How to Set Up WooCommerce Abandoned Cart Emails (Step-by-Step Guide)

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By admin October 30, 2025 No Comments

In the world of e-commerce, one of the biggest drains on revenue is the abandoned cart. Shoppers add items to their cart and—poof—disappear. But with the right strategy and tools in place, you can bring those visitors back, convert them, and boost your bottom line. If you’re running a store using WooCommerce (and why wouldn’t you—it powers a large chunk of WordPress e-commerce sites), this article will walk you through everything you need: from understanding why cart abandonment happens, to choosing the right plugin, to writing compelling email copy, and finally to setting up automation that works.

Let’s start with why this matters.

Why Abandoned Cart Emails Matter

When a visitor fills a shopping cart and leaves without completing the purchase, that represents a lost opportunity. According to industry data, e-commerce cart abandonment rates often hover between 60–80% depending on industry and device. That means for every 100 shoppers who add items to cart, 60+ may not complete checkout.

Abandoned cart emails aim to recover some of this lost revenue by re-engaging those shoppers.

Here are some key reasons why they work:

Timeliness: Sending a well-timed email soon after the abandonment keeps the product fresh in their mind.
Reminder & incentive: People are busy. A gentle reminder, sometimes paired with a small discount or social proof, nudges them toward completion.
Clear call to action: An email can link them right back to their abandoned cart, reducing friction.
Personalisation: With the right plugin, you can mention the specific items left behind, which increases relevance.
Revenue recovery: Many store owners report 5–15% of abandoned carts recovered if done correctly.

According to a guide from Klaviyo, effective abandoned-cart emails stack the message: first with a reminder, then brand narrative, then incentive/discount.

So yes—it’s absolutely worth investing time into setting this up for your WooCommerce store.

Step 1: Choose the Right Abandoned Cart Plugin for WooCommerce

WooCommerce itself provides some documentation for abandoned cart emails. However, in practice you’ll often need a plugin to handle the tracking, link generation, email triggers and templates.

Here are some of the popular options:

Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce – A free plugin listed on WordPress.org that tracks abandoned carts and allows you to send recovery emails manually or automatically.
Retainful – A plugin that promises to help you recover up to 30% of abandoned carts with automated reminders and discount logic.
CartFlows – Cart Abandonment Recovery – A plugin that includes settings for cart-abandonment recovery within its wizard.
Built-in or add-on email functionality via WooCommerce’s own follow-up emails (if you already use a plugin like Follow‑Ups or similar) – this is described in WooCommerce docs.

Which one should you choose?

Here’s how to evaluate:

Cost vs budget: Free plugin may suffice for small stores; premium offers more automation and customization.
Ease of use: Can you set it up without technical headaches?
Tracking & metrics: Does it show you how many carts were recovered, how many reminders sent, etc.?
Email template flexibility: Can you brand the email, include product thumbnails, dynamic links?
Timing control: Can you set multiple reminders (e.g., after 1 hour, after 24 hours)?
Discount/incentive logic: If you plan to send discount codes in the email, does the plugin support that?
Compatibility: Works with your theme, other plugins, caching, etc.

For the sake of this walkthrough, we’ll assume you pick a plugin like Retainful (or the free Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce), but the workflow will be very similar regardless. You can adapt as needed.

Step 2: Install and Configure the Plugin

Let’s walk through a generic installation and setup, with sample settings. Your exact plugin may differ slightly.

Installation

Go to WP-Admin → Plugins → Add New.
Search for your chosen plugin (e.g., “Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce”).
Click Install Now, then Activate.
Depending on the plugin, you may have a setup wizard or settings page (e.g., WooCommerce → Abandoned Cart).

Basic Settings

Navigate to the plugin’s settings page—often found under WooCommerce → Abandoned Cart or a new menu item. You’ll want to configure:

Tracking enabled: Ensure the plugin is capturing cart abandonment events (e.g., when a visitor adds something but does not complete checkout).
Time threshold: For example, consider a cart “abandoned” if checkout is not completed within 15 minutes after last activity. (You can set 1 hr, 4 hrs, etc.)
Email trigger schedule: Choose when the first email goes out (e.g., after 1 hour), and whether to send follow-up emails after 24 hrs, 48 hrs etc.
Email template: Open the template editor and set branding, subject line, from name/address, content, dynamic placeholders (cart items, total, link).
Exclude certain carts: Maybe you exclude customers who are logged in, or previous recoveries, etc.
Coupon/incentive integration: If you plan to give a discount, configure the coupon generation or automatic code insertion.
Test mode: Always enable test mode or send a test email to yourself before going live.

Example snippet (for illustration, your plugin may not use code):

Save and Test

Once done, save the settings. Then go ahead and test:

Add an item to the cart as a guest and leave the site or close tab.
Wait the threshold time.
Check that the abandoned cart appears within the plugin’s dashboard.
Check that the email is delivered (and that the link returns the user to their cart).
Adjust any timing or settings if something doesn’t fire correctly.

Step 3: Design the Abandoned Cart Email Template

The email you send must be compelling—not spammy. The goal is to bring the visitor back and complete the purchase. Here are best practices, plus a sample template you can adapt.

Best Practices

From the Klaviyo guide:

Keep the message simple. Use brand imagery, social proof, and a clear call to action.
Test variations: timing, subject line, discount vs no discount.
Use dynamic content: show the items left in the cart.
Make sure the link brings them directly back to the cart, ideally with items intact.
Consider a sequence:
1. Email 1: Friendly reminder (within 1 hour)
2. Email 2: Reminder + social proof (after 24 hours)
3. Email 3: Final reminder + discount (after 48–72 hours)
Respect frequency: don’t spam them with too many emails or you’ll annoy them.
Make sure your emails are mobile-friendly (many shoppers are on mobile).

Sample Email Template

Subject line: “Oops — you left something behind!”

Preheader: “Complete your purchase before items run out.”

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<meta charset="utf-8">

<title>We saved your cart</title>

</head>

<body style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif; color:#333; line-height:1.4; margin:0; padding:0;">

<table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">

<tr>

<td align="center" style="padding:20px;">

<table width="600" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0" style="border:1px solid #e1e1e1; background:#fff;">

<tr>

<td style="padding:20px; text-align:center;">

<h1 style="margin:0; color:#333;">Did you forget something?</h1>

<p style="color:#666;">Your shopping cart is waiting &amp; items may not stay in stock for long.</p>

</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td style="padding:20px; text-align:center;">

<!-- Dynamically insert product thumbnails here -->

[cart_items]

</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td style="padding:20px; text-align:center;">

<a href="[cart_link]" style="display:inline-block; padding:15px 25px; background:#0073AA; color:#fff; text-decoration:none; font-size:16px;">Return to your cart</a>

</td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td style="padding:20px; text-align:center; color:#999; font-size:12px;">

<p>Have questions? Reply to this email or check our <a href="[support_link]" style="color:#0073AA;">support page</a>.</p>

</td>

</tr>

</table>

</td>

</tr>

</table>

</body>

</html>

Notes:

Replace [cart_items], [cart_link], [support_link] with your plugin’s dynamic placeholders.
Keep your brand colours consistent.
If you’re offering a discount, you could add a line like:

“Use coupon SAVE10 for 10% off — valid for 24 hours.”

Step 4: Set Up Automation & Workflow in WooCommerce

Now that you’ve installed the plugin and created your email template, you must configure the automation workflow so everything happens without manual interference. Let’s break it down.

Configure Workflow Timing

In your plugin’s settings (example for “Abandoned Cart Recovery”), you would typically find settings like:

Trigger delay: The time after which a cart is considered abandoned (e.g., 30 minutes, 1 hour).
First email delay: How soon after abandonment the first email sends (e.g., 1 hour).
Follow-up delays: When to send 2nd and 3rd reminders (e.g., 24 hrs, 72 hrs).
Stop sequence if purchase occurs: Set the workflow so that if the user completes checkout, the automated emails stop.
Exclude customers in certain conditions: e.g., logged-in users, free shipping, certain product categories.

Example Workflow Implementation (Pseudo Settings)

Abandonment threshold: 30 minutes
Email #1: 1 hour after abandonment
Email #2: 24 hours after abandonment (if no purchase)
Email #3: 48 hours after abandonment + “final reminder” + discount code
Stop if purchase is completed.

Linking Back to Cart

Ensure your plugin provides a “Restore Cart” link that contains the user’s cart items, ideally using a unique token. Example placeholder: [restore_cart_url].

Coupon Integration (Optional but Powerful)

If you plan to add a discount incentive in the 2nd or 3rd email, set up:

A coupon in WooCommerce: WooCommerce → Marketing → Coupons.
- Example: Code SAVE10, 10% off, expires after 48 hours.
- Restrict to items in cart, if desired.
In your abandoned-cart plugin, insert the coupon placeholder in the template: e.g., “Use code [coupon_code] for 10% off.”

Example Code to Generate a One-Time Coupon

If your plugin allows custom code, you might implement this:

function create_one_time_abandoned_cart_coupon( $user_email ) {

$code = 'ACR-' . strtoupper( wp_generate_password( 8, false, false ) );

$amount = '10'; // 10% discount

$discount_type = 'percent';

$coupon = array(
‘post_title’ => $code,
‘post_content’ => ”,
‘post_status’ => ‘publish’,
‘post_author’ => get_current_user_id(),
‘post_type’ => ‘shop_coupon’
);

$new_coupon_id = wp_insert_post( $coupon );

update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘discount_type’, $discount_type );
update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘coupon_amount’, $amount );
update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘individual_use’, ‘yes’ );
update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘usage_limit_per_user’, ‘1’ );
update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘customer_email’, $user_email );
update_post_meta( $new_coupon_id, ‘expiry_date’, date( ‘Y-m-d’, strtotime( ‘+48 hours’ ) ) );

return $code;
}

Then you’d hook into your plugin’s “before email send” filter, detect if it’s email #3, generate the coupon, and insert into the template.

Step 5: Track, Analyse & Optimize Performance

Setting everything up is only half the job. To maximise conversions, you need to track performance and continually optimise.

Key Metrics to Monitor

Abandoned cart rate: Number of carts created vs number abandoned.
Recovery rate: Number of abandoned carts turned into orders.
Revenue recovered: Total value of recovered carts.
Email open rate: Did the user open the email?
Click-through rate (CTR): Did the user click the link back into the cart?
Conversion rate from email: Did the user complete purchase after email click?
Time to recovery: How quickly are carts recovered after email trigger?

How to Optimise for Better Results

Subject line testing: Try variants like “You left items behind…” vs “Your cart is waiting”.
Timing experiment: Maybe 1 hour is too soon or too late; test 30 minutes vs 4 hours.
Number of follow-ups: Some stores find 2 reminders suffice; others benefit from 3.
Incentive strategy: Test with no discount, with small discount (5-10%), with free shipping.
Message content: Include social proof (“Other shoppers are buying this”), urgency (“Only 2 left in stock”), personalization (customer name + items).
Link behaviour: Ensure cart restoration is frictionless; items remain in cart.
Mobile optimisation: Check email appearance on mobile; many users abandon on mobile.
Segment behaviour: Logged-in users might behave differently than guest shoppers; you could prioritise logged-in users first.

Over time, you’ll find which combination works best for your audience and product category. The goal is to treat this as a marketing funnel: Cart → Abandonment → Reminder → Recovery.

Step 6: Handle Special Cases & Compliance

When implementing abandoned-cart emails, remember there’s more than just the technical side. You must handle user experience, legal compliance, and special product cases.

Logged-in vs Guest Users

Logged-in users: You already have their email; you can send to them directly.
Guest users: Some plugins capture email earlier in the checkout process (e.g., via email input on cart page or checkout page). Without an email, you cannot send follow-up.
Consider running a pop-up or request email on cart page if you’re seeing many guest abandonments.

GDPR & Privacy Considerations

If your store serves EU/UK customers (or is subject to privacy laws), you must ensure:

You have a lawful basis to send the abandoned cart email (e.g., contract negotiation or legitimate interest).
Provide an option for users to opt-out of marketing emails.
Do not include overly aggressive tracking without user consent if required by regulation.

Product Availability / Stock Changes

Sometimes a product in the abandoned cart goes out of stock. In such cases:

Your restoration link should check that the items are still available.
If not, you might send an alternative offer (similar items) or notify them.
You can avoid frustration by confirming availability before sending the email.

Subscription, Membership & Special Products

If you sell subscriptions, memberships, or product bundles, your abandoned cart strategy might differ:

For subscriptions, emphasise benefits and recurring value.
For bundles, maybe show the entire bundle or highlight the biggest item they’re missing.
For high-ticket items, you may want a softer reminder or less discounting.

Step 7: Advanced Techniques for Higher Recovery

Once you have the basics working, you can level up your strategy with advanced techniques that push your results further.

Recovering via SMS/WhatsApp

If you collect customer phone numbers (with consent), you can augment email with SMS or WhatsApp reminders. Many customers respond better to chat-based nudges.

Retargeting Ads

Use your abandoned cart data to feed into retargeting via Facebook/Meta, Google Ads or other networks. Show ads to abandoned viewers, pairing your email workflow with ads for a multi-touch strategy.

Dynamic Discounting

Instead of offering the same discount to all abandoners, you can vary:

Offer no discount for Email 1
Offer 5% for Email 2
Offer 10% + free shipping for Email 3
This tiered approach helps protect margin while still incentivising purchase.

Exit-Intent Pop-Ups

Before the customer abandons (i.e., when they try to close tab or navigate away), show an offer or collect their email. This increases your pool of recoverable customers.

Behaviour-Based Segmentation

Segment your abandoned carts based on behaviour:

Cart value above $200 → personalised email
Items from a specific category → category-specific messaging
Repeat shopper vs first-time shopper → different tone and offer
This helps tailor your message and increase relevance.

Step 8: Example Implementation Recap (Checklist)

Here’s a quick checklist to recap all the steps so you can implement systematically:

Install and activate your abandoned-cart plugin
Configure abandonment threshold (e.g., 30 min)
Design email template (include brand, CTA, dynamic cart link)
Set up automation workflow (times for reminders)
Enable coupon/incentive logic if desired
Test: create cart, wait, check email, check link, attempt recovery
Track key metrics: abandonment rate, email open, recovery rate, revenue
Optimise subject lines, timing, number of emails, incentives
Segment if needed: guest vs logged-in, cart value, category, behaviour
Ensure compliance: privacy, opt-out, availability handling
Consider advanced tactics: SMS/WhatsApp, retargeting ads, exit-intent popups

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What exactly counts as an “abandoned cart” in WooCommerce?

A: Generally, an abandoned cart is when a shopper adds items to the cart (and optionally enters checkout) but does not complete the purchase within a time threshold you define (for example 30 minutes or 1 hour). Your plugin will detect these incomplete transactions, store them, and trigger the recovery email sequence.

Q: Can I send abandoned cart emails only to logged-in users?

A: Yes. Most plugins allow you to specify whether to send for both guests and logged-in users, or only one group. If you serve both, you will get a greater recovery pool, but you may have fewer details (e.g., for guests you may not have full email or user profile).

Q: How many recovery emails should I send?

A: A typical sequence is 2–3 emails:

Email 1: Within a few hours (e.g., 1 hour) – friendly reminder
Email 2: 24 hours later – urgency + social proof
Email 3: 48–72 hours later – final reminder + discount/incentive
However, you should test and adapt to your audience and product type. Too many emails may annoy customers.

Q: Doesn’t sending discounts hurt my profit margin?

A: It can if you overuse discounts. That’s why you should treat discounts as a strategic tool: perhaps only offer a discount in the final reminder if the cart value is high, or if the customer is a repeat visitor. Many stores recover carts without offering any discount if the reminder is strong and timely. The key is testing and balancing margin vs recovery rate.

Q: Do I need to worry about GDPR or privacy issues when sending abandoned cart emails?

A: Yes, especially if you serve EU or UK customers. You must ensure you have a lawful basis for processing the user’s email and sending marketing/recovery emails. Provide an opt-out option, and avoid overly aggressive or non-consented tracking. Your plugin should allow compliance settings or integration with your privacy/consent solution.

Q: What if the customer’s cart items are no longer in stock?

A: Great question. If the link takes them back to their cart but some items are out of stock, it may frustrate the user. Ensure your plugin or your theme’s restoration logic checks item availability and either removes unavailable items or replaces them with similar product suggestions. It’s good UX and boosts recovery chance.

Q: How do I measure how much revenue I’m recovering?

A: Use your plugin’s dashboard or WooCommerce reports to measure: number of abandoned carts, number of recovered carts, revenue recovered, open rates. You can export to CSV or integrate with Google Analytics / Tag Manager for deeper tracking. Over time, you’ll build benchmark recovery metrics (e.g., “We recovered 8% of abandoned carts this month”).

Conclusion

Abandoned cart emails are one of the most cost-effective recovery tools in your WooCommerce toolbox. With a well-designed workflow, the right plugin, compelling email copy, and smart automation, you can turn many of those “lost” sales into real revenue.

In this article we covered:

Why abandoned cart emails matter
How to choose the right plugin and install it
How to design a high-converting email template
How to set up your automation workflow in WooCommerce
How to analyse and optimise performance
How to handle special cases and compliance
Advanced tactics for higher recovery
A practical checklist and FAQs

Take the time to implement it properly. Test different timings, subject lines, incentives. Monitor what works for your store and niche. The uplift in conversion and revenue will speak for itself.

Good luck, and happy recovering!