About 70% of carts are abandoned at checkout, costing billions in lost revenue annually. This silently inflates your CAC and plummets your overall ROI. Fortunately, you can reclaim this almost lost revenue with cart abandonment SMS.
Timely cart recovery SMS can provide a gentle nudge and guide your customers right back to their purchase. Moreover, automated SMS abandoned cart recovery outperforms every other channel in terms of open rate (98%) and ROI (7000%).
That’s why, in this article, we have shared:
- What is an abandoned cart SMS? And why do you need them?
- US guidelines for SMS abandoned cart recovery
- 15 effective cart recovery SMS templates that are US compliant (Copy & Paste)
- A comparison table of cart recovery channels and their respective metrics
- Tips to make your SMS cart recovery efficient
Recover 58% of carts without the complexity and high costs using Retainful’s pre-built SMS cart recovery automation workflows.
What is Cart Abandonment SMS?
Abandoned Cart SMS is an automatic text message sent when shoppers add items to the cart but don’t complete the purchase.
Purpose: Gently remind the customer about the items they left in their cart and encourage them to finish the purchase.
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Why do you need SMS for cart recovery?
When someone abandons their cart, every minute counts. Emails are helpful, but often get buried or ignored. That’s where SMS shines.
It’s fast, personal, and incredibly effective at bringing customers back before they forget what they wanted.
Here are the top 5 reasons why SMS is a must for cart recovery:
- Almost Instant Opens (98% open rate): Text messages are opened within minutes, often in under 90 seconds. Compared to emails (45% open rate), SMS gives you a much better chance of getting seen.
- Made For Mobile: People carry their phones everywhere and check texts constantly. SMS gets noticed and conveys the message instantly – at a glance. It increases the chance of recovering the cart.
- Higher Click-Through Rates: SMS has clear, concise messages with strong CTAs and shortlinks. It gets 3x more clicks than email, getting shoppers back to their carts faster.
- More Conversions, Less Drop-Off: Recovery SMS campaigns convert at 15–20%, and in some cases up to 58%. Compare that to emails, which usually convert at around 5–10%. That’s a big difference in recovered revenue.
- Feels Personal, Not Pushy: Despite their brevity, SMS messages feel highly personal. Addressing the customer by name and referencing the specific items they left behind creates a relevant and compelling reminder.
US Guidelines for Compliant SMS Abandoned Cart Recovery
When implementing SMS abandoned cart recovery in the United States, adhering to strict compliance guidelines is not merely a best practice. It is a legal requirement. We have covered a basic overview of some US guidelines.
However, this is only for educational purposes and should not be considered as legal advice.
These are the core Requirements for US SMS Cart Abandonment Flows (TCPA, CTIA, & Carrier Mandates):
- Explicit Agreement: Recipients must explicitly agree to receive recurring marketing messages, specifically including abandoned cart reminders. Consent cannot be a condition of purchase.
- Double opt-in: For abandoned cart messages, US wireless carriers require all SMS subscribers to go through a double opt-in process. The disclosure text must clearly state that your SMS program includes cart abandonment reminders.
- One SMS Per Recipient Per Abandoned Event: The flow is strictly limited to one (1) SMS message per unique abandoned shopping event per recipient.
- Send Within 48 Hours: The abandoned cart SMS message must be sent within 48 hours of the triggering event. (i.e., the customer abandoning their cart)
- No Transaction Completion via Text: You cannot complete the transaction on behalf of the customer. Moreover, you must not collect payment information via text, or accept purchase via a keyword confirmation.
- Privacy Policy: Your privacy policy must explicitly state how information is captured (e.g., via cookies) to detect abandoned carts. It must also disclose that this information is used to send cart reminder messages via SMS.
- Every SMS message must include a clear and conspicuous instruction for opting out. For example, “Reply STOP to opt out.”
- Your brand/company name should be clearly identified in every SMS message sent.
- Maintain a detailed, auditable record of every customer’s consent.
Free Templates For Automatic Text Message Campaigns
These free templates are designed to help you reclaim lost sales through automated text message campaigns. Each template is crafted for US compliance, focusing on clarity, and conciseness.
- Cart Abandonment Without Any Discount / Offer
- Cart Abandonment with Discount / Offer
- Cart Abandonment Follow-Up Templates
1. Cart Abandonment Without Any Discount / Offer
Simple Reminder (Immediate: 5 mins after abandonment)
Friendly Check-in (1-3 hours after abandonment)
Product-Focused Nudge (1-6 hours after abandonment)
Offer Help / Support (6-12 hours after abandonment)
Urgency (if genuinely low stock or limited edition) (12-24 hours after abandonment)
2. Cart Abandonment with Discount / Offer
Free Shipping Offer (1-6 hours after abandonment)
Percentage Discount (for higher value carts or later in the day)
First Purchase Discount (for new customers)
Bundle Discount / Specific Item Offer
Buy One Get One (BOGO) Offer (if applicable to abandoned items)
3. Cart Abandonment Follow-Ups
Value Proposition Follow-Up (e.g., for email or a later, distinct SMS re-engagement campaign, not within the 48-hr cart flow)
Social Proof Follow-Up (e.g., for email or later, distinct SMS re-engagement)
FOMO / Limited Time Follow-Up (Use with integrity – e.g., for email or a much later, distinct SMS campaign if stock is genuinely low)
New Arrival / Related Product Suggestion (Requires general marketing consent, not direct cart abandonment)
Direct Feedback Request (If you’re truly seeking feedback, not just pushing a sale)
SMS vs Push notifications vs Emails
| Performance Metrics | SMS | Emails | Push Notifications |
| Open Rate | 98% | 45% | 50% |
| CTR | 8% – 30% | 4% – 28% | 1-10% |
| ROI | $71 for every $1 spent | $36 for every $1 spent | Often free per message once subscribed |
| Cart Recovery | 58% | 30% | 30% |
Tips to make your SMS Cart Recovery Efficient
- First Message (5-60 minutes): The highest conversion rates for abandoned carts occur within the first hour. Send your initial SMS reminder very quickly (5-15 minutes is ideal).
- Be Concise and Clear (Under 160 Characters): SMS has character limits. Get straight to the point.
- Personalize Extensively: Use dynamic codes to include customer name, products and discounts.
- Complement Email: SMS is powerful for immediacy, while email allows for more detailed content, images, and longer follow-up sequences.
- SMS First: Send an SMS soon after abandonment for immediate impact.
- Email Follow-up: If the SMS doesn’t convert, follow up with an email an hour or a day later, potentially with more product details, reviews, or a stronger incentive.
- Enable Replies: Let customers know they can reply to your SMS with questions. This can address hidden objections or confusion.
- Integrate with Support: If possible, route these replies to your customer support team or an intelligent chatbot to provide immediate assistance. Sometimes, a quick answer is all that’s needed to secure the sale.
- A/B Test: Test One Variable at a Time.
- Timing: 15 mins vs. 30 mins vs. 1 hour for the first message.
- CTA: “Complete your order” vs. “Shop now.”
- Incentive: Free shipping vs. 20% off vs. no discount.
- Tone: Formal vs. friendly vs. urgent.
- Personalization Level: Name only vs. name + product.
- Emojis: With vs. without.
- Monitor Key Metrics: Track open rates, click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and revenue generated from your SMS campaigns.
Send cart recovery and emails in-sync using Retainful’s omnichannel automation workflows.
Wrap Up!
Shopping cart abandonment is undeniably the most widely faced challenge in the ecommerce industry. Emails and SMS are the best combo to recover your cart effectively. Complement your SMS with abandoned cart recovery emails to create a coherent experience.
One of the best tools to run SMS and email cart recovery series is Retainful. In Retainful you can send SMS and emails in a single cart recovery automation workflow. Additionally, you can create add-to-cart popups from Retainful to minimize shopping cart abandonment.
Also Read:
- Improve SMS Deliverability: The Marketer’s Guide to 95% Deliverability Rates
- WooCommerce SMS marketing – An Ultimate Beginner Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are highly effective, boasting nearly 98% open rates and strong conversion, proving to recover significant lost sales.
While you might find limited free trials, most robust and compliant SMS platforms require a paid subscription.
The best abandoned cart SMS messages are timely, personalized, include a clear call-to-action, and comply with all US regulations.
Yes, Klaviyo offers comprehensive features for building and managing compliant abandoned cart SMS flows.
Absolutely, discounts like free shipping or a percentage off are very common and effective in abandoned cart emails.
Yes, Klaviyo provides robust integration with WooCommerce for managing abandoned cart flows, including SMS.
An abandoned checkout email should remind the customer of their items, include a direct link back to their checkout, and offer a clear incentive or assistance.
