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Abandoned cart emails: when to send them and what to write
Send one reminder within a few hours of the abandoned cart and at most one more a day or two later. Show the products with images, link straight back to the saved cart and answer the doubts that stop shoppers, such as delivery dates and returns. Keep discounts for exceptions. In Denmark, a cart reminder counts as marketing, so you need the customer's consent to marketing emails.
By the MoraLab team · Updated · 2 min read
Who you may email
In Denmark, the Consumer Ombudsman treats an abandoned-cart email as marketing under the Marketing Practices Act, so you need the customer's consent to receive marketing emails. Consent to emails about your products also covers cart reminders, and every email must make it easy to unsubscribe. Other EU countries have similar rules, so check the ones that apply to your customers.
Save the cart whatever you send, across devices for logged-in customers, so shoppers who come back by themselves find it waiting.
When to send
Within a few hours
The first reminder, while the shopper still remembers what they were buying.
A day or two later
At most one follow-up, answering a doubt rather than repeating the first email.
Then stop
More reminders annoy more than they recover, and drive unsubscribes.
What to write
The products, with images
Show exactly what they left, with the name, variant and price.
A link back to the saved cart
One click should bring back the cart as it was, not an empty one.
Answers to common doubts
Delivery date, delivery cost, returns and a line from a review. These are the reasons shoppers hesitate.
One clear button
Back to the cart. Nothing else competes with it.
Be careful with discounts
A discount in every reminder teaches customers to leave their cart on purpose to get it. Use reminders to help, and keep discounts for exceptions, such as high-value carts or customers who have abandoned several times.
Frequently asked questions
How many abandoned cart emails should I send?
One within a few hours and at most one more a day or two later. After that, more emails mostly cause unsubscribes.
Can I send a text message instead?
Text messages are electronic marketing too, so the same consent rules apply in Denmark. Ask for consent to the channel you plan to use.