Struggling to get open rates on your abandoned cart email reminders? These abandoned cart email subject lines are sure to work!

Cart abandonment is one of the most challenging issues faced by eCommerce businesses irrespective of how big or small they are. Seven out of ten customers, that is, 70% buyers, are likely to leave from their carts without completing a purchase. Abandoned carts are one of those critical negative elements in a business that needs to be addressed by brands to move ahead in any way.

Emails are one of the most sought solutions brands can employ to recover abandoned carts as it takes your reminder messages right into customer’s inbox. Direct communication via email is effective in a way that they open up more opportunities to cross-sell beyond just cart recovery.

More and more brands today recognize the effectiveness of email in recovering abandoned carts and this increases the number of recovery emails people get on average.

And this could increase the probability of your message getting lost in the fold among tides of other emails.

Your abandoned cart recovery email might not even be opened in such a situation.

This is why you need subject lines that stand out. You need to be able to garner that attractive pull in your subject lines that can make sure your emails get read. So here we have some exceptional cart recovery subject lines to inspire you.

Cart Recovery Email Subject Lines

To make it easier for you to find a suitable subject line for your abandoned cart recovery email, we’re going to categorize the subject lines based on type and consumer psychology they tap into:

1. The scarcity-driving email subject lines

Psychologically buyers tend to favor products that are scarce and almost out of stock. This is because they believe that the products that are fewer in number due to increased sales must be good in popular opinion. People are more concerned about not losing than about gaining.

In case of products that a customer is not sure about buying, creating the scarcity effect can urge buyers to complete the purchase before the deal slips out of their hands. This can be applied in the context of email marketing to call customers on to complete purchases.

Here are a few examples:

AllSaints- There’s still Time
Hucklebury- Just a couple left
Chaser- Your cart is about to expire!
Express- Finish your purchase before it sells out.
Florence Scovel- It looks like you left something behind…Hurry, before it is gone! Save Over 90%
Joseph Nogucci- Your Private Discount is Expiring… Don’t Miss Out.
MAC Cosmetics- View Your Cart Now Before It Expires!
Sweaty Betty- Don’t miss out!
Crate and Barrel- We’ve held your cart for a limited time only.
Showers Pass- Purchase your Showers Pass gear before it’s too late…
Fabletics- [Name], item(s) in your cart are selling fast!
Rhone- Last chance to recover your cart
Gingham & Heels- Hurry! Don’t miss out! Take 10% off…
Rudy’s- Don’t let free shipping go to waste
Culture Kings- Your cart is about to expire.

2. Progress-based email subject lines

Another important psychological trigger for nudging customers to complete purchases is the prospect of progress. People are motivated to do things when they feel like they have already made progress of some sort. The idea of progress, artificially induced or not can motivate customers into positive action. This is termed as an endowed progress effect.

These subject lines that can induce an effect of having progress doesn’t need to have any indicating numbers or words. Create subject lines that will imply that your customers are close to completing an action. Here are a few such subject lines:

Hollister- You’re so Close.
Prose- Your Prose is ready to order
Express- you’re in! welcome to EXPRESS NEXT
Famous Stars And Straps- Complete your Purchase
Florence Scovel- Complete your Purchase with Florence Scovel Jewelry
Foot Locker- Complete your Foot Locker registration
Isabella- Thanks for Signing Up
Untuckit- Your Order is Packed & Ready for shipment!
Tattly- Don’t give up now
Abercrombie & Fitch- You’re *SO* close
CFL SHOP- Do you want to complete your order?
Boardwalkbuy- Complete your Purchase
American Eagle- Success! Your account has been created.
Quoddy- Nice. Now let’s help you get into your next pair.
Saks Fifth Avenue: THANKS for signing up for a new account!

3. Discount-based email subject lines

Discount subject lines never fail to work because of how tempting it can be. The psychology here is simple. People like buying things with better deals so baiting with a good offer can work in nudging customers to complete purchases.

Discounts have been always employed for recovering cart revenue and have always been proven effective. Try tempting customers towards making purchases by offering reasonable incentives and offers that are sure to be appreciated by any average shopper.

These are a few such examples of such subject lines:

Bonobos- Forget something? Will 20% off jog your memory?
Saks Fifth Avenue- Welcome to Saks OFF 5TH & Get $20 Off!
Neiman Marcus- Going fast! 40% off wear-now picks
Joseph Nogucci- Get An Extra 20% Off by Completing Your Order Now!
Hickies- Complete Your Purchase at HICKIES With 20% Off!
Heat Holders- Complete your Purchase, 15% Off!
Gitman Bros.- Sale Now 50% Off + More Items Added
EverMarker Jewelry- Complete your Purchase: 30% OFF For Engagement & Wedding Ring
Old Navy- The style(s) in your cart just went on sale!
Estée Lauder- Rikke! Receive a Free Full-Size Advanced Night Repair Eye, with your purchase.
Fanchest- LAST CHANCE – Take 15% off your Cart
Fab- Enjoy this discount on your next order with Fab!
Framebridge- Don’t miss 10% off your entire cart.
Bean Box- 20% off sitewide today – Your freshly roasted cart expires soon
DownEast- Our gift to you: $10 off your next purchase.
Boardwalkbuy- 10% off just for you…

4. Flattering cart recovery subject lines

People saying nice things about you cannot be underrated as mere compliments. Compliments are always a great way to get to people in a positive manner. Offering good compliments to your buyers, about their choices or their taste or the particular product etc can mean a lot in recovering sales from their carts.

One way is to refer to the item in the cart, if needed and compliment the buyer’s choice. Making customers feel good is part of the job, so the way you approach with the cart recovery email is of great influence in making buyers decide. Go flatter your customers into actions. Here are a few examples:

Michael Kors- You’ve Got Great Taste, Don’t Leave It In Your Basket!
Herman Miller- You’ve Got an Eye for Design
Dish- We Like Your Style
Bath & Body Works- Trust your instincts.
AllSaints- Seray, we’d look good together
Man Crates- You’ve left something epic in your Man Crates cart!
Aurate- [Name], That Was a Really Cool Piece
Out of Print- Your cart MADE us send this reminder 🙂
Arnhem- You’ve Got Great Taste!
The Home T- Here’s a little motivation for you.
Showers Pass- Just for you! $25 towards Bike to School Gear
Neiman Marcus- Now you’re IN THE KNOW! Plus, enjoy Free Shipping
Dollar Shave- Club We want to give you money

5. Humorous email subject lines for cart recovery

How we react or act is fundamentally based on our emotions and this is solely why humor and comedy work as a good strategy in your email subject lines for recovering abandoned carts. Using humor is a great way to have better open rates. Making your customers smile goes a long way in successfully regaining their attention and calling them back.

50% of American and European customers prefer humor in marketing. But funny subject lines are not for everyone so one has to be aware of how perceptions are about their brand and plan their humor accordingly to strike a chord with the audience. Using humor the right way will ensure that your brand can overcome most competition inside an inbox, stand out and receive better open rates.

Have a look at these examples:

Shinesty- You left your stuff at our place…
Lululemon Athletica- Pants on party’s here.
Abercrombie & Fitch- You’ve got this one in the bag (literally)
Vinomofo- Wine abandonment cry for help
The Chivery- Ok… Mac’s about to sell your stuff
Timberland- Owner of a Lonely Cart
Paravel- Don’t leave your baggage unattended
Whiskey Loot- Your Cart is Sobering up
Rumple- Cold feet? We’ve got just the thing
Pinrose- I noticed you noticing me…
Jack Erwin- Hey. You left without your shoes…
Chubbies- Clocking in
Bloomingdales- You have items in your Big Brown Bag
Chubbies- Lemme Teleport You Back To Your Cart. Free Of Charge.
Ray Ban- Stuck under a rock? Attacked by a bear?
Dollar Shave Club- We heard you dropped by the Clubhouse, but didn’t stay!

6. Curiosity-driving email subject lines for cart recovery

Human tendency to be curious is something all businessmen try to recognize and utilize. This is applicable for any business starting from exotic “wonders stall” at a carnival to a growing eCommerce business. Combining customers’ natural curiosity with your persuasion skills will be the right weaponry you’ll need to recover sales from cart abandonment that arose from wavering customer interest.

Induce a perceptual curiosity that seems irresistible for customers to not ignore. Such intense cravings can cause customers to at least open the mail and reconsider their decisions regarding a purchase. Your subject lines should have a mysterious or appealing tone that a customer cannot resist from opening. Once your line gets into their heads you are all good.

Using curiosity to trigger response works for getting opening rates higher but try to deliver on the built-up expectations in your email too. You don’t want buyers getting put-off by your misleading subject lines.

Here are some curiosities driven subject lines done right:

Brooklinen- Unlock a dreamy deal
Bobbi Brown- You know you want them.
American Apparel- Forget something?
MVMT- Still thinking it over?
Pandora- You forgot something…
Crate and Barrel- We saved this for you.
Framebridge- Let’s get it on your wall.
OUAI Haircare- YOU FORGOT SOMETHING
Everlane- Eyeing Something?
Prose- Ready when you are
Sweaty Betty- Something caught your eye?
AYR- Just lookin out for you
Birchbox- *Nudge Nudge*
Urban Outfitters- They’re still waiting for you…
Morphe Cosmetics-The under-eye struggle is over

7. Customer support/ assistance-offering subject lines

Customers won’t leave a cart without some valid reason, except some who use it as an improvisational wish-list. Price can be an issue here but more than that, the lack of a good technical assistance system could have adverse effects on your cart abandonment rates as well.

So, addressing this and offering support is one way to go, when trying to win back these potential sales. You should try to eliminate common concerns customers would have and reassure buyers about choosing your brand. Offering customer support also displays the integrity of your brand and further helps in recovering any prospective sales that would have been lost otherwise.

Joybird- Trouble Checking Out?
Beardbrand- Free shipping
Daniel Wellington- You left some great items in your shopping cart
Lavish Alice- Buy now, pay later.
The Ellen Degeneres Show- Hi, just checking in!
Express- Here’s free shipping to get what’s in your cart!
Lands’ End- Welcome to the family!
Solid & Striped- Hi [Name], it looks like you left something in your cart.
Rudy’s- Don’t put this off like a software update.
Famous Stars And Straps- Complete your Purchase
Chicos- Need Help With Your Bags?
American Eagle- Success! Your account has been created.

Conclusion

Customer responses to your Email cart recovery subject lines can vary according to each individual customer as well as each customer segment. For this precise reason alone, you need to continually explore and experiment with your email subject lines and try to identify what works best for your business, in turns of response and open rates.

Try out different tactics adapted to different customer psychology and strike the right balance that will bring back consumers to your store.

We also advise setting up custom email cart recovery workflows to be able to tap into different consumer psychologies at different stages. We at RetainIQ, have tried and tested and found a workflow that is sure to convert more than 50% of your cart abandoners.

Learn more about the workflow here.

Want to learn more about using emails for abandoned cart recovery? Explore all our resources here.

100+ Abandoned Cart Email Subject Line Examples