Left-the-cart journeys for online stores
When a shopper leaves your online store's checkout without paying, a journey reminds them by email or WhatsApp with a link back to their cart. If they buy, the journey ends by itself and the cart counts as bought.
PLANSFrom Growth
The problem it solves
- Shoppers fill the cart, type their email, and leave.
- Reminder emails keep going after the customer has already bought.
- You cannot tell how many left carts were bought later.
How it works
- Connect your store under Configuration > Online Stores. Shopify sends unpaid checkouts by itself; WooCommerce needs the SmartMy Carts plugin; Magento carts are read every 15 minutes.
- Make a journey under Campaigns > Journeys. Trigger: Something They Bought; When: Left the Cart (Online Store); After (Hours): 24.
- Add its steps: an email, a WhatsApp template, waits between them. Use {{cart_link}}, {{order_items}} and {{order_total}} in the text.
- Start the journey. A cart left that long ago, and not yet followed, enters the journey for its shopper.
- If the shopper buys, the cart becomes Cart Bought and the journey ends with its goal reached.
Everything it does
Where the carts come from
- Shopify: checkouts not completed, sent by the store
- WooCommerce: the SmartMy Carts plugin sends the cart when the shopper types an email or phone at checkout. Its link fills the cart again for 14 days
- Magento: active carts with an email, read every 15 minutes. The link opens the cart for signed-in customers, and for guests too with the SmartMy_Carts module
- Each cart is a Store Order of the kind Left in the Cart, with its items, total and link
The journey
- After (Hours): 24 to start with; carts left between that many hours and two days more are picked up
- One journey run per cart
- Merge fields: {{cart_link}}, {{order_items}}, {{order_total}}, {{order_name}}
- Steps, waits, If / Else and goals as in any journey
Who gets the reminder
- Email steps go to everyone with an address who has not opted out of email
- WhatsApp steps go only to people with a WhatsApp opt-in; the others are skipped with the reason
- Sending hours and the journey's Time Zone apply
When they buy
- The order is matched to its cart (Shopify checkout, WooCommerce cart token, Magento cart)
- The cart becomes Cart Bought and the shopper leaves the journey with the goal
- The order is credited in Revenue by Source
Who uses it
Marketing ManagerWrites the reminder journey and watches how many carts are bought.
Store owner or developerInstalls the WooCommerce plugin or Magento module where needed.
Where you use it
- Web: Marketing > Campaigns > Journeys, and Marketing > Selling > Store Orders (kind Left in the Cart)
- WooCommerce: WooCommerce > SmartMy Carts in your WordPress admin
- Magento: Stores > Configuration > Sales > SmartMy Carts
- Not built: left carts from SmartMy's own chat carts
What you control
Settings
- Per journey: When: Left the Cart (Online Store), After (Hours): 24
- WooCommerce plugin and Magento module: the store's Webhook Address and Webhook Signing Secret from SmartMy
Questions
Will a customer who already bought get a reminder?
No. When the order comes in, it is matched to the cart, the cart becomes Cart Bought and the journey ends for them.How soon is the first reminder?
You set After (Hours) on the journey; 24 hours to start with. The first step can then send at once or after a wait.Can the reminder go on WhatsApp?
Yes, as an approved template, to shoppers who opted in to WhatsApp. Others get the email steps.Where do we get the WooCommerce plugin?
Ask SmartMy support. It is a WordPress plugin you upload and activate, then paste in two values from SmartMy.Related features
AI AND SELLINGShopify, WooCommerce and Magento storesConnect your Shopify, WooCommerce or Magento store. Its products become products to sell in chat. Its customers and orders come in, so journeys can thank, follow up and win back each buyer.CAMPAIGNSJourneys: triggers, waits, If / Else, tags, tasks and goalsAutomate what happens after someone enters. Wait, send an email or WhatsApp message, and branch on a reply or a tag. Tag people, give someone a task, and end at your goal.CAMPAIGNSJourneys on purchases: ordered, delivered, paid, buy again, stopped buyingStart a journey from what customers buy: an order confirmed, delivered or paid, or a quotation left open. Or the time to buy again, or no purchase for a while. Sales orders, counter bills and online store orders all count.AI AND SELLINGRevenue by sourceEvery confirmed order, online store order and paid chat cart is credited to the customer's last marketing touch. You see which broadcast, sequence, lead ad or chat brought money, not only clicks.OUTREACHWhatsApp opt-in word, link and QR codeGive each WhatsApp number an opt-in word. Whoever sends it from your QR code, wa.me link or ad is opted in to WhatsApp marketing. Their message is kept as proof, and they get your reply.
See your inbox and campaigns on it.
Tell us which channels your customers use, how leads reach you and how many people answer them. We will connect a channel with you and run your first journey.