We all know the drill—a customer adds items to their cart, starts the checkout process, and then… disappears.
It’s frustrating, right? But here’s the truth: Abandoned cart emails are the low-hanging fruit that can dramatically improve your revenue—if done right. In 2025, it’s not just about sending a reminder email and hoping for the best.
The game has changed. With more competition than ever, and customers becoming more discerning, you need to deliver relevant, timely, and personalized messages that cut through the noise.
In this edition, we’re diving into what’s really working in abandoned cart recovery this year. We’ll share cutting-edge strategies, advanced tactics, and real-world examples that can boost your recovery rates and put your abandoned carts back in action.
Let’s break down how you can turn these lost opportunities into sales and, ultimately, increase your customer lifetime value.
1. Hyper-Personalization: Going Beyond the First Name
What Works in 2025: Generic “Hey [First Name]” emails don’t cut it anymore. The goal is hyper-personalization: making the customer feel like the email was made just for them based on their behavior.
Actionable Tactic:
- Product-Level Personalization: Don’t just list the products they left behind. Show them alternative colors or sizes they might like. If they abandoned a high-ticket item, show them related, lower-priced items that pair well. Use product data (views, past purchases) to suggest items that align with their preferences.
Example:
- [Your Store]: “We noticed you left these behind—plus, you might love this matching accessory.”
- Benefit: This drives up the average order value (AOV) by suggesting related products that fit their preferences. This is a personalized cross-sell rather than a generic offer.
Why It Works: Hyper-personalization shows your customers you’ve been paying attention and are offering relevant recommendations. Customers feel like you understand their needs, making them more likely to return and purchase.
2. Send in Multiple Touchpoints: A Sequence, Not Just One Email
What Works in 2025: Cart abandonment doesn’t end after one email. You need multiple touchpoints spread over time—each one adding value, urgency, or social proof.
Actionable Tactic:
Sequence Breakdown:
- Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): A reminder email with product details, benefits, and the first CTA to complete the purchase.
- Email 2 (24 hours later): Introduce scarcity. “Last few items in stock—your cart is almost gone!”
- Email 3 (48-72 hours): Add social proof. “Over 300+ happy customers have bought this product. Here’s what they’re saying…” and introduce a discount or incentive (e.g., free shipping).
“Get to know this People’s Beauty Award Winner…”
“‘Indulgent’ and ‘delightful’ are just some of the words our testers at People Beauty used to describe this buttery, but not greasy, skin-softening balm.”
Social proof reassures customers that they’re not alone in their decision-making. When other customers are happy with the product, it reduces risk and pushes them toward completing their purchase.
3. Use Behavioral Triggers, Not Just Cart Abandonment
What Works in 2025: Not all abandoned cart emails need to be about abandoned carts. Triggering emails based on user behavior can dramatically increase recovery rates.
Actionable Tactic:
Behavior-Based Triggers:
- Product page visits without adding to cart: “Looks like you’re interested in this—here’s why people love it.”
- Price drop alerts: Send emails when a product they viewed goes on sale or gets a price reduction.
- Wishlist-to-cart: If a customer added an item to their wishlist and then abandoned it, send an email like: “You’ve got great taste—this item is still available but going fast!”
- GoPro Email: “Price Drop. Snag a HERO8 Black for an incredible new low price. With unshakable HyperSmooth 2.0 and built-in mounting—8 is the one.”
Multi-touchpoint sequences keep customers engaged and remind them of their abandoned items from different angles, leveraging urgency, scarcity, and social proof. Plus, offering discounts or incentives at later stages creates a “last chance” feeling that pushes customers to act.
Example:
- “Hey [Name], we noticed you checking out [Product Name]. It’s now 20% off for the next 48 hours. Don’t miss it!”
- Why It Works: This moves beyond the basic cart abandonment message, tapping into additional behaviors that show intent, whether it’s price sensitivity or a lack of action on a wishlist. It also targets specific moments of interest, creating a more contextual and timely email.
4. Timing: The Golden Hour (And Beyond)
What Works in 2025: The timing of your abandoned cart email is critical. But it’s not just about sending it within an hour anymore—today, it’s about how you manage your email cadence and the time of day.
Actionable Tactic:
- Optimal Timeframe: The first email should be sent within 30 minutes to an hour—while the customer’s still in the buying mindset. However, for high-ticket items, wait 24-48 hours and add urgency before sending a second email.
- Perfect Send Time: Consider time zone and when your customers are most likely to check their email. For instance, sending emails at 11 AM or 2 PM local time has proven to yield better open rates, especially for B2C.
The golden hour after abandonment is still crucial, but sending a well-timed follow-up can be the key to recovering that sale. The second email comes with urgency and scarcity when the product may be close to going out of stock.
5. Use Advanced Technology to Optimize Every Email
What Works in 2025: Automation is no longer a luxury – it’s a necessity. AI-driven personalization and dynamic content allow you to deliver the right message at the right time.
Actionable Tactic:
- AI Recommendations: Use AI-powered platforms like Retainful to dynamically adjust content within abandoned cart emails. For example, show the product with recommendations for other items based on their browsing behavior.
- Product Retargeting Ads: Pair abandoned cart emails with product retargeting ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram to keep the product in front of the customer.
Example:
- Email: “We’ve reserved your [Product Name], but it’s running out soon. Want to add something to complete your look? [Related Product]”
- Ad: Retarget the same product the customer abandoned with a “Still thinking about it?” ad.
Why It Works: Advanced technology like AI not only personalizes the experience but also allows you to scale and automate what works, optimizing your cart recovery efforts. Automation leads to more timely and relevant messaging, improving the chances of conversion.
Conclusion: Mastering Abandoned Cart Emails in 2025
In 2025, abandoned cart emails are more sophisticated than ever. It’s not just about sending a simple reminder. It’s about creating an automated sequence, personalizing based on behavior, using timing and urgency, and leveraging AI to optimize content. By implementing these tactics, you’ll be able to recover abandoned carts at a much higher rate, build trust with your customers, and ultimately drive more sales.
And that’s a wrap for this edition!
Thanks for hanging with Sanjai—always a pleasure to have you here!
If you found this newsletter helpful (or even just a little fun), don’t keep it to yourself! Share this with your favorite DTC marketer. Let’s get them on board so they don’t miss next week’s drops.
Remember: Keep pushing, the best is yet to come.
🤘 Sanjai Kathirvel
