Cart abandonment is a universal phenomenon in eCommerce. No matter how well-designed your store is or how competitive your product may be, a significant portion of users who add items to their cart won’t complete the purchase.
In this article, we review the most effective strategies (and the most common mistakes) for recovering abandoned carts in Shopify stores.
With Planet, you can display personalized messages, trigger recovery promotions based on the customer, and boost conversion directly from the cart.
Activate Planet today and turn abandoned carts into completed orders.
For a deeper analysis of why abandonment happens and how to prevent it, check out our article: Abandoned Carts in Shopify: How to Recover Them.
What to do when a customer abandons the cart
1. Enable automatic Email Reminders
One of the most straightforward and effective actions. Shopify lets you send automated emails to customers who left items in their cart. Ideally, they should be sent 1 to 3 hours after abandonment, with a friendly tone and a clear message.
Tip: Personalize the email by including the exact products left in the cart and a direct link to complete the purchase.
2. Create urgency with limited-time offers
Time-sensitive promotions work because they trigger an emotional response: fear of missing out. If the user sees that an offer is about to expire, they’re more likely to act immediately.
What kind of urgency can you show?
- “Today only: 20% off storewide.”
- “Your discount expires in 2 hours.”
- “Free shipping until midnight.”
- “Order before 6:00 p.m. and get a surprise gift.”
3. Reinforce perceived value in the cart
Many customers abandon their carts because they’re unsure of the value they’re getting. Showing applied discounts, active offers, or free gifts right before checkout can make all the difference.
What can you show to increase perceived value?
- Automatically applied discounts (“15% off applied in your cart”)
- Visible gifts (“Includes a free toiletry bag”)
- Confirmed free shipping (“Free shipping activated!”)
- Bundle savings (“Save €12 by buying the full set”)
- Volume discounts (“Buy 2 and get an extra 10% off”)
4. Simplify the checkout process
Sometimes it's not about the price, it’s about the experience. If the checkout is slow, confusing, or asks for too much info, customers leave. Make it as smooth as possible.
What can you do to reduce friction?
- Allow guest checkout – Requiring account creation deters first-time buyers.
- Simplify form fields – Only ask for what’s essential.
- Show a clear order summary – Customers should know exactly what they’re paying when it arrives, and if shipping is free.
- Optimize for mobile – Checkout must be fast and easy on any device.
- Offer familiar payment methods – Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal can be a deal-maker.
What NOT to do when a customer abandons the cart
1. Don’t offer blanket discounts to everyone
Offering 10% off via email to every cart abandoner may sound good until customers learn to wait for the discount. It's a valid tactic, but use it with care.
Tip: Reserve this move for key moments or high-value customers. If overused, it loses effectiveness.
2. Don’t use generic, unpersonalized messages
“You left items in your cart” email may be ignored. A message that mentions the actual products or highlights an active promotion is much more likely to convert.
Tip: Avoid generic emails. Use the data you already have.
3. Don’t rely on a single channel
If you're only using email to recover abandoned carts, you're missing out. Consider retargeting ads on social media or personalized WhatsApp messages if your database allows it.
How Planet can help
Planet isn’t just a tool for creating promotions, it’s a platform designed to show the right incentive at the exact moment the customer needs it. That’s key to reducing cart abandonment before it even happens.
Show discounts clearly and automatically
One of the main causes of abandonment is confusion about the final price. With Planet, discounts are automatically applied to the cart, reducing friction and increasing customer confidence.
Schedule time-based promotions to create real urgency
With Planet, you can program campaigns with start and end dates, making them appear and disappear automatically.
This lets you launch flash sales or limited-time offers without external banners or manual toggles.
Reinforce value with visual upsells
The cart is the perfect place to increase the perceived value. Planet allows you to add visual upsells in the side cart, suggesting related or complementary products.
These upsell blocks increase average order value and help customers feel they’re getting a great deal.
Segment by customer type
Not all visitors are alike. With Planet, you can create promotions that apply only when:
- The customer has made more than X purchases
- They have a specific tag (VIP, B2B…)
- They are logged in
- They’re shopping from a specific country or market
This ensures that every user sees the right promotion, without generic messages or unnecessary discounts.
Reducing cart abandonment isn’t about using tricks, it’s about strategy. It’s about understanding your customer’s hesitation and showing just the right incentive to keep them moving.
With Planet, you can structure a promotional strategy that ensures each user sees the right message at the right time. No code, no errors, and real impact on your sales.
Ready to recover more carts and turn more visits into purchases?
Start today with Planet.