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Abandoned Cart Emails: Examples and a Proven Sequence

Most shoppers leave without buying. A good abandoned cart email brings a chunk of them back. Here are examples and the sequence that works.
  • Why carts get abandoned and how email recovers them
  • A three-email recovery sequence with timing
  • What to say (and not say) in each email
  • How to automate it so it runs itself
An abandoned cart reminder email on a phone

Most people who add to cart don’t check out — they get distracted, compare prices, or simply forget. An abandoned cart email is a friendly nudge that recovers a meaningful share of that lost revenue, automatically. It’s one of the highest-return emails an online store can send.

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How much are you leaving behind?

Slide in your own numbers to see the revenue a simple cart-recovery sequence could bring back — every month, on autopilot.

A well-built 3-email sequence commonly recovers 5–15% of abandoned carts.

Recovered revenue / month

$0
That’s $0 a year on autopilot.
0
Carts abandoned / mo
0
Orders recovered / mo
The sequence

A proven 3-email recovery flow

Timing matters as much as wording. Each email has a job — together they recover sales the first one misses.

1

The reminder — ~1 hour later

Simple and helpful: “You left something behind.” Show the item, a clear button back to the cart, and nothing else. Most recoveries come from this one email alone.

2

The reassurance — ~24 hours later

Handle hesitation: reviews, free returns, shipping info, or answers to common worries. Remind them what they liked about it in the first place.

3

The nudge — ~48 hours later

A gentle push — low stock, the cart expiring, or a small incentive if your margins allow. Keep urgency honest; never invent a fake deadline.

How it lands in their inbox
Y
Your Store1h
You left something behind —
Your cart is still saved. Come back any time...
Y
Your Store1d
Still thinking it over?
Free returns, 4.8★ from 2,300 buyers...
Y
Your Store2d
Your cart expires soon
Only a few left in stock — finish checkout...
What to get right

Do this, not that

The recovery emails that work all share the same habits — and avoid the same traps.

Recovers sales

Show the actual product — image, name, one-click link
One button, one job: back to checkout
Save any discount for the final email
Stop the sequence the moment they buy

Leaves money behind

Generic “come back” with no item shown
Links to the homepage and ten other products
Lead with a coupon and train people to abandon
Keep emailing after the order is placed
An abandoned cart email automation with three timed steps
Email Marketing

Automate cart recovery

BrandBits lets you build this sequence as an automation that triggers when a checkout isn’t finished, waits the right amount of time between emails, and stops as soon as the order completes — recovering sales while you sleep.

  • Trigger on an unfinished checkout.
  • Time each email perfectly.
  • Stop automatically on purchase.
  • Track recovered revenue from opens and clicks.

Abandoned cart email FAQs

What is an abandoned cart email?
An automated reminder sent to shoppers who add items to their cart but don’t check out. It nudges them back to finish the purchase — recovering a meaningful share of sales that would otherwise be lost.
How many abandoned cart emails should I send?
Three works best for most stores: a reminder about an hour later, a reassurance after a day, and a final nudge after two days. Stop the moment they purchase.
When should the first email go out?
About an hour after abandonment, while the intent is still fresh. This first reminder recovers the largest share — the later emails clean up the rest.
Should I offer a discount?
Not in the first email. Many people buy without one, and leading with a coupon trains shoppers to abandon on purpose. Save any incentive for the final nudge, if your margins allow.
Is it free to try BrandBits?
Yes — build a cart-recovery automation and let it run for free, no credit card required.

Recover the sales you’re losing

Set up cart recovery once and let it run — free.

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