12 Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines That Actually Recover Revenue

Subject lines are often overlooked, but they remain one of the most critical factors in recovering abandoned carts. With just 30 to 50 characters visible (and even less on mobile), the subject line in your cart recovery email must do more than “ping” shoppers. It must be interesting enough to capture their attention.

Despite this, many ecommerce businesses default to generic lines like “Did you forget something?” or “Your cart is waiting". In a crowded inbox, your email is likely to be one of many with a nearly identical subject line, making it easy for shoppers to scroll past.

In this article, we’ll explore why subject lines matter and share data-backed and conversion-tested approaches to writing attention-grabbing subject lines that drive higher engagement and revenue per recipient (RPR).

Why subject lines matter (more than fancy creative)

Once you’ve tested and optimized for the essentials, such as send time and pricing models, subject lines become your next biggest lever for performance. If your subject line doesn’t get an open, nothing downstream converts, making your cart recovery strategy ineffective.

With post-iOS changes inflating open rates, many brands have shifted their focus to revenue per recipient (RPR). This measures the average revenue generated from each individual email or message sent within an email campaign or flow.

When A/B testing, brands have found that subject line testing still drives incremental RPR, far more than tweaking a headline or CTA in the email body.

So, generic subject lines like “Forgot something?” aren’t just crowding inboxes. They are causing your abandoned cart emails to underperform. 

This is why you need to identify and test different tactics within your subject line (like urgency, social proof, etc.)

Pro-tip: If you’re just testing your abandoned cart email flows without looking into how to target anonymous shoppers who’ve left their carts behind, you’re missing out. 

Identity resolution tools like Tie help you reach more cart abandoners by uncovering anonymous traffic and providing the details you need to retarget them. 

Leading online stores, such as Beekman 1802, for instance, had thousands of abandoned cart shoppers who remained unidentified. Using Tie, the brand was able to identify 32K+ shoppers and recover $22K in abandoned cart revenue in 4 months.

8 Non-obvious subject line angles (beyond “Don’t forget…”)

Skip the obvious subject lines and instead, test different tactics to see what resonates with your cart abandoners. When testing these angles, make sure that you’re matching them to your overall cart recovery strategy.

1. Micro-urgency with real deadlines

Urgency works, but only when it’s specific. “Hurry before it’s gone” is vague. By adding a specific window, you can increase the sense of urgency and set up effective abandoned cart emails that convert quicker.

Example: 

• “Last chance—your cart expires in 3 hrs ⏳”
• “Checkout now, items reserved for 2 hrs.”
• “Limited time offer for the next 12 hours, order now!”

Match this to your real session expiry or cart reservation logic.

2. Cost-objection reversal 

Abandoners often bounce when they start the checkout process due to unexpected costs, like shipping or taxes. Leading with an incentive like free shipping or a discount code within your subject line can nudge that click and convert faster, especially among low AOV or fee-sensitive buyers. 

However, offer this incentive only if your margin supports it. 

Example: 

• “Free shipping unlocked – complete your order.”
• “Take 10% off your cart—today only”

3. Benefit-first framing

Why should a potential customer buy from you? 

Instead of leading with the product name (which may be technical or unmemorable), highlight the outcome that the shopper will achieve. This approach shifts focus from the item itself to the transformation it promises.

For example, rather than “Your Memory Foam Pillow is waiting,” a message like “Sleep deeper tonight” aligns with the outcome the customer wants.

This tactic is especially effective in wellness, home, and beauty verticals, where emotional outcomes (like comfort, rest, or confidence) drive purchase decisions more than product specs.

Example: 

• “Better sleep awaits. Finish checkout”
• “Glowing skin starts with your cart.”
• “Stronger workouts begin with the right gear."

4. Social proof tease

Subject lines that show a product's popularity build trust in your brand. When tied to dynamic data that creates urgency (e.g., live inventory counters), these messages show that the product is popular and at risk of selling out. This creates FOMO (fear of missing out) and drives a hesitant shopper to complete checkout even without a discount. 

These subject lines are especially effective for fast-moving SKUs, drops, or brands that can integrate with real-time sales data. 

Examples: 

• “10,421 shoppers checked out today, 1 left”
• “237 people bought this, still interested?”

5. Explicit loss aversion

Scarcity is a great motivator, building FOMO among shoppers who’ve left their shopping carts behind and driving more drive opens. When shoppers see that the product can go out of stock, they are more likely to act faster. Fashion brands or those in size-sensitive categories can use this tactic to their advantage.

When connected to real-time inventory, this message becomes even more compelling.

Example: "Only 2 left in size L"

6. Help-oriented question

Besides low trust and pricing, another reason shoppers may leave a cart behind is because they are unsure about the fit, value, or product details.

A helpful, support-led subject line invites them back without pressure. It can also route them to customer service or educational content to reduce friction in their path to purchase. 

If you sell complex products or have buying journeys that require high consideration, this subject line is ideal for your cart recovery emails.

Examples: 

• “Need help before you buy?”
• “Questions about your order? We can help”

7. Humor 

Humor can be effective in abandoned cart flows, but timing and tone matter. It’s best used in a follow-up email, after a more direct subject line has been tested. 

A well-placed joke or playful tone can create memorability and brand warmth, as long as it aligns with your brand voice.

Examples: 

• “Owner of a lonely cart”
• “Did we just get ghosted?”
• “Your cart has trust issues”

8. Simple and straightforward

A reminder can be effective without cleverness, especially for shoppers who simply got distracted and left the checkout page. These subject lines are best used as the first touchpoint and have consistently performed for broad audiences for many ecommerce stores.

Many brands also use these subject lines as the control when testing more creative variants.

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Examples:

• “Oops! You left items in your cart”
• “Complete your purchase”

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Segment-specific subject line tweaks 

Different customer segments respond to different tones and tactics. Crafting personalized subject lines for cart abandoners based on their behaviour and intent can be a small tweak but have a significant impact on your recovery rates. 

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Note: When using segments for abandoned cart flows, make sure that your segments are large enough. Optimizing for small segments doesn’t have a huge impact on conversion rates.

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9. VIP customers

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VIP customers are already sold on your brand so sending them a discount doesn’t make sense. Instead, tailor your message to sound like you’re offering a concierge service. 

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Examples:

• We saved your favourites, {{first_name}}
• {{first_name}} we always love seeing you back here!
• You’ll always get priority delivery, {{first_name}}!

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10. High AOV, multi-session shoppers

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Shoppers who have a high cart value and continue to return and consider your products just need a small nudge. With this segment, send the first reminder within the first 30 minutes, personalize it with the product name, and use a straightforward and classy tone.

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Examples:

• “Almost yours—complete your checkout”
• “Still thinking it over? Let’s wrap this up”

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11. First-time visitors identified by Tie

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For first-time visitors who didn’t leave their details, identity resolution platforms like Tie can help you create a complete customer profile. 

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However, to recover their cart, your subject line should be friendly and reassuring, building rapport and trust in your brand. Avoid urgency or discounting.

Examples: 

• “Just found us? Here’s something to welcome you”
• “First time? We’ve saved your picks”

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12. Mobile checkout after 10pm

Shoppers that have abandoned a cart late at night are not going to see your reminder if it’s sent within your usual windows (30 minutes to 3 hours).

Set up time optimization to avoid going unread. For instance, for any carts that are started after 10pm (local time), delay the first abandoned cart email from being sent out until the next morning. 

Best abandoned cart email subject line examples

What does a good abandoned cart email subject line look like in practice? No, they don’t include the customer name!

We’ve collected abandoned cart email examples from leading ecommerce businesses to show you how effective a well-crafted subject line is in bringing back potential customers and recovering lost sales. 

1. Liquid Death - Humor

Liquid Death is a canned water company that uses humor to make their abandoned cart email witty.

In this example, their subject line reads “Maybe you died” with the rest of the email body playing out that imaginary scenario in a witty deadpan. 

Even if the cart isn’t recovered, the brand is sure to make a lasting impression on the shopper. 

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2. Revival - Short and sweet

Revival is a clothing brand that doesn’t overthink its email copy. Their subject line “So close, yet so far” shows a little personality but keeps it vague enough to get that clickthrough.

3. Grove Collaborative - Welcome offer

Grove Collaborative makes and sells its own environmentally friendly home and personal care products. For new shoppers who have abandoned their cart, the brand uses its subject line to tell them about their free gift. 

A simple “Here’s your free cleaning set” is sure to catch their attention!

4. 7 For All Mankind - Cart size personalization

An American denim brand, 7 For All Mankind sends cart recovery messages that reflect the cart. 

For shoppers who have multiple items in their cart, a subject line like “Your bag is full, get your favorites” helps the brand remind shoppers that they have high-intent in owning their products.

5. WHOOP - Value-driven

WHOOP, a fitness tracker brand, uses their subject line to motivate rather than just remind. 

“No More Excuses—Step Up Your Training” reinforces the brand’s identity as a performance-focused brand. It speaks to their aspirations and aligns with the lifestyle WHOOP promotes—discipline, accountability, and high performance.

Testing framework for abandoned cart email subject line 

While these different tactics for your subject line can help you increase opens, how do you know which one works for your ecommerce brand? A/B testing can help you identify which kind of subject line works for each email within your cart recovery sequence and maximize your conversions.

When A/B testing, here’s the strategy we recommend:

• Always test three subject line variants per segment.
• Stop the test once each variant hits 1,000 recipients to gather directional results.
• Measure success by revenue per recipient (RPR), not open rate.
• Retest every quarter since subject line fatigue tends to set in after about 90 days.

Once you have a winner, feed that data back into your system. Within Tie, subject line performance can be logged and reused automatically for future campaigns targeting similar audiences.

Looking to improve your email program? Read insights from Marina Carroll on advanced email marketing strategies that you can implement.

Deliverability pitfalls hidden in abandoned cart subject lines

Many online retailers end up hurting their email deliverability when crafting their subject line. 

Here’s what to avoid including in your subject lines:

• Formatting issues like excessive punctuation (!!!) and all caps.
  
  
• Misleading prefixes like "Re:" which can trigger spam filters
  
  
• Unicode characters, which break in different email clients. Stick with plain ASCII.
  
  
• Overusing emojis or inserting irrelevant ones.

Tie’s email deliverability feature flags subject lines that tank inbox rate, and instead, recommends replacements from historical winners.

Are funny abandoned cart email subject lines good or gimmick?

Humor can spike open rates by up to 10% but only if it aligns with your brand voice, product category and audience. For instance, it typically falls flat for luxury brands, where a more refined and elevated tone is expected.

Here are some tips to effectively use humor in your subject lines:

• Use it only if it fits your brand tone. Brands with a casual or playful tone can naturally use humor and engage their shoppers. 
• Don’t lead with it. Add it to your second or third cart reminder.
• Test humorous subject lines against a serious variant. 

Are abandoned cart email subject lines with emojis good or bad?

A single, relevant emoji can improve open rates by 5%, especially if your audience is on mobile and casual. However, multiple, irrelevant emojis can harm deliverability and trigger Gmail’s Promotions tab. 

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when adding emojis to your subject line:

• Use just one emoji in your subject line.
• Make sure that it is relevant to your messaging and tone.
• Include a plain-text fallback in case the emoji doesn’t load.
• Test subject lines with and without emojis to see what performs best.

Abandoned cart FAQs

What is a good abandoned cart email open rate?

While it varies based on industry, a good abandoned cart email open rate is 50.5%. 

A more effective way to evaluate your abandoned cart flows is to compare them with your marketing emails. Abandoned cart emails often perform better than marketing emails and have higher open rates. Read more about open rates for email in 2025. 

Should I use emojis in abandoned cart subject lines?

You can use emojis within your abandoned cart subject line but stick to one emoji, align it to the brand tone, and test sparingly.

How many abandoned cart emails should I send?

You should send 2 to 3 abandoned cart emails across 24 to 72 hours. Tailor them based on product consideration time.

What is the best time of day to send abandoned cart emails?

The best time to send abandoned cart emails depends on what works for your brand and the segment you’re targeting. Usually, morning sends perform best for mobile-heavy shoppers.

Can I recover carts without an email address?

You can recover carts without an email address by uncovering details about the shopper using identity resolution platforms like Tie.

Tie uncovers anonymous visitors by matching them to known profiles from consented third-party data sources, building complete customer profiles that are fed into your email lists. You can then easily retarget and convert these abandoned carts.

Does discounting in the first abandoned cart email hurt margins?

Adding a discount in the first abandoned cart email is unnecessary and can reduce profits. Instead, share incentives for the second or third email and only for specific segments (like price-sensitive or first-time shoppers).

Will SMS reminders cannibalise email deliverability?

No, SMS reminders don’t cannibalize email performance. When sequenced properly, SMS can complement email to increase cart recovery and recover lost revenue.