Cart recovery

  • Written by Ganesh Pawar 2 min read
  • Updated: July 21, 2025

What is cart recovery?

Cart recovery refers to the strategies and tools used to bring shoppers back to your store after they’ve abandoned their shopping cart without completing a purchase. It’s a crucial part of any ecommerce business’s conversion strategy, especially when cart abandonment rates are high.

The ecommerce cart recovery centers around winning back lost sales. When a customer leaves without checking out, cart recovery tactics aim to re-engage them, typically through emails, SMS, push notifications, or retargeted ads, to encourage them to complete their purchase.

Why is cart recovery important?

Every abandoned cart is a missed opportunity. With average abandonment rates over 60%, cart recovery can significantly increase your revenue. Recovering even a fraction of these carts can have a big impact on your bottom line. It’s also more cost-effective to recover existing customers than acquire new ones.

How does cart recovery work?

Here’s a typical cart recovery process:

  • A customer adds products to their cart but leaves the site.
  • Your system captures their cart data (often via email or cookies).
  • An automated recovery email or SMS is sent after a short delay.
  • The message includes a reminder, a discount, or a personalized offer.
  • The customer clicks through and completes the purchase.

Example of cart recovery in action

A customer leaves a Shopify store without finishing checkout. Two hours later, they receive an email: ‘Your cart’s waiting! Grab 10% off if you order now.’ That’s a cart recovery flow doing its job.

Driftcharge Tip

Automate personalized cart recovery emails and SMS messages to bring customers back. Experiment with subject lines, timing, and special offers to find what drives the highest conversions.

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Ganesh Pawar

Ganesh Pawar is the founder of Driftcharge, a subscription management app designed to help Shopify merchants streamline and scale their subscription businesses. With a deep focus on solving real-world pain points—like legacy account page support, flexible subscription options, and advanced analytics—Ganesh is passionate about building tools that drive growth and retention.

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