An abandoned cart occurs when someone shows a clear intention to make a purchase—they selected products and added them to their cart—but doesn’t complete the checkout process. This can happen due to unexpected shipping costs, uncertainty about sizing, a lengthy checkout process, or a simple distraction. The strategy for recovering these customers is typically an automated message reminding them of what they left behind.

Why does it matter?

It's one of the strongest signals of intent a customer can give. They've already come almost all the way—only the final step remains. That's why abandoned cart messages are often among the most profitable automations for an e-commerce business.

• Timing: A reminder is most effective when it arrives while interest is still high.
• Content: Display the exact products, answer common questions, and make it easy to return to the shopping cart.
• Channel: email, WhatsApp, or SMS, depending on the customer's preference and authorization.
• Tip: Not everyone needs a discount; sometimes a reminder is enough.

Story mode

Lucía adds a pair of trail running shoes to her cart at an online sports store, but she’s torn between two sizes and closes the page. A little while later, she receives a message: “Lucía, your shoes are still in your cart. Can we help you choose the right size?” along with a link to the size guide. She figures it out in a minute, returns to her cart, and completes the purchase.

How to Use It with Data4Sales

• Set up an abandoned cart flow that runs 24/7 and triggers automatically.
• You choose the channel—WhatsApp, email, or SMS—and manage the sequence from a single place.
• With Orbis Creative, you can craft a unique message for each customer based on their data.
• With product affinity, you suggest items that are often purchased along with the items left in the cart.
• Measure the revenue attributed to Flow using a control group to determine how many sales it actually recovers.

Related terms

• Abandoned Ship
• Flow
• Shutter
• Conversion rate