Many shoppers add something to the cart and then leave. An abandoned cart notification is a short reminder sent only to that shopper’s browser. It does not need an email address, and it does not go to the rest of your list.
A note on status: WooCommerce push notifications are still under development, and you can use them today. Try them on the Free plan first, with each notification reaching up to 200 subscribers. When you are happy with how they work for your shop, upgrade to Premium.
How it works
- A visitor subscribes to push on your site, then adds products to the cart.
- If they leave without buying, the plugin waits for the delay you set. The default is 60 minutes.
- It then sends one notification to that shopper only. It works for logged-out shoppers too.
The cart contents are read on your server from WooCommerce. They are never taken from the browser, so a shopper cannot change what the reminder says.
What the message says
You can edit the title and message. Placeholders fill in the details when it is sent, for example {items} and {total}. A message could read:
You left something behind
2 items, $86.00, are waiting in your cart.
Nothing personal ever appears in a notification. The message talks about the cart, never about who the shopper is.
Set it up
- Install and activate WooCommerce and the plugin on the same site.
- In the plugin’s WooCommerce settings, switch on the abandoned cart reminder. All four WooCommerce triggers start switched off.
- Choose how long to wait before the reminder is sent.
- Edit the title and message so they sound like your shop.
- Test it: subscribe on your own browser, add a product to the cart, close the tab and wait for the delay.
Tips for better reminders
- Keep it short. A notification has room for one idea: what is waiting.
- Do not rush. Sixty minutes gives a shopper time to finish a purchase on their own.
- Link straight to the cart, so one tap gets them back.
- Remember who can receive it. Only visitors who subscribed to push can get the reminder, so a good permission popup matters here too.
Other shop notifications
The same settings page covers the other three triggers: back in stock, price drop and new order. See back-in-stock and price-drop notifications for WooCommerce. The Premium plan removes the 200-subscriber limit when your list grows.