How to Create an Abandoned Cart Flow That Actually Converts

Carts get abandoned. Constantly. Doesn’t matter how pretty your site is, how smooth your checkout looks, how much you thought they wanted that sweater... they bail. Poof.

Roughly 7 out of 10 carts end in heartbreak (https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate). And unless you’ve got something in place to reel them back in, that money’s just floating away, waving sadly from the rearview mirror.

The fix? An abandoned cart (https://www.privy.com/blog/what-causes-shopping-cart-abandonment) flow. Not the boring “please finish your purchase” template you’ve seen a hundred times, either.

Instead, create an abandoned cart flow that actually convinces people to come back and click "buy now."

Timing: Don’t wait forever

This part’s easy to screw up. If you’re sending your first email three days later, forget it. By then, your shopper has purchased elsewhere, from Amazon, Target, or whoever had faster shipping and a coupon code. If you want a winning abandoned cart flow, start with finding the perfect window of time.

Here’s what works:

• Email #1: within the hour. Quick, gentle nudge. “Hey, you left something behind.” That’s all it has to be. It keeps the cart fresh in their mind while they’re still in buying mode.
• Email #2: next day. Now add a little urgency. Nothing desperate, just a reminder that their cart isn’t forever. “We can’t hold this forever” works because it creates a little scarcity without screaming.
• Email #3: 48–72 hours later. This is where you pull out a perk. A discount if your margins allow it. Free shipping if they don’t. Or something small, cheap, fun, like stickers, a sample, whatever feels like a bonus.

And stop at three. Four emails (https://www.privy.com/blog/shopify-abandoned-cart-emails) aren’t helpful anymore. Customers can perceive it as annoying.

Copy: Stop sounding like a bot

Your subject line is the gatekeeper. If it feels automated, it’s toast. Subject lines like “Your cart is waiting” scream spam folder.

Instead, you want something short, casual, human. Like:

• “Still thinking it over?”
• “Your order’s halfway done.”
• “Did you mean to ghost us?”

You’re sounding like you wrote it yourself, not like you outsourced it to the cold heart of an algorithm.

And inside the email reminder itself? This isn't the time to write an essay. The abandoned cart email is not the time to share your origin story. Show the product, maybe a sentence or two, and one big fat button. Done. Think of it less like a newsletter and more like a sticky note reminder on their fridge.

Incentives: Yes, but don’t bleed out

Discounts? Sure, they work. But overuse them and you’ve just taught everyone to wait for a code. It’s like feeding kids candy before dinner. Good luck getting them to eat broccoli again.

Other options that work just as well (and won’t gut your margins):

• Free shipping. People hate paying for it. Remove the barrier, and suddenly the order feels easier.
• Bonus gift. Stickers, samples, socks. Small stuff that feels fun, like an inside perk.
• Points. “Finish your order and earn 200 bonus points.” It’s gamification without the Candy Crush addiction.

The goal here isn’t to bribe them into buying. It’s to tip the scale in your favor so “later” becomes “right now.”

Email isn’t the only tool

Email’s the workhorse (https://www.privy.com/blog/empowered-ecommerce/automation-playbook), sure. But if that’s all you’re doing, you’re missing half the picture.

• SMS: short, sharp, almost impossible to ignore. “Hey, you left something in your cart. Grab it here: [link].” That’s the whole text. Don’t overthink it.
• Retargeting ads: they’re already scrolling Instagram, so why not remind them with the exact product they ditched? It’s not subtle, but it’s effective.

The trick is balance. Two or three gentle nudges across different channels = persuasive. Ten = creepy. Nobody wants to feel hunted by a pair of shoes.

Test, then test again

Here’s the unglamorous truth. Your first abandoned cart flow won’t be perfect. It might not even be good. Some people click because of urgency. Some because they laugh at your subject line. Some won’t move without free shipping. You’ve gotta test.

Play with:

• Timing. An hour vs. two hours. Next day vs. same day.
• Offers. Free shipping vs. 10% off vs. a bonus gift.
• Tone. Witty vs. straightforward vs. friendly.

Then check the data. If people aren’t opening, maybe the subject lines need work. If they’re opening but not buying, the copy’s weak. If they’re clicking but ditching again, your checkout process might need work. Don’t just “add more emails.” Check the data and then fix the thing that’s broken.

Think of it like tinkering with an old car. It runs, but it always needs another tweak.

Proof in the abandoned cart flow pudding

An abandoned cart flow is the difference between money left on the table and money back in your pocket. A well-built sequence does the heavy lifting for you. It’s running while you’re sleeping, reminding shoppers of what they wanted, nudging them at the right time, and removing excuses not to buy.

The real benefits?

• Revenue recovery on autopilot. You don’t need to manually chase anyone down. Once the flow is set up, it works quietly in the background, pulling back a percentage of those lost sales (https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/knowledge-base/what-is-the-average-conversion-rate-for-cart-abandonment/#:~:text=These%20factors%20are%20a%20recipe,revenue%20than%20a%20single%20email.) every single day.
• Consistency. No gaps, no forgetting to send a follow-up. The structure means every shopper gets the same polished, timely experience.
• Better customer perception. A good flow doesn’t feel naggy. It feels like service—“hey, you forgot this, want us to save it for you?” That builds trust instead of annoyance.
• Room to test and optimize. With automation, you can experiment with subject lines, incentives, and timing without reinventing the wheel each time.
• Compounding effect. Even if each email only saves a handful of orders, those wins stack up fast. Over weeks and months, that’s real revenue you’d otherwise never see.

That’s the pudding. A system that works on repeat, keeps your checkout funnel from leaking, and pays you back for the few minutes it takes to build.

Privy makes abandoned cart email flows a breeze

Privy makes it ridiculously simple to set up cart emails, SMS, and automations that don’t feel desperate but actually get people to buy. Get started here (https://www.privy.com/contact) and put those carts back where they belong: in checkout, not in limbo.