How to Set Up Abandoned Cart Email Sequences (Multi-Step)

A multi-step email sequence lets you send a series of timed, automated recovery emails to customers who abandon their cart. Instead of relying on a single email, a sequence gives you multiple touchpoints — each with a different message, tone, and incentive — to bring customers back at the right moment.

This guide covers how to plan, build, and activate a full sequence in the Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin using the Follow-up Emails tab.

How Sequences Work

Every active email template in the Follow-up Emails tab is part of the sequence. The plugin sends each template independently based on its own Send This Email delay, measured from the moment the cart was first abandoned.

All timers run from the same starting point — the abandonment timestamp — not from the previous email. For example:

• Email 1 set to 1 hour sends 1 hour after abandonment.
• Email 2 set to 24 hours sends 24 hours after abandonment.
• Email 3 set to 3 days sends 3 days after abandonment.

Step 1: Navigate to Follow-up Emails

Go to WooCommerce > Cart Abandonment from your WordPress admin menu.

Then click the Follow-up Emails tab.

This screen shows all existing email templates in your sequence. Each row displays the template name, send delay, and active/inactive status.

Step 2: Plan Your Sequence

Before creating templates, decide how many emails your sequence will include and what each one should accomplish. A typical 3-email sequence looks like this:

Tip: Hold back the coupon until the final email. Sending a discount too early can train customers to abandon carts intentionally to receive offers.

Step 3: Create Each Email Template

Create one template per email in your sequence. Click Add New Template from the Follow-up Emails screen.

For each template, fill in the following fields:

Email Subject

Write a subject line that matches the purpose of that email in the sequence. Use the {{customer.firstname}} shortcode to personalize it.

Send This Email

Set the delay from the abandonment time. Enter a number and select Minutes, Hours, or Days.

Email Body

Write the body content for this email. At minimum, each email in the sequence should include:

• A personalized greeting using {{customer.firstname}}
• The recovery link using {{cart.checkout_url}}
• An unsubscribe link using {{cart.unsubscribe}}

For the product reminder email (Email 2), also include {{cart.product.table}} to show the abandoned items. For the coupon email (Email 3), add {{cart.coupon_code}}.

See How to Create and Customize Email Templates for Cart Recovery for full shortcode reference and body formatting guidance.

Coupon (Optional)

Attach a WooCommerce coupon to the template if this email should include a discount. The coupon will be auto-applied when the customer clicks the recovery link.

Active / Inactive Toggle

Leave the template set to Active so it fires as part of the sequence. You can deactivate individual emails at any time without deleting them.

Step 4: Save and Repeat

Click Save Template after completing each template. Then click Add New Template again and repeat for the next email in your sequence.

Once all templates are saved and active, the Follow-up Emails screen will show your full sequence in a list ordered by send delay.

Step 5: Verify the Sequence

Review the Follow-up Emails list to confirm:

• All templates are set to Active.
• Send delays are in the correct order with no overlapping times.
• The coupon template is the last email, not the first.
• Each template has a distinct subject line and purpose.

Using Dynamic Conditions to Vary the Sequence (Pro)

With Cart Abandonment Recovery Pro, you can apply Dynamic Conditions to any template in the sequence so that specific emails only send to customers who meet certain criteria — for example, sending a higher-value coupon only to customers whose cart total exceeds $100.

This allows you to run a single sequence that behaves differently for different customer segments without building separate sequences manually.

See Dynamic Email Rules for full setup instructions.

Managing an Existing Sequence

Pausing a Single Email

Toggle any template to Inactive on the Follow-up Emails screen. The email will be skipped in the sequence without affecting any other templates. Reactivate it at any time.

Editing a Template

Click the template name or edit icon on the Follow-up Emails screen to open it. Any changes to the subject, body, timing, or coupon take effect immediately for all future sends.

Deleting a Template

Click the delete icon on the Follow-up Emails list. Deleting a template is permanent — consider deactivating it instead if you may want to use it again.

Reordering the Sequence

The sequence order is determined by each template’s send delay. To change the order, edit the Send This Email field on the relevant templates to adjust their timing.