Email Marketing
Abandoned Cart Text Messages: What to Send and When
Abandoned cart text messages that bring shoppers back: what to send, when to send it, and how SMS should work alongside your cart emails.
· 5 min read
Key takeaways
- Only text shoppers who have opted in to marketing texts. A checkout phone number on its own isn't consent.
- One or two abandoned cart texts is plenty. Let email carry the detail and use SMS for a short, timely nudge.
- Keep each text to one short message with the store name, one line about the cart, a link and an opt-out.
- Plan texts and emails as one flow so nobody gets an email and a text about the same cart within minutes.
Abandoned cart text messages work best as a short nudge, not a second copy of your cart emails. Send one text, maybe two, to shoppers who have agreed to receive marketing texts, keep each one to a single short message with a link back to the cart, and let your emails do the explaining. Get the timing and the consent right and SMS adds to your cart flow. Get them wrong and it's the fastest way to lose a subscriber.
A text is more personal than an email. It lands on the lock screen, often next to messages from friends and family. That's why it gets noticed, and it's also why a pushy or badly timed one gets an annoyed "STOP".
Can you send abandoned cart text messages to anyone who gave a phone number?
No. Before anything else, check consent. In most places, marketing texts need the shopper's clear permission, and a phone number typed into a checkout form for delivery updates usually doesn't count. The rules differ by country (and in the US, by state), so if you're unsure, ask whoever handles legal or compliance for your store.
In practice that means:
- Collect SMS consent with its own checkbox or sign-up form, with wording that says they'll get marketing texts.
- Only send cart texts to people who are subscribed to SMS, not everyone with a number on file.
- Include a simple way to opt out in your texts, such as "Reply STOP to opt out", and make sure it works.
- Respect quiet hours. A cart reminder at 11pm is annoying even when it's legal.
Klaviyo and most other ecommerce messaging tools track SMS consent separately from email consent, so you can build the flow to check it automatically.
When should you send an abandoned cart text?
Timing depends on what your emails are already doing. If you follow the timing in my abandoned cart email guide (first email after about an hour, second around 24 hours), here are two ways to add SMS:
| Option | Text goes out | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Text first | 30 to 60 minutes after checkout starts, before the first email | Stores where most shoppers subscribed to SMS and buy on their phones |
| Text as backup | 4 to 24 hours later, only if the email wasn't opened or clicked | Stores with a smaller SMS list, or where email already works well |
I'd usually start with the backup option. It's gentler, it doesn't double up on people who've already seen the email, and it saves your texts for the shoppers email hasn't reached.
Whichever you pick, don't send a text and an email about the same cart within a few minutes of each other. Most platforms have a setting that stops people getting several messages from you in a short window. Turn it on, and test the flow with your own phone before it goes live.
What should an abandoned cart text message say?
Less than you think. A good cart text has four parts:
- Your store name, so they know who's writing before they read anything else.
- One line about the cart: what they left, or simply that it's waiting.
- A link straight back to the cart, not the homepage.
- The opt-out.
That's it. No list of benefits or brand story, and no emojis in every line.
Example: the first reminder
{Store}: You left the walnut chopping board in your basket. It's saved here when you're ready: {link} Reply STOP to opt out
Example: a reply-friendly version
If your SMS tool lets you read and answer replies, invite them. Some shoppers abandon because of a question they couldn't get answered.
{Store}: Still thinking about the linen sheets? If you've got a question about sizes or delivery, just reply here and we'll answer. Your basket: {link} Reply STOP to opt out
Example: a second text, if you send one
Keep a second text for a real reason: a genuine deadline, low stock you can confirm, or an offer you'd honour anyway.
{Store}: Your basket's still saved, and free delivery on it ends tonight. {link} Reply STOP to opt out
Don't invent urgency. "Only 2 left!" when there are two hundred gets noticed, and it makes every text you send after that easier to ignore.
How do abandoned cart texts and emails work together?
Plan them as one flow, not two separate ones. Each channel does what it's good at:
- Email has room for product photos, reviews, delivery and returns details, and answers to common doubts.
- SMS gets seen quickly. It's for one short reminder or a time-sensitive note.
A simple combined flow for most stores:
- Email 1 after about an hour: the helpful reminder.
- Text at 4 to 24 hours, only to SMS subscribers who haven't clicked email 1.
- Email 2 at around 24 hours (or the next day): reassurance and reviews.
- Email 3 (optional) at 48 to 72 hours: the incentive or last chance.
Every step should check whether the shopper has bought, and stop the flow the moment they have. Check that a new subscriber can't get a welcome discount by text and a different code by email on the same day, too. It looks disorganised, and it teaches people to wait for the better offer.
Mistakes that make cart texts backfire
- Texting people who never opted in. It's the quickest route to complaints, and in many countries it isn't allowed.
- Sending too many. One or two texts per abandoned cart is enough. Three texts about a pair of socks is harassment.
- Leading with a discount. If the first text always has a code, regular customers learn to leave carts on purpose.
- Long messages. A text that runs to several segments costs you more and reads like an email squeezed onto a phone.
- Link shorteners from random services. Use your platform's own branded link if it has one. Unknown short links look like spam.
- Bad timing. Respect the shopper's time zone and avoid late nights and early mornings.
If your cart emails need work too, my post on email flows that convert covers the other automated flows worth setting up alongside this one.
Frequently asked questions
How many abandoned cart text messages should I send?
One or two. Most stores do well with a single text as a reminder, plus an optional second one only if there's a real reason, like a deadline. Let email carry the rest of the sequence.
Should the abandoned cart text include a discount?
Not in the first one. Start with a plain reminder. If you do offer something later, free delivery or a small, time-limited offer you'd honour anyway is better than training shoppers to wait for a code.
How long should an abandoned cart SMS be?
As short as you can make it: one message, ideally within a single SMS segment of about 160 characters. Store name, one line about the cart, the link and the opt-out.
Do I need separate consent for SMS and email?
In most cases, yes. Treat SMS consent separately, collect it with its own clear wording, and only send marketing texts to people who have given it.
If you'd like your cart emails and texts written as one flow in Klaviyo, have a look at my Klaviyo email copywriting service or get in touch.