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CMS Max Documentation

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Set up and manage automated email reminders that recover lost sales when customers leave without completing checkout

Overview

When customers add items to their cart, enter their email at checkout, and leave without completing their order, CMS Max can automatically send reminder emails with one-click links to restore their cart. This feature helps recover lost sales without any manual effort.

Abandoned cart settings and email templates

The process works in four steps:

  1. A customer starts checkout and provides their email
  2. After your configured delay, the cart is flagged as abandoned
  3. A sequence of reminder emails is sent automatically with live cart contents
  4. One click restores their cart, and conversions are tracked in your reports

Important: Emails only reach customers who entered their email at checkout. Customers who abandon before providing an email will not receive reminders.

Enabling Abandoned Cart Recovery

The feature is disabled by default and must be activated per store:

  1. Navigate to Ecommerce > Store Settings.
  2. Click the Abandoned Cart tab.
  3. Toggle Enable Abandoned Cart Recovery on.
  4. Click Add Default Templates to load a starter email sequence (if no templates exist yet).
  5. Review the settings and email templates, then click Save.

Configuring Settings

All settings are available under Ecommerce > Store Settings > Abandoned Cart:

Setting Description Default
Enable Recovery Master toggle for the feature Off
Inactivity Delay How long to wait before flagging a cart as abandoned 15 minutes
From Name The sender name on reminder emails (falls back to your store's default) Store default
Reply-To Address Where customer replies go (falls back to your store's reply-to setting) Store default
BCC Addresses Optional recipients who receive a copy of every abandoned cart email None
Recovery Window How long recovery links stay active 30 days

Email Templates

You can create multiple email templates that send in a timed sequence, allowing for multi-touch follow-up strategies.

Managing Templates

From Ecommerce > Store Settings > Abandoned Cart:

  • Click Add Default Templates to create a recommended starter sequence
  • Click Create to build a new template from scratch
  • Click a template row to Edit its subject, body, and timing
  • Click the delete icon to Remove a template

Email template editor

Timing and Sequence

Each template has a Send Delay that controls when it sends (in minutes after the cart is flagged as abandoned). Templates automatically order themselves by delay, and sequence numbers are calculated for you.

Example with a 15-minute inactivity delay:

  • Email #1 (delay: 0 min): Sends ~15 minutes after abandonment
  • Email #2 (delay: 60 min): Sends ~75 minutes after abandonment
  • Email #3 (delay: 24 hours): Sends ~25 hours after abandonment

Template Tags

Insert personalized, dynamic content using these tags in your email body:

Tag What It Shows
{{ customer_name }} Customer's first name, or "there" if unknown
{{ items }} A formatted table of cart items with images and quantities
{{ cart_total }} The calculated cart total at the time the email sends
{{ button }} A centered "Complete Your Order" call-to-action button
{{ store_name }} Your store's name
{{ expires_at }} The date when the recovery link expires

Tip: The {{ items }} and {{ cart_total }} tags show live data at send time, so if prices change between abandonment and email send, the customer sees current prices.

Email Layout

Every abandoned cart email includes:

  • Your store logo or name in the header
  • Your custom body content with template tags replaced
  • A centered Complete Your Order button
  • A footer with your store link and an unsubscribe option

The unsubscribe link is added automatically to every email footer -- you don't need to include it in your template.

Each email contains a unique recovery link for that customer's cart. When a customer clicks it:

  • Their cart contents are restored
  • They are redirected to the cart page to complete checkout
  • The cart is marked as Recovered in your reports

If a link is no longer valid, the customer sees one of these messages on the cart page:

  • "Invalid recovery link"
  • "This recovery link has expired"
  • "Your cart has expired"

Tip: Recovery links remain functional even after a customer unsubscribes from future emails. Unsubscribing only stops new emails from being sent.

Unsubscribes

Each email footer includes an unsubscribe link. Unsubscription is per-store and does not affect emails from other CMS Max stores.

When a customer unsubscribes:

  • That cart stops receiving emails immediately
  • Any other active abandoned carts for that email address also stop
  • Previously completed or expired carts are not affected
  • Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook users can unsubscribe directly from their email client without opening the email

Reports and Analytics

Access Reports > Abandoned Carts for detailed recovery performance. Use date range and status filters to analyze specific periods.

Abandoned cart report with KPI cards

KPI Cards

Card What It Shows
Active Carts Carts currently in the email sequence, with combined potential revenue
Recovered Revenue Total revenue from converted carts, plus overall recovery rate
Link Clicks Conversions where the customer clicked a recovery link (strongest signal)
Lost Carts Expired and unsubscribed carts, with lost revenue
Emails Sent Total emails sent and unique customers contacted

Data Table

The table lists each abandoned cart with sortable columns for date, email, cart value, status, and attribution. Use the column toggle (top-right of the table) to show Original Cart Products — clickable product links for the items that were in the cart when it was abandoned. This is useful for identifying which products are most commonly left behind.

Attribution

CMS Max tracks how recovered customers returned:

Attribution Meaning
Link Recovery Customer clicked the recovery link in an email, then placed an order
Email-Reminded Customer received emails but returned to the store on their own
Organic Customer completed their purchase before any email was sent

Cart Statuses

Abandoned carts progress through a lifecycle:

Status Meaning Final?
Pending Detected, awaiting first email No
Emailing At least one email sent, sequence in progress No
Recovered Customer clicked the recovery link No
Converted Order placed Yes
Expired Recovery window passed or items no longer available Yes
Unsubscribed Customer unsubscribed from emails Yes

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this work for guest checkouts?

Yes, as long as the guest provided their email during checkout. Carts abandoned before email entry will not trigger reminder emails.

How many emails can I send in a sequence?

There is no hard limit. Create as many templates as you need with unique send delays.

The order is still tracked as Converted. It will appear as "Email-Reminded" (if emails were sent) or "Organic" (if they returned before any emails were sent).

Will emails stop automatically after an order is completed?

Yes. The cart is marked Converted immediately, and no further emails are sent.

Can I view sent emails in the admin?

Yes. Navigate to Settings > Email Logs and filter by Email Type to see abandoned cart emails with delivery status, timestamps, and recipient details.

What does cart value represent in reports?

For active, recovered, expired, and unsubscribed carts, it shows the estimated value at the time of abandonment. For Converted carts, it updates to the actual order total.

Links remain valid for the configured Recovery Window (default: 30 days, adjustable up to 365 days).