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Cart abandonment is one of the most common and costly problems in e-commerce. Customers add products to their cart, begin the checkout process, enter their email — then leave without completing the purchase. The HoopAI platform’s abandoned cart recovery feature automatically detects this behavior and sends a follow-up email to bring customers back.

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How abandoned cart detection works

The platform monitors checkout sessions and identifies abandonment when all of the following conditions are met:
  1. A customer visits your store and adds at least one item to their cart.
  2. They proceed to checkout and enter their email address.
  3. They leave the checkout page without completing the purchase (do not reach the Thank You page).
The email address is required because it is the only way to deliver the recovery email. Customers who leave the cart page before entering their email cannot be reached by the automated system. Once the abandonment is detected and the configured delay passes, the platform sends the recovery email automatically.

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Default behavior

The abandoned cart email system is inventory-aware: before sending the recovery email, the platform checks whether the carted items are still in stock. If any items are now out of stock, the recovery link’s cart view automatically shows a “Remove item” prompt for those products. This prevents customers from clicking through to a cart where items are unavailable. The recovery link that appears in the email:
  • Works across different devices, browsers, and sessions
  • Restores the exact cart contents from when the customer abandoned
  • Shows current prices (if you updated prices after abandonment, the current price is shown)
  • Supports guest checkout — no account creation required to complete the purchase

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Setting up abandoned cart emails

1

Navigate to Payments > Settings > Notifications

Click Payments in the left sidebar, then Settings, then Notifications.
2

Toggle on abandoned cart emails

Find Enable Abandoned Cart Emails and toggle it to ON.
3

Select an email template

Use the dropdown to select an existing email template for the recovery email. If you do not have a template yet, create one first in Marketing > Emails > Templates (see below).
4

Set the subject line

Enter a custom subject line for the abandoned cart email. Effective subject lines are specific and action-oriented, such as:
  • “You left something behind…”
  • “Your cart is waiting — and it’s almost gone”
  • “Don’t forget [Product Name]”
5

Configure the sending delay

Set how long the platform waits after abandonment before sending the email. The default is 10 hours. You can enter a custom value in hours or minutes. Common approaches:
  • 1 hour: Catches the customer while the purchase is still fresh in their mind
  • 4 hours: Gives customers time to reconsider without feeling rushed
  • 24 hours: Allows a full day before following up, suitable for higher-priced products where consideration time is longer
6

Save settings

Click Save. The system is now active and will begin sending recovery emails for any abandoned sessions that meet the criteria.

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Creating an abandoned cart email template

The abandoned cart email template is built in Marketing > Emails > Templates. When creating your template, you have access to special e-commerce dynamic fields that personalize the email: Available dynamic fields:
  • {{customer.firstName}} — the customer’s first name
  • {{checkout.url}} — the unique recovery link that restores the customer’s cart
  • Shopping Cart element — a visual block that displays the exact abandoned products with images, product names, variant selections, prices, and quantities
Adding the shopping cart block:
  1. In the email template editor, click to insert a new block.
  2. Select Shopping Cart from the element options.
  3. The block automatically renders the abandoned products when the email is sent — you do not need to manually configure the products.

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Limitations of the built-in abandoned cart system

The current abandoned cart feature has a few constraints to be aware of:
  • One email per abandonment: The system sends a single follow-up email per abandoned session. There is no built-in multi-email sequence (e.g., a 3-email drip over 7 days) from the notifications setting alone.
  • Email only: The automated abandoned cart system sends email. SMS reminders require a separate manual workflow setup.
  • Requires email capture: If the customer leaves before entering their email, no recovery is possible.
  • No new items from the link: When a customer clicks the recovery link, their original cart is restored. They can modify quantities or remove items, but the link does not support adding items that were not in the original cart.

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Building a multi-touch abandoned cart sequence with workflows

For a more sophisticated recovery strategy — multiple follow-ups over several days — use the Workflow builder with the Abandoned Cart trigger: Example 3-email recovery sequence:
  1. Trigger: Abandoned Cart (customer entered email but did not purchase)
  2. Wait: 1 hour
  3. Action: Send Email 1 — “Did something go wrong? Your cart is saved.”
  4. Condition: Did the contact purchase? (Check if order exists for this contact)
  5. If no: Wait 23 hours (total of 24 hours since abandonment)
  6. Action: Send Email 2 — “Your cart is still waiting — but stock is limited.”
  7. Condition: Did the contact purchase?
  8. If no: Wait 48 hours (total of 72 hours since abandonment)
  9. Action: Send Email 3 — “Last chance — your saved cart expires soon.” (optionally include a one-time discount code)
  10. End
This workflow approach gives you full control over the timing, messaging, and number of recovery touchpoints.

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Measuring abandoned cart performance

Track the effectiveness of your abandoned cart emails by monitoring:
  • Open rate: Are customers seeing the email? An open rate below 30% suggests the subject line needs work.
  • Click rate: Are customers clicking the recovery link? A click rate below 10% suggests the email body or offer is not compelling.
  • Recovery rate: What percentage of customers who click actually complete the purchase? Track conversions by comparing the number of recovery link clicks against orders placed within 24 hours of the email send.
A 10-hour default delay is a reasonable starting point, but test shorter delays (1–4 hours) if your products are impulse or low-consideration purchases. Longer delays (24+ hours) work better for higher-priced products where customers naturally take longer to decide.
Last modified on March 5, 2026