Summary
Cart Recovery helps you recover lost sales by automatically sending reminder messages to customers who add items to their cart but do not proceed to checkout. Using channels like WhatsApp, Rich Communication Services (RCS), and Short Message Service (SMS), you can re-engage customers while their purchase intent is still high.
Unlike Checkout Recovery, which targets customers who abandon the checkout page, Cart Recovery works earlier in the buying journey. This gives you more opportunities to bring customers back before they leave your store completely.
Instructions
Understand the difference between cart recovery and checkout recovery
Cart Recovery and Checkout Recovery work at different stages of the customer journey.
Factor | Cart Recovery | Checkout Recovery |
Trigger event | Customer adds items to cart | Customer abandons checkout |
Recovery stage | Before checkout | During or after checkout |
Customer intent | High intent | Very high intent |
Audience size | Broader audience | Smaller audience |
You can use both automations together. For example:
A customer adds items to the cart and receives a Cart Recovery message.
The customer later starts checkout but leaves before payment.
Checkout Recovery then sends a follow-up message.
Using both flows together helps maximize recovery opportunities across the entire purchase funnel.
Rule: Recover Abandoned Carts
This built-in rule is called Recover Abandoned Carts.
Trigger condition
The rule is triggered when:
A customer adds items to their cart.
The customer does not start checkout within the configured inactivity period.
By default, the inactivity timer is set to 30 minutes after the last cart update.
Default behavior
The automation:
Starts after the inactivity delay
Sends recovery reminders automatically
Stops when the customer takes a qualifying action
The automation can stop automatically when:
The customer starts checkout
The customer completes a purchase
The customer replies to the message (optional)
Default message sequence
The default setup includes:
Primary channel: WhatsApp
Fallback channel: RCS
Optional second fallback: SMS
Total messages: 3
Message sequence and timing
Message 1
Timing: 30 minutes after the last cart update
Goal: Recover distracted shoppers quickly
This message works best when customer interest is still fresh.
Message 2
Timing: 6 hours after Message 1
Goal: Send a gentle reminder
This follow-up targets customers who may revisit the store later the same day.
Message 3
Timing: 24 hours after Message 2
Goal: Final reminder with optional incentives
You can use this message for discount offers, free shipping, or limited-time promotions.
Stop conditions
The automation stops automatically when:
The customer starts checkout
The customer completes a purchase
The customer replies to the message (if enabled)
This prevents customers from receiving unnecessary reminders after they have already completed their order.
How to configure cart recovery
Step 1: Select the primary channel
Choose the main communication channel for your recovery messages.
Available options:
WhatsApp
RCS
SMS
WhatsApp is recommended because it typically provides the highest engagement rates.
Step 2: Configure fallback channels
Fallback channels help ensure messages are delivered if the primary channel fails.
You can configure:
RCS as a fallback
SMS as a fallback
You can also decide whether the fallback applies to:
Only the failed message
All remaining messages in the sequence
Step 3: Customize message timing
Adjust delays based on your business goals.
Examples:
Use shorter delays for high-demand products
Increase gaps between messages to reduce fatigue
Reduce the number of reminders for shorter campaigns
Step 4: Personalize message templates
Use dynamic variables to make messages more relevant.
You can include:
Customer name
Cart items
Cart total
Product images
Direct checkout link
Step 5: Define stop conditions
Recommended stop conditions include:
Stop when checkout starts
Stop when a purchase is completed
You can also stop the automation when the customer replies to the message.
Ready-to-use WhatsApp template
Hi {{first_name}} 👋
Looks like you left a few items in your cart. They're still waiting for you — complete your order before they're gone!
🛍 {{cart_summary}} [Complete your purchase]Available variables
Variable | Description |
| Customer's first name |
| Customer's last name |
| List of cart items (up to 3 products) |
| Total number of items |
| Cart total with currency |
| Direct link to the customer's cart |
| Product images from the cart |
Handle large carts
If the cart contains more than 3 items:
Display the top 3 products
Show a “+ X more items” label
Include a link to the complete cart
Best practices for cart recovery
Keep messages concise
Use short, action-focused messages with:
Customer name
Cart summary
Cart total
Clear call-to-action
Personalize messages
Personalized reminders generally perform better than generic messages. Use customer names and specific product details whenever possible.
Optimize message timing
The default timing works well for most businesses, but you should test different schedules to find the best results for your audience.
Use incentives carefully
The final reminder is a good place to introduce:
Discount codes
Free shipping
Limited-time offers
Avoid excessive messaging
The default setup includes 3 messages, which is recommended for most businesses.
Although you can configure up to 18 messages, sending too many reminders may reduce engagement and increase opt-outs.
Recommended limits:
Maximum 4 marketing messages within a rolling 24-hour period
Maximum 10 marketing messages within a rolling 7-day period
Monitor fallback performance
If fallback channels are used frequently, review your primary channel configuration or audience preferences.
Segment by region
You can create separate rules based on customer location.
Example:
Use RCS for customers in the United States
Use WhatsApp for international customers
Track performance and analytics
You can monitor Cart Recovery performance in the Analytics section under Automation Rules.
Key metrics include:
Number of recovery messages sent
Message delivery by channel
Cart recovery rate
Revenue generated from recovery campaigns
Fallback channel usage
Customer reply rate
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What's the difference between Cart Recovery and Checkout Recovery?
Cart Recovery triggers when a customer adds items to their cart but does not start checkout. Checkout Recovery triggers after a customer has already started checkout but abandons the process. Cart Recovery targets customers earlier in the purchase journey and reaches a broader audience.
2. Can I use both Cart Recovery and Checkout Recovery simultaneously?
Yes. Cart Recovery and Checkout Recovery are separate automations that work at different stages of the customer journey. A customer can first receive a Cart Recovery message and later receive a Checkout Recovery message if they abandon checkout. Platform safeguards help prevent excessive messaging.
3. What happens if a customer completes their purchase before the next recovery message is sent?
The Cart Recovery automation stops immediately after the customer completes the purchase. Any remaining scheduled recovery messages are automatically cancelled to avoid sending unnecessary reminders.
Automation and Timing
4. Can I customize the delay between Cart Recovery messages?
Yes. You can customize the delay between Cart Recovery messages. The default timing is 30 minutes, 6 hours, and 24 hours, but you can adjust the schedule based on customer behavior and business needs.
5. What happens if a customer abandons multiple carts in the same day?
Each abandoned cart is handled as a separate Cart Recovery sequence. Platform safeguards prevent duplicate recovery messages for the same cart within a short period, but different carts can still trigger their own recovery flows.
Messaging Limits and Compliance
6. Do Cart Recovery messages count toward marketing message limits?
Yes. Cart Recovery messages count toward standard marketing message limits. The platform allows up to 4 marketing messages within a rolling 24-hour period and up to 10 marketing messages within a rolling 7-day period. Cart Recovery automation automatically follows these limits.
Data and Personalization
7. What data is captured when a customer adds an item to the cart?
Wati captures several types of cart and customer data, including:
Product details such as product ID, name, variant, SKU, quantity, price, and image
Cart details such as item count, cart value, and cart URL
Event metadata such as timestamp, store domain, and page URL
This information is used to create personalized recovery messages.
Shopify Compatibility
8. Does Cart Recovery work for all Shopify stores?
Cart Recovery works with standard Shopify storefronts on Business plans. Headless Shopify stores that use custom frontends may require manual integration setup.
Analytics and Reporting
9. Can I track which products generate the highest recovery rates?
Yes. Wati analytics provide visibility into Cart Recovery performance by channel. You can use this data to identify products with high recovery rates and improve your recovery messaging strategy.
Regional Channel Configuration
10. How does Wati identify a customer's region for channel selection?
Wati automatically detects the customer's phone country using their phone number. You can create automation rules based on phone country conditions, such as sending RCS messages to customers in the United States and WhatsApp messages to customers in other regions.