Abandoned carts are a thorn in the side of eCommerce businesses. They're a problem because they mean potential revenue that is lost.

But what is an abandoned cart? And why should you care?

An abandoned cart is a cart of customers who have started the checkout process but did not complete their purchase.

An abandoned cart can be the result of many issues, such as:

The list goes on, but whatever the reason for abandonment, there's one thing that remains true: That customer has left without buying anything, and you've lost out on potential sales revenue.

But why is it important to care?

When someone abandons their shopping cart, it can be frustrating for both customers and businesses. But it's important to remember that customers who have abandoned their carts are still interested in making a purchase; they just need more time or more information before making a decision. That means you still have plenty of opportunities to bring these potential customers back into the fold!

1. To create Abandoned cart automation, log in to your BayEngage account, click "Automation" from the left-hand side menu, and click "Create automation."

2. To set up an automation, you will see a pop-up window. Name it, select the "Checkout abandonment recovery" recipe from the drop-down menu, and click "Create."

3. You'll be prompted to complete the Checkout abandonment recovery workflow.

4. To begin, select a trigger for the flow using the "Activity filter" or "User filter." Your trigger should be based on the cart value in the activity filter, and click “update.” For example, you can give something like a cart value equal to $100 or a cart value greater than $100.

With the user filter, you can filter out customers based on their historical data. You can filter based on whether the customer has placed an order in the last 6 months or using their demographics, email opens, subscription status, and more. Now, click “update.”

5. You can choose how soon the email should be sent, from a few hours to weeks. You can also specify the time and time zone for the email to be delivered and click "Save."

6. Finally, edit the From, Reply-To, Subject, and Preview text fields in your email and hit “Save” to update the changes. Then click the "Edit Template" button to begin customizing your message.

7. Just drag and drop the elements and then make the updates you'd like. When you're finished making changes, click "Save," and it'll take you back to your automation workflow.

Top tips to help you create an abandoned cart email

You can use a few best practices to ensure your abandoned cart email is effective and provides the best possible experience for your shoppers.

Note: You can even use SMS as part of your flow. Where you can edit, preview, schedule delivery times, and save the flow.

9. Click "View Reports" at the top right of the screen and select "Detailed report" to access your detailed metrics.

Note: When sending abandoned cart emails, following best practices is essential.

You should send the first email should be sent within 24 hours of the customer abandoning their cart. This will help you recover as many customers as possible before they entirely forget about your product or service.

You should send the second email should be sent 48 hours after the first one, and the third should be sent 72 hours after that. These emails are meant to reinforce the value of your product or service, provide enticing offers or incentives and remind customers why they were interested in it in the first place.