Don't retarget abandoned carts within the hour

Abandoned cart flows are standard Shopify practice. Someone adds to cart, leaves, and an automated email chases them - sometimes within minutes.

But research found something counterintuitive: sending a retargeting reminder less than an hour after abandonment makes customers less likely to purchase than if you hadn't emailed at all.

Why it backfires

Most people who abandon a cart aren't gone forever - they were already planning to come back. They got distracted, needed to think, wanted to check something. An immediate retargeting email signals that you were watching. It feels invasive. It also reminds them they hadn't made a decision yet, which can trigger more deliberation rather than less.

Early retargeting turns a warm lead into a hesitant one.

The window that works

Research points to 24-72 hours as the optimal retargeting window. By then, the memory of browsing has started to fade - but the desire that drove the original visit hasn't disappeared. A well-timed reminder bridges the gap between intention and action.

After a week, the memory of the intent has mostly faded and retargeting becomes much less effective.

The practical version

Remove: Any flow set to fire within 1 hour of abandonment.

Set up: A two-email flow: first email at 24 hours, follow-up at 72 hours if no purchase. Keep the first email simple - a reminder of what they left, not a discount. Only offer a discount in the second email if you want to, and only if you'd normally do that anyway.

Don't train your customers to abandon carts and wait for a discount.

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Research: Li, J., Luo, X., Lu, X. & Moriguchi, T. (2020). Journal of Marketing, 84(6). Nanjing University, Temple University, Fudan University & Waseda University.