’s how people shop. The stores that win are the ones that follow up, and the follow-up writes itself once you know the pattern.
The 3-email sequence that works
Section titled “The 3-email sequence that works”Email 1 — the reminder (1 hour after abandonment). No discount. Just “you left this behind” with the cart contents and a one-click link back to checkout. A surprising share of abandoners simply got distracted; this email alone recovers most of what you’ll recover.
Email 2 — the objection handler (24 hours). Answer the silent questions: shipping cost, returns policy, sizing, trust. Social proof belongs here — a short review of the exact product in the cart outperforms a generic testimonial.
Email 3 — the incentive (48–72 hours, optional). Only now consider a discount, and only if your margins allow it. Shoppers learn fast: discount every cart and you’ve trained your audience to abandon on purpose. Consider free shipping instead of a percentage off — it converts nearly as well and protects price integrity.
The details that separate good from great
Section titled “The details that separate good from great”- Stop the moment they buy. Nothing erodes trust like a “complete your purchase” email after the purchase. Your platform must resolve the sequence on the purchase event, not on a timer.
- Set a minimum cart value. Sending three emails to recover a $4 cart is noise. Start at $20+.
- One sequence per cart, not per visit. The same shopper abandoning twice in a week should not get six emails.
- Link to their cart, not your homepage. Every extra click costs ~10% of clickers.
Measuring honestly
Section titled “Measuring honestly”Attribute recovered revenue to the email the shopper actually clicked, within a reasonable window. Opens are unreliable (Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection fires them automatically); clicks followed by purchases are your real number. Expect 10–15% of abandoners back with a good sequence — more if your first email lands within the hour.
AguMail ships this exact sequence as a preset: connect your Shopify or WooCommerce store, review the three emails, and turn it on. Purchases resolve the flow automatically, and the campaign report shows recovered revenue per email.