Abandoned Cart Recovery: A/B Testing Results from 3 “Recovered vs Lost” Campaigns

Cart abandonment is one of the biggest revenue leaks in e-commerce—often 70% or more of shoppers leave without completing checkout. While most brands run recovery emails, few rigorously test their workflows across email, SMS, and push to understand what actually moves the needle. In this article, we break down results from three A/B-tested abandoned-cart recovery campaigns. Each test compared “Recovered vs. Lost” segments to uncover the impact of timing, copy, and incentives.

These insights can help brands refine their own recovery strategy and reclaim more revenue with less effort.

Campaign 1: Email-Only Recovery Flow

Test Overview

Two email sequences were tested:

• Version A (Control):
  A single reminder email sent 4 hours after abandonment.
• Version B (Experiment):
  A 3-email sequence spaced across 24 hours:
  1. 45 minutes after abandonment: Friendly reminder
  2. 8 hours later: Social proof + product benefits
  3. Next day: Low-friction call-to-action with no discount

Key Results

• Recovered orders:
  • Version A: 6.3%
  • Version B: 11.4%
• Open rates:
  • Email 1: 65%
  • Email 2: 42%
  • Email 3: 39%
• Revenue recovered:
  • +81% uplift for Version B

What Made the Difference?

1. Faster initial touchpoint:
Sending the first reminder within 45 minutes captured shoppers while intent was still high.

2. Social proof email improved mid-funnel conversions:
Reviews, user photos, and FAQs reduced hesitation.

3. Non-discount CTA prevented margin erosion:
Surprisingly, the third email—without any incentive—still drove conversions because it reframed the offer and simplified the CTA.

Takeaway

Email alone can be powerful if sequenced correctly, with warm tone early and informational content in follow-ups. No discount is needed for many recovered orders.

Campaign 2: Email + Push Notification

Test Overview

This test added push notifications to see whether they could capture users who ignore email.

• Version A: 2-email sequence
• Version B: 2-email sequence + 2 push notifications
  • Push 1 at 1 hour post-abandonment
  • Push 2 at 20 hours

Key Results

• Recovered orders:
  • Version A: 8.7%
  • Version B: 12.9%
• Customers recovered via push only: 27% of recovered orders
• Push CTR:
  • Notification 1: 18%
  • Notification 2: 11%

What Worked?

1. Push filled the gap between email sends.
Users who ignored or never received the first email responded to the push.

2. Push was especially effective for mobile-heavy traffic.
Brands with 70%+ mobile visits saw dramatically higher push conversions.

3. Push used microcopy rather than full messaging.
Effective examples:

• “You left something behind 👀”
• “Your cart is still saved—tap to finish!”

Short, fun, non-intrusive.

Takeaway

Adding push increased overall recovery without increasing annoyance, thanks to light messaging and non-urgent tone. A combined email + push sequence is ideal for mobile-first audiences.

Campaign 3: Multi-Channel (Email + SMS + Push) With Incentive Test

Test Overview

This campaign tested incentive vs. no incentive within a full cross-channel workflow.

• Version A (No incentive):
  • Push (30 min)
  • Email (1 hour)
  • Email (10 hours)
  • SMS (24 hours)
• Version B (5% discount incentive):
  • Same timing, but SMS and final email included discount code

Key Results

• Recovered orders:
  • Version A: 13.4%
  • Version B: 19.8%
• SMS conversion rate:
  • No incentive: 6%
  • Incentive: 13%
• AOV difference:
  • Incentive version reduced AOV by only 2%

What Drove Results?

1. SMS amplified urgency.
SMS had the highest conversion rate per message, especially when sent at the 24-hour mark.

2. Incentives worked best late in the flow.
Adding discounts too early reduced perceived value.
But offering a small incentive right before the end of the funnel lifted conversions without hurting margins.

3. Coordinated timing prevented fatigue.
Each channel had a clear purpose:

• Push: gentle reminder
• Email: product details + reassurance
• SMS: urgency + final nudge

Takeaway

A cross-channel sequence with a small, well-timed incentive can almost double abandoned-cart recovery. SMS plays a crucial role when used sparingly.

Final Insights Across All Three Campaigns

1. Timing > quantity.

Early touchpoints within 45–60 minutes consistently produced the best lift.

2. Channel diversity recovers more users.

Many recovered orders in multichannel tests came from users who ignored the primary channel.

3. Incentives are useful but not necessary.

Incentives should be reserved for users who remain unconverted after multiple touchpoints.

4. Copy that feels human wins.

Short, friendly, conversational messaging outperformed transactional or overly salesy text.

5. Automation + segmentation improve efficiency.

Personalizing flow timing by cart value, product type, or customer history increased recovery rates by 10–20%.

Final Thoughts

Abandoned cart recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy. The most successful campaigns use multi-step, multi-channel, and behavior-driven workflows that respect customer experience while maximizing conversion. Using A/B testing to refine timing, incentives, and message style can unlock significant incremental revenue.