Top 15 Amazing Abandoned Cart Email Examples

When you run an online shop, you do not want users to abandon their carts just before purchase. But that appears to be a common phenomenon. Did you know that the average abandonment rate is 69.57%?  

The reasons for the high number can vary. According to research by Baymard Institute, 58% of American online shoppers have abandoned a cart because they were just browsing and were not ready to buy. 

You can’t fault people for this and you cannot force them to buy something when they are not ready. 

However, there are strategies to help you increase conversions and lower your rate of cart abandonment, and one of them is to optimize your abandonment cart emails.

Top Reasons for Shopping Cart Abandonment

According to the same research we’ve quoted earlier, the top three reasons people add items to their carts and then don’t check out are:  

• The extra costs are too high - shipping, tax or fees 
• Mandatory registration on the site 
• The checkout process is too long or complicated 

The good news is, those things can be fixed. While you can’t blame the customers for wanting to just browse you can work on improving your checkout process by:

• Making the entire process transparent, quicker and easier 
• Displaying all the costs the customers will pay 
• Giving discounts and offering free shipping 
• Making the registration on your site optional or having a guest checkout to allow for one-off purchases

Why Do You Need Abandoned Cart Emails?

Let’s look at the data that proves setting up an automated cart abandoned email is a great way to lower your cart abandonment rates: 

• More than 40% of cart abandonment emails are opened
• 21% of all emails are clicked on
• 50% of users click on the purchase link

The conclusion here is that it’s worth investing in personalized, automated cart abandonment emails. This will bring customers back and will remind them they have an unfinished order. 

When to Send the Cart Abandonment Emails?

You might ask how many times you should remind people of their abandoned carts and when you should send the emails?

According to the good practices the standard formula is: 

You can send 2-3 emails after the cart abandonment occurs: 

• The first email should be sent immediately after the customer leaves a cart without making a purchase. Emails sent in the first 20 minutes of cart abandonment, on average, have a 5.2% conversion rate. While emails sent within the first hour achieve a slightly lower conversion rate of 4.5%. 
• The second email can be sent 1-2 days after. 
• The third email 4-7 days after the cart has been abandoned with a focus on that the items won’t be saved. 

While these good practices can give you an idea of how to approach the cart abandonment strategy, you should run an A/B test and see which strategy your customers respond best to. 

How to Craft Outstanding Abandonment Cart Emails 

Your emails should be designed to catch the recipient’s attention. When crafting your cart abandonment emails you need to consider a few details:

• It should have an eye-catching subject line.
• Give one clear call-to-action to complete the purchase.
• When the email is a bit longer, use two buttons -one in the beginning, and another at the end of the email.
• Write an effective copy.
• Show the products selected.
• Add catchy graphics and images. 
• Create a sense of urgency. 
• Optimize for mobile. 
• Make the closing of purchase as simple and easy as possible.

The goal of the first email should be to close the deal and sell the selected products. Do not overwhelm users with too many choices, but instead focus on the choice they made.

However, on the second and the third, you may give more options like:

• Offer an alternative and complementary products 
• Add reviews and social proof 
• Offer a coupon or discount if possible
• Suggest free or discounted delivery 

Just be careful to not overdo the free and discounted offers as your customers might easily learn to skip immediate purchases just to get a better deal.

Do you want to see those principles to be put in action? 

We have collected examples of 15 inspiring cart abandoned emails that can teach you how to master the reminder emails. The list includes different brands and approaches to help you create your abandoned cart emails right away. 

15 Abandoned Cart Email Examples 

1. Asos 

Asos is an online fashion and cosmetic retailer. The brand is famous for its humor and unique style. When you browse through their website you can’t miss the fresh style and the unique way they write their product descriptions. 

This abandoned cart email follows their “voice” and style of the brand. The catchy, “Don’t forget about me” message of Asos invites users to return and checkout the items in their cart. 

The email looks like their homepage. It informs you about the product you’ve added to the cart but didn’t purchase. It also contains information about delivery which is a crucial factor for eCommerce. In addition, it informs users about their easy return policy which is also important when ordering items online. 

2. Amazon

When speaking about eCommerce we can’t forget about Amazon. There is always something you can learn about from the conglomerate and apply it to your own business. 

Even though their cart abandoned email doesn’t have an eye-catching design or compelling copy, it is pretty informational and it has all the information the customer needs: 

• A picture of the selected item 
• A clear call to action button 
• Millions of deals and items you can also choose from 

It also encourages the customer in an informal l way to “simply revisit their shopping cart”. 

3. Microsoft 

This email has some similarities to Amazon's example. Microsoft doesn’t offer outstanding design but it is pretty straight to the point reminder email. Notice that the green call to action button is visible and it’s eye-catching. 

There are no distractions, the information is pretty comprehensive because it displays the selected product, its price, and the free shipping policy. The very first sentence adds urgency and hints that the time to purchase is limited.

4. Kate Spade

Kate Spade is a brand for female clothes and accessories. This reminder email addresses one of the main reasons for cart abandonment - extra shipping costs or additional taxes. They communicate their free shipping policy in a direct and concise manner - “Side note: shipping and returns are always free”. 

The whole email’s copy is catchy with phrases like “Heads up” or “take a peek”. The abandoned product is displayed with its price and there is a call to action button encouraging customers to proceed with their checkout. 

In case the customer doesn’t want to purchase the item it still has the opportunity to browse their website and check out the new arrivals. 

5. Casper 

The mattress company Casper has a pretty awesome cart abandonment email for the customers who don’t complete their orders. The email design and copy are attractive and eye-catching. 

It’s also simple and minimalistic. It has two call to action buttons designed to remind customers about an uncompleted order. 

The second example is a follow-up email where the company offers a coupon. Notice the difference in the designs. While the first email had a charming image, the second email presents a photo of a person in a cozy atmosphere. 

This helps the customers to imagine themselves in a similar comfortable atmosphere. As suggested above, discounts are offered later on while the first email is focused on the benefits of closing the deal.

6. Adidas 

The email starts with a natural question “Is your Wi-Fi okay?”. Then the message continues with an engaging “iconic Gazelle silhouette”. It has a call to action button right below the displayed product. And the best part of the email - the social proof of that particular item. 

There is no better way to show off your product than by showing photos of customers who are using it. In addition, you can add ratings and comments left from those customers. 

Notice one detail - there is one review that doesn’t have a five star rating, but it has four instead.

This is to show that no product is perfect and that the reviews are authentic and you can trust them. 

7. Cali Fabrics

This example is excellent for various reasons. It starts with an emotional, “We can’t send your fabrics, because you haven’t completed the purchase” including a sad emoticon. When you read this you get the feeling that a friend of yours is talking to you. 

It is personalized and offers a unique discount especially for this customer. It also gives information about the return policy and has a summary of the order - the product, the price, and the quantity. 

In addition, you can read the positive reviews from happy customers, so that you can be sure the product is reliable. 

8. The Old Farmer’s Store

This example is similar to the previous one but with a small difference. 

The delivery - customers receive  “immediate shipment”, once they’ve completed their order.

Reviews from previous customers show they are satisfied with their purchases. 

The detail worth mentioning is the complementary products at the bottom of the email. 

9. Sephora

Sephora’s cart abandonment email creates an immediate sense of urgency. “Hurry, this may sell out” will cheer up customers to take action now because the product may be sold out soon. 

In addition, it contains information about the price of the shipping, the time for delivery and Sephora’s free return policy. 

10. Levis

Imagine the customers adding a product to their cart but for some reason, they decide not to purchase. 

Later on, they’ll receive a reminder email telling them that the products have been saved and that they still can get them at the discounted price. This tactic will definitely help you to increase your sales. 

Overall the email copy should be friendly and not sound too salesy while creating a sense of urgency. 

11. Target

Target relies on the “New price alert” approach and offers a discount on the product the customers have added to the cart but didn’t buy. 

The call to action, “Get it now” is pretty clear and it makes it difficult not to click on it.

Target also offers similar products at the bottom of the email so the customer can browse the website and add more products to their basket. 

Make a note clarifying that discount emails could be sent much later - a week or even more after the cart abandonment event. It is always a good strategy to keep a record of abandoned items and alert users when they go on sale, no matter when that happens.

12. Moschino 

The reminder email by Moschino is quite stylish, which is very typical for a fashion brand, and it has two call to action buttons and information about the selected products. 

At the beginning of the article, we mentioned 17% of cart abandonments happen because people don’t trust the website and they don’t feel comfortable giving out their credit card information. 

Moschino reminds their customers that there is nothing to worry about, because they have a secure method of payment. They also have an easy returns policy. 

13. Native 

The cosmetics brand Native has created a reminder email that is funny and captures the attention of their customers. The email is friendly with a sense of humor and a funny gif and reminds customers of their shipping policy and that returns are free. 

There are two call to action buttons. They are vividly colored and extremely visible. It is difficult to say “no” to this email. 

14. Evil Queen

Another great example is by Evil Queen candles. The headline “OMG!” definitely grabs your attention. It reminds customers that there are items in their cart and that they soon will be gone. 

To encourage people to make a decision they offer a 10% discount off the order. 

The call to action button is visible and its color makes you want to click and complete your order. 

15. Bearsville Soap

Did you notice the bear emoji in the subject line? The bear emoji is cute and it makes the email stand out in your inbox. It is also a great fit for the company’s brand. 

The photo represents their ideal buyer persona. This will help customers identify with the product. 

Wrapping up 

If you haven’t introduced the cart abandonment email to your strategy you are missing out on opportunities. An automated email reminder will not only bring you more sales but will also benefit your customers. 

When drafting your emails think of how you can help your customers and what points you should address. You can add shipping information or answer possible questions. Don’t think about the sales only, think of how to be useful and your customers will be all the more happier for it.