Best Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines To Boost Open Rates

Imagine this: Adam has opened his inbox and there is a barrage of emails. He skimmed through his inbox and one particular email subject line caught his eye. It goes like this:

“The items in your cart are going, going…”

Well, as soon as Adam opens the email, you as a business have won half the battle to recover the revenue left by the abandoned cart email you send on behalf of your online shop. However, this is always not the case, inboxes of most people are not squeaky clean, but overflowing with emails from all kinds of businesses. Don’t believe us?

Well, here’s a little statistics trivia to judge for yourself.

According to Statista, last year alone, over 281 billion emails were sent and received every day. And this number is only going to go up with an expected increase to 347 billion daily mails just by 2023.

So, with so much noise around, is it even barely possible to stand out and grab your shoppers’ attention? Well, a best-abandoned cart email subject line can make all the difference.

So, with so much noise around, is it even barely possible to stand out and grab your shoppers’ attention? Well, a best abandoned cart email subject line can make all the difference.

With the increase in cart abandonment, Abandoned cart email are a powerful tool for brands to bring back shoppers and urge them to complete their purchases. And, with the stakes so high, you should be able to nail your subject lines to have a better chance!

We understand that it’s not easy. That’s why we are here to guide you through and help you craft the best possible abandoned cart email subject lines to boost email open rates.

But, before we go into the nitty-gritty let’s talk a little bit about why it’s important to send these emails to all your shoppers.

Why are subject lines great for convincing customers to return?

Reason 1: Abandoned cart emails act as a reminder for your shoppers to revisit while the memory is still fresh

The first abandoned cart email is sent to the customer within the first hour to strike even before they walk into another eCommerce store to buy. Plus, it also helps to capture the attention of the customer when their memory is fresh. Research showed that the website leads go cold in just 90 minutes. So if you act fast, you might just recover the revenue left on the table.  

Reason 2: Subject lines are critical for making cart recovery email campaigns work

The cart abandonment subject lines are the first thing that would help you grab your user’s attention as that’s the first thing they would set their eye on. So, be it a casual or provocative subject line, it might just be your only chance to attract your consumer’s attention in an overfilled inbox. 

Now that we know why subject lines play an important role, let’s look at the different types of subject lines for your abandoned cart email templates.

The 7 Types Of Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines

Before you pick your brain, here are a couple of tried and tested formulas that can help you craft the perfect abandoned cart email subject lines.

1. ‘Forgot Something’ Subject Lines

This is one of the most common styles of subject line that integrates a well-known sales trope – the assumptive close. This favorite sales technique assumes that the shopper is willing to buy the product and has already made their mind, but was interrupted while checking out. It ignores the other conditions that might have caused such action. Thus, if you’ve ever left a product in your abandoned cart without checking out, you might have undoubtedly received an email with a subject line like:

• Did you forget [Product]?
• Did you forget something? Casper, MCM
• You left something behind. Moschino
• Heading out without checking out? Huckberry
• Ooops, you forgot something. J Crew

Bonus Tip: ‘Forgot Something’ Subject Line template

With these subject lines, the message is centered around reminding the shopper that they still haven’t completed the purchase. Here are a few words that you can use to frame a perfect subject line:

• Oops
• Complete
• Come back
• Forget
• Finish
• Leave
• Forgot
• Left

And here’s how these words could fit into subject lines: 

• Ooops, get what you forgot 
• Looks like you forgot something, complete your purchase
• Get back here to complete your checkout 
• Did you forget to checkout [Product]
• Ready to buy? Complete your order now

2.  ‘Incentivized’ Subject Lines

Shoppers abandon shopping carts for all kinds of reasons. Two of the biggest reasons are shipping costs and prices. Now, to sway your shoppers to complete their purchase, a subject line that addresses their reasons helps you recover the revenue. That’s why, if you feel shipping costs are a concern, address the problem right in the subject line for the abandoned cart email. Likewise, if it’s for different price points, try to experiment with discount offers in the subject line to get the best results.

But, to nail your subject lines in this style, deep-dive research on what is forcing your shoppers to abandon the cart, can help you figure out the best reason to address. 

Best Hacks

A few subject line templates you can use: 

• [Name], [Discount] just for you
• [Percentage] Discount off on [Product]
• Save [Percentage] when you Checkout
• Free shipping, just for you [Name]
• We have [$X] just for you!
• [name] Get Free Shipping on [Product] Today

Few examples from the Industry:

• Hey, forget something? Here’s [Percentage] off. Bonobos
• The price dropped for something in your cart. Target
• Good News: [Product] price dropped! Pinterest
• Price Drops. Canopy
• Free shipping on your [Brand/Product] order. Huckberry

3. ‘FOMO’ Subject Lines

The FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is one of the best sales tactics, a marketer can use. This not only induces a sense of urgency but also a fear of something big. So, marketers often take resort to this to tell shoppers what they are missing if they don’t buy the abandoned product. It also builds a sense of scarcity which also plays a very important role in boosting the email open rates of an abandoned cart email. 

When a shopper leaves an in-demand product in their cart, Google sends an email with the subject line: ‘The [Product] in your cart is going fast’.

Best Hacks

Try to use all the information available to weave the best abandoned cart email subject line that encourages shoppers to open.

Here are a few subject line templates you can use: 

• [Days] left to get this [Product]
• [Hours] left to get [Product]
• [Product] is going going: Complete your checkout now
• [Product] Almost sold out!
• Only [Number] [Product] left in stock
• Last Chance to get [Product]
• [Product] in your cart: only [Number] left in stock
• Your cart is expiring

4. ‘Personalized ’ Subject Lines

Addressing your shoppers and customizing the best-abandoned cart email subject line does wonder. The Experian reports suggest that personalized subject lines have over 12 percent higher unique open rates than mailings without any personalization.

Best Hacks:

Try your best to keep it simple and not overdo it. Try to personalize every darn mail you send across when addressing them in the cart email.

Subject Line Template Examples:

• [Name], complete your purchase 
• Did you forget this, [Name]?
• [Name], are you still thinking?
• Hey [Name], complete your purchase in [number] clicks
• [Name], did you leave this behind?
• Hey [Name], your cart is expiring soon

5. ‘Product-Related’ Subject Lines

Product-related copies in your abandoned cart email subject line can help remind shoppers why they like your brand and the reason they wanted to purchase from you.

Asics, a running shoe brand uses ‘Don’t get left in the dust’ instead of using a  simple ‘forget something’ subject line. Here, the ‘left in the dust’ relates to running a race and is a clever way to get users clicking.

An alcohol subscription business, Whiskey Loot uses a super fun and playful copy as a subject line for its abandoned cart email: “Your cart is sobering up.” This subject line is not only a witty way to put showcase products but also helps users connect to the brand.

Best Hacks:

• Food: Are you hungry enough?
• Mattress: Lie down and feel the softness to sleep!
• Coffee: Beat Monday Blues with a cuppa
• Shoes: Don’t let your cart is about to run away

6. ‘Brand-Related’ Subject Lines

With endless products and emails coming their way, a gentle reminder for your shoppers can work like a charm. Another good tip is to mention the product right in the subject line to remind your shoppers why they had added the products to their cart in the first place — and most importantly why they were keen to purchase.

As an example, 23&Me, uses “Your DNA kit is waiting for you” as the subject line for their abandoned cart email while some brands like Ralph Lauren use brand names in their subject line. Using brand names right in the subject-line conveys quality and adding the brand name to the subject line helps shoppers to remind them why they wanted to buy from you specifically.

Here are a few subject lines that several brands use:

• Dyson uses “Items in your basket at dyson.com”
• Ralph Lauren uses “Finish Your Order at Ralph Lauren”

Best Hacks

Use your brand name and other ways to weave the perfect subject line:

• Your [Product] is waiting in the [Brand Name] store
• Your [Brand Name] Products are in your basket
• Complete your [Product] purchase at [Brand Name]
• Complete your purchase with [Brand Name]

7. ‘Nudge’ Subject Lines

Every Target audience is different. For some businesses, the ‘Forgot Something’ trope will work, while for others, you might just want to nudge your shoppers a bit and be a little blunt on how you ask them to complete their purchases. 

Before fixing on best subject lines for abandoned cart email, you should remember that once a product has been added to the cart, the shopper has done:

1. Researched about the product
2. Went through your eCommerce website and decided what they wanted
3. Committed to adding the product to the cart

However, due to some unfortunate obstructions, they might just miss completing their purchase. And sometimes, all you need is just a reminder to push them over the finish line.

One such example of this trope is very well used by Virgin Atlantic who uses the subject line ‘You’re nearly there’ to remind the shopper that they’re just a few steps short from booking their dream trip and enjoying their dream vacation.

Best Hacks

This style of subject line demands you to be subtler than the other styles. Here are a few tips:

Your subject line should be focused on to put forward positives and encourage shoppers by reminding them that:

• They’ve already done the hard work
• With easy steps, the checkout will just take a few minutes
• Access to rewards once they complete checkout (a dream holiday, best cooking utensils, or a great sleep cycle for a mattress, etc.)

Here are a few abandoned cart subject line templates you can use here include: 

• Complete your checkout in X steps
• You’re so close to getting [Product]
• Your [Product] is almost ready to ship
• Your new [Product] is just X clicks away

Killer Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines From 5 Real Merchants

Let’s move out of theory and look at examples from real brands, to understand what worked for them.

1. Hawaii Coffee Company

The subject line: Aloha Name, we saved your cart for you!

Why did it work?

This well-written subject line from the Hawaii Coffee Company is personalized, adhered to the on-brand style by using a Hawaiian-style greeting, kept the message simple, and conveyed enough excitement about the products with the use of a single exclamation point!

2. Sleekshop

Sleekshop send the abandoned cart email with this subject line:

 Still on your mind?

Why did it work? This abandoned cart email subject line is straight to the point along with being simple and thought provocative. The subject not only puts the shopper thinking about what they had added to their abandoned cart and even makes them consider visiting the site again. This not only acts as a great reminder but also adds to your revenue.

3. The Mountain

Subject line: Psst…It’s Your Cart Here…Did You Forget About Me?

Although this subject line looks casual, yet it piques the reader’s interest casually and concisely. It gets easier for the consumer to see that the abandoned cart email is about a cart that they must have left behind, by keeping the subject line all fun and casual.

4. AuthenTEAK

Subject line: It looks like you left something behind…

This subject line focuses on one message, still teasing the reader a bit by making them wonder what they forgot. Plus, the use of the ellipsis (…) signifies there’s more to the story and is a great way to spark the reader’s curiosity.

5. KiraGrace

Subject line: Still thinking it over?

Here is the best-abandoned cart subject line, and it creates a sense of curiosity among the shoppers by using a question mark, and it encourages the shopper to remember that they were once interested in this brand’s products.

The Bottom Line

Abandoned cart emails help businesses recover potential lost sales. However, to get people to open your abandoned cart emails, you need to have the best subject line. You can always use different strategies and experiment with your copy. Don’t forget to test each experiment to see what works best for your brand!

Try BayEngage’s Abandoned cart software on a 14-day free trial to implement out-of-the-box ideas in your business and bring down the cart abandonment rate.