Want abandoned cart email subject line ideas?
You’re about to see 73 great ones.
We got these subject lines from real emails to show you brands recover sales. Also, you’ll find great tips to experiment with abandoned cart email subject lines to get more opens.
Go right to examples:
- Classic subject lines
- Attention-grabbing subject lines
- Discount subject lines
- Creative subject lines
- FOMO subject lines
- Brand- or product-related subject lines
- BONUS: 5 pro tips to improve abandoned cart email open rates
Recover more sales with cart recovery emails
Add Shopify email app to your store6 Types of Abandoned Cart Subject Lines
The abandoned cart email subject line types you’re about to see show the best techniques used to recover sales. For example, attention-grabbing subject lines help stand out while discounts appeal to customers’ desire to find the best deal.
That doesn’t mean that a certain abandoned cart email subject line technique converts way better than others. The best choice depends on the campaign and customers’ intent.
With that in mind...
Let’s get to abandoned cart email subject line examples.
1. Classic Subject lines
The “classic” abandoned cart email subject lines use a modest approach with traditional phrases. In this case, the “traditional” means neither old nor outdated. Rather, it means a minimal, modest message style.
Examples of classic abandoned cart email subject lines:
- Your order status
- Your cart is waiting
- Finish your purchase
- You left items in your cart
- Complete your purchase
- You left something behind
- We saved your cart for you
- Looks like you left something behind
- We’re here to help you complete your order
- We think you left something behind
- Reminder: there are items in your cart
- Looks like you may have forgotten something...
Need some inspiration to design Shopify abandoned cart emails? Check out these 15 Examples of Abandoned Cart Emails
2. Attention-Grabbing Subject Lines
An average person gets 126 emails daily. That’s why brands use words and phrases that can grab the attention of customers while they browse inboxes.
Examples of the best abandoned cart subject lines that follow this technique:
- Is everything ok? (FitTea)
- I did some investigating (Chubbies)
- Where did you go?! (Bison Coolers)
- Is this your cart? (Crown & Caliber)
- Hey, you forgot something! (Firepush)
- Heading out so soon? (Death Wish Coffee)
- Still Interested? 🌈 (WHITE MARKET)
- Forget something? (PRESS Health Foods)
- Don’t you want me baby... (Skinnydip London)
- You sure you want to pass this one up? (Vessi)
- Your shopping cart misses you! (FitTeam Team)
- Was there a problem checking out? (Helm Boots USA)
- YOUR COFFEE IS STILL HERE! (Wandering Bear Coffee)
- Need help with completing your purchase? (UPPERCASE)
Want more ways to market your Shopify store besides emails? Here are 15 Tested Ways to Promote a Shopify Store that helped thousands of entrepreneurs (including customer reviews, popups, chatbots, and push notifications).
3. Discount Subject Lines
eCommerce research found that 49% of customers abandon shopping carts because of extra costs (shipping, taxes, fees, etc.). That’s why discounts are often what it takes for customers to complete the purchase.
Discount-based abandoned cart email subject line examples:
- Hurry! 10% OFF Order! (Eureka Drone)
- How about 20% off your bag? (Morphe)
- 20% off something in your basket (Etsy)
- Fancy 15% off? 🎁 🎁 🎁 (Skinnydip London)
- Don't miss out on 10% off your cart! (Pipcorn)
- Your cart is waiting, and so is your 5% off! (Jane Motorcycles)
- Hey there, still shopping? Here's $10 off! (Koh Australia)
- Forget Your Shades? Save 15% Now! (Shwood Eyewear)
- We’ve kept your basket and with 15% off! (Emma Bridgewater)
- Your cart just got lighter! (ESQUIDO Lashes) [because of a 15% discount]
- Forget something? This is your last chance! Here’s 10% off (PRESS Health Foods)
Pro tip: Start a loyalty program including bonuses like discounts. It can drive traffic to your Shopify store and help reduce cart abandonment by decreasing the total order cost.
Need help with creating discounts? This guide to Creating Discounts for Shopify Store Owners has ideas, examples, and tips
4. Creative Subject lines
Why not get creative with abandoned cart email subject lines?
You can use humor, compliments, pop culture references, and other techniques to get customers to open emails. This could be an awesome idea that’ll make your emails stand out.
Here’s a bunch of abandoned cart email subject lines to inspire you:
- Hi there, nice cart... (Puma)
- Did you ghost? (R.E.D.D)
- Time To: Check Me Out (The 5Th)
- What's that in your cart? 👀 (Knix)
- Your Ride Deserves This Stuff (Revzilla)
- ♫ Owner of a Lonely Cart ♫ (Timberland)
- These will look good on you (HELM Boots USA)
- Ummmm Alex... We gotta talk 🔥 (Flat Tummy Co)
- Don't disappoint Dumpster Eric 🗑️ (Death Wish Coffee)
- Come back, Alex! We never got closure 😭 (Vessi)
- Ruh-roh, did you forget about us? (Bison Coolers)
- Don’t miss out on your fresh, new start (Karst Stone Paper)
- An Ode to the Forgotten Robe (Highway Robery)
- Can you keep a secret, Alex? (Flat Tummy Co) [the secret: low inventory]
- Yerrr (taps shoulder), I think you might've left something behind... (We Are Little Giants)
Shopify stores often have live chat on checkout pages so customers could get help before leaving. This guide on How to Use Live Chat to Get Shopify Sales should be helpful if you want to try the same strategy.
5. FOMO Subject Lines
Many of us have experienced a feeling when our friends decided to go watch a movie without us. Having been left behind, we can’t help ourselves but constantly check social media to see the action we missed.
This is the effect that FOMO (the fear of missing out) tries to achieve in abandoned cart email subject emails. This time, though, it’s not about joining others for a movie night, but getting a great product for the best price.
Examples of FOMO abandoned cart email subject lines:
- Your cart is expiring soon (Koala)
- SOLD OUT (almost) (Inked Shop)
- Nomad gear is selling out quick (Nomad)
- Your cart is about to expire! (Everleaf Drinks)
- Don’t let free shipping go to waste! (Rudy’s)
- Get your order in before it's too late! (The Try Guys)
- The price dropped for something in your cart (Target)
- It’s Still In Stock – But Not For Long (American Giant)
- Your cart is about to go out of date 🍋 (PRESS Health Foods)
- The Artworks You Looked at Are Being Discovered (Saatchi Art)
- Cart expired [items might still be available] (The Honest Company)
Are you happy with your email delivery rate? If not, check out this guide to Avoiding Spam Filters with eCommerce Emails
6. Brand or Product-Related Subject Lines
“Right, I was thinking about buying that...”
This is the kind of reaction we might achieve with these abandoned cart email subject lines. They include the names of brands and products to remind customers where they almost bought something.
This technique is totally worth trying. Think about it: many customers visit multiple stores while researching products + distractions are always a problem. So giving them some specifics could help them recall and get back to the shopping cart.
Abandoned cart email subject lines that use this technique:
- Did you forget your Fit Tea? (Fit Tea)
- Complete your NOTIQ purchase (Notiq)
- You left something at Revzilla.com! (Revzilla)
- The Kitchen Kanister is still in your cart (Perigold)
- Still want us to hold your Man Crates order? (Man Crates)
- Complete your purchase from Sneaker Standard (Sneaker Standard)
- Your Man Crates Cart is Expiring - Save 10% Before it Does! (Man Crates)
- UNCONDITIONAL: Help with completing your purchase (UNCONDITIONAL)
- Did you forget your Carrera Calibre 5 Day-Date WAR201C? (Crown & Caliber)
- Alex, still interested in the Massdrop x MiTo SA Pulse Custom Keycap Set? (Massdrop)
Good email marketing apps help automatically recover sales with emails. These 11 Best Email Marketing for Shopify have helped many store owners do that on autopilot.
Tips to Make the Best Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines
Some abandoned cart email subject lines might work better than others, so experimenting with different versions is a must.
Consider these tips to make better sales recovery email subject lines.
Add emojis
We’ve seen these throughout this article:
🌈 🎁 🎁 🎁 🔥 🗑️ 😭 🍋
Why use them? eCommerce research suggests that 56% of brands that used emojis in email subject lines were able to increase open rates. So, those small colorful things do a huge job and make abandoned cart email subject lines stand out.
That’s why consider using emojis related to products or emotions in email subject lines. It might be a great way to differentiate your cart recovery emails in customers’ inboxes.
Change words
Sometimes, even a small change helps to reduce cart abandonment. For example, changing word order and some words is a simple way to experiment with abandoned cart email subject lines.
Example:
- You left items in your cart
- There are items in your cart
- You have items in your cart
- Your shopping cart still has items
- Reminder: you left items in your cart
Ask questions
Do you prefer chicken or fish?
Chance is, your brain subconsciously answered this question in milliseconds. That means engagement happened, and we’re trying to do the same with our customers. That’s why there’s plenty of abandoned cart email subject lines that include questions.
Complement customers
“Oh my God, you have such a great taste!”
Wouldn’t you just love to hear this from your friends or family?
You probably would, just like your customers. Everybody loves a nice compliment, so we can use that in abandoned cart email subject lines to attract customers’ attention.
Keep subject lines short
Make sure each email subject line contains between 7 and 41 characters (about seven words). This is the optimal length that ensures that no words will be cut.
Going over this limit might undermine your Shopify abandoned cart recovery strategy, so try to stay within the 41 characters.
Abandoned Cart Subject Lines: Summary
Making appealing abandoned cart email subject lines could be a bit daunting, but with some brainstorming and effort, you can make your campaigns score sales. Hopefully, these subject line examples helped you with the brainstorming part.
The most important thing about abandoned cart subject lines is experimenting. Consider trying some ideas and changing them if open rates remain very low. With some A/B cart recovery campaign testing, you’ll find subject lines that get emails opened.
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