Complete Guide: WooCommerce Abandoned Cart Recovery with FlowMattic

The Ultimate Guide to Recovering Lost Sales and Increasing Your Revenue

Transform abandoned carts into completed sales with FlowMattic’s powerful automation. This guide covers everything you need to know to set up, test, and optimize your abandoned cart recovery system.

What You’ll Need Before Starting

✅ FlowMattic Plugin - Installed and activated
✅ WooCommerce Plugin - Installed and activated
✅ At least one product in your store
✅ Email service configured (Gmail, SMTP, or any email provider)
✅ 10 minutes to follow this guide

Important: No coding or technical knowledge required. Everything is done through easy-to-use menus!

Part 1: Understanding Abandoned Cart Recovery

What is Cart Abandonment?

When a customer adds items to their cart but leaves your store without completing the purchase, that’s cart abandonment. Studies show that 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts!

How FlowMattic Helps

FlowMattic automatically:

• Detects when customers abandon their carts
• Tracks their cart contents and contact information
• Triggers your recovery workflows
• Sends personalized recovery emails with discount coupons
• Monitors cart status (abandoned, recovered, or completed)

Available Features

1. Cart Abandonment Detection - Automatically detects abandoned carts
2. Recovery Email Sending - Send beautiful recovery emails
3. Discount Coupon Creation - Generate attractive offers
4. Cart Status Checking - Monitor cart recovery progress
5. Customer Data Capture - Collect valuable customer insights

Part 2: Setting Up Your First Abandoned Cart Recovery Workflow

Step 1: Create Your Recovery Workflow

1. Go to FlowMattic

   • In your WordPress admin, click FlowMattic → Workflows
   • Click “Add New Workflow”

2. Name Your Workflow

   • Enter: "Abandoned Cart Recovery - 30 Minutes"
   • This helps you identify the workflow later

3. Set Up the Trigger

   • Choose Application: Select “WooCommerce”
   • Choose Trigger: Select “New Cart Abandonment”
   • Save your trigger

Step 2: Add Recovery Actions

Option A: Send Recovery Email (Recommended for Beginners)

1. Add Email Action

   • Click “Add Step”
   • Choose Application: Select “Email”
   • Choose Action: Select “Send Email”

2. Configure Your Recovery Email

   • To: Use {customer_email} (this gets the customer’s email automatically)
   • Subject: "Don't forget your items! Complete your order now"
   • Email Content: Use this template:

Hi {first_name},

You left some amazing items in your cart! Don't let them get away.

🛒 Your Cart Details:
• Total Value: ${cart_total}
• Items: {cart_items}

Complete your order now and get these items before they're gone!

👉 [Complete My Order]({recovery_url})

Need help? Reply to this email and we'll assist you right away.

Best regards,
Your Store Team

3. Save your email action

Option B: Send Email with Discount Coupon (Advanced)

1. First, Create a Coupon

   • Add another step
   • Choose Application: Select “WooCommerce”
   • Choose Action: Select “Create Coupon”
   • Configure Coupon:
     • Coupon Code: SAVE10-{workflow_id}
     • Discount Type: Select “Percentage”
     • Coupon Amount: 10
     • Expiry Days: 7
   • Save the coupon action

2. Then, Send Email with Coupon

   • Add another step for Email
   • Email Content: Include the coupon:

Hi {first_name},

We noticed you left some items in your cart. Here's a special 10% discount to complete your order!

🎉 Your Exclusive Coupon: {coupon_code}

🛒 Your Cart: ${cart_total}
Items: {cart_items}

👉 [Complete Order with 10% Off]({recovery_url})

This offer expires in 7 days, so don't wait!

Happy Shopping!

Step 3: Activate Your Workflow

1. Save Your Workflow - Click the save button
2. Turn On Your Workflow - Toggle the switch to “Active”
3. Done! Your abandoned cart recovery is now live

Part 3: Testing Your Setup (5-Minute Test)

Important: For testing, temporarily change your abandonment threshold to 5 minutes so you don’t have to wait 30 minutes.

Quick Test Setup

1. Adjust Threshold for Testing

   • Go to FlowMattic → Settings → WooCommerce
   • Change “Cart Abandonment Threshold” to 5 minutes
   • Save settings

2. Test Your Workflow

   • Open your store in a new browser tab
   • Add a product to cart
   • Go to checkout page and enter your email address
   • Leave the page without completing the purchase
   • Wait 5 minutes
   • Check your email for the recovery message

3. Capture Response Data

   • In FlowMattic, go to your workflow
   • Click “Capture Response”
   • Complete the test (add to cart, enter email, abandon)
   • The system will capture real data for you to use

4. Reset Threshold

• Don’t forget to change the threshold back to 30 minutes after testing for optimal results. You can customize this threshold based on your business needs - some stores use 15 minutes for faster recovery, while others prefer 60 minutes for customers who take longer to decide. Experiment to find what works best for your audience!

What Should Happen During Testing

✅ Email received within 5 minutes
✅ Customer email populated correctly
✅ Cart total showing the right amount
✅ Recovery URL works and restores the cart
✅ Coupon code works (if you added the coupon action)

Available Cart Variables

When creating your email templates, you can use these dynamic variables:

• {first_name} - Customer’s first name
• {last_name} - Customer’s last name
• {customer_name} - Customer’s full name
• {customer_email} - Customer’s email address
• {cart_items} - Complete list of cart items with details
• {cart_total} - Total cart value (including currency)
• {cart_url} - Direct link to cart page
• {recovery_url} - Special recovery link that restores the cart
• {coupon_code} - Coupon code (when using Create Coupon action)

These variables works best in all - FlowMattic Email Templates and in your custom email content while sending an email with custom content with Send Abandoned Cart Email action.

Part 4: Advanced Workflows and Strategies

Sequential Recovery Emails

Create a single workflow with timed delays for progressive recovery:

Single Workflow with Sequential Steps:

1. Trigger: Cart Abandonment (30 minutes)

   • Automatically starts when cart is abandoned

2. Step 1: First Reminder Email

   • Subject: “Did you forget something?”
   • Content: Gentle reminder with cart contents
   • Tone: Helpful, non-pushy

3. Step 2: Delay Action (24 hours)

   • Choose Application: Select “Delay”
   • Delay Duration: Set to 24 hours

4. Step 3: Second Reminder Email

   • Subject: “Last chance for your items!”
   • Content: Add urgency + 5% discount coupon
   • Tone: More urgent, includes incentive

5. Step 4: Delay Action (48 hours)

   • Choose Application: Select “Delay”
   • Delay Duration: Set to 48 hours (total 72 hours from start)

6. Step 5: Final Attempt Email

   • Subject: “We’ll miss you! Here’s 15% off”
   • Content: Strong discount + limited time offer
   • Tone: Final opportunity with best offer

Timeline Example:

• Cart abandoned: 2:00 PM Monday
• First email sent: 2:30 PM Monday (30 min after abandonment)
• Second email sent: 2:30 PM Tuesday (24 hours later)
• Final email sent: 2:30 PM Thursday (48 hours after second email)

Pro Tips for Sequential Recovery:

• Add Conditions: Use “Check Cart Status” before each email to avoid sending to completed carts
• Escalating Incentives: Start with no discount, then 5%, then 15%
• Progressive Urgency: Increase urgency in tone and messaging with each email
• Stop on Success: The workflow automatically stops if the customer completes their purchase

This approach is much more efficient than managing multiple separate workflows and ensures a cohesive customer experience with progressively compelling offers.

Cart Value-Based Recovery

High-Value Carts ($100+)

• Immediate personal attention
• Phone call follow-up
• WhatsApp follow-ups
• Higher discount percentages

Low-Value Carts (Under $50)

• Standard email sequence
• Free shipping offers
• Product recommendations

Part 5: Using Cart Status Checking

Monitor your recovery success with the Check Cart Status action.

How to Add Cart Status Monitoring

1. Add Status Check Action

   • In any workflow with Cart Abandonment trigger, add a new step
   • Choose Application: “WooCommerce”
   • Choose Action: “Check Cart Status”
   • Cart ID: Use {cart_id} from your trigger

2. What You’ll Get

   • Current Status: abandoned, recovered, or active
   • Cart Contents: All product details
   • Customer Information: Email, name, contact details
   • Timing Data: When abandoned, last activity
   • Recovery Information: If and when recovered

3. Use Cases for Status Checking

   • Avoid Duplicate Emails: Don’t send if already recovered
   • Analytics Tracking: Monitor recovery rates
   • Conditional Logic: Different actions based on status
   • Customer Service: Quick cart lookup for support

Part 6: Email Best Practices

Subject Line Tips

✅ Good: “Your cart is waiting for you!”
✅ Good: “Complete your order + get 10% off”
✅ Good: “Don’t miss out on these items”
❌ Avoid: “URGENT!!! BUY NOW!!!”
❌ Avoid: “You abandoned your cart”

Email Content Guidelines

Start with Personalization

• Use {first_name} or {customer_email}
• Reference specific products they viewed with {cart_items}

Create Urgency (But Don’t Overdo It)

• “Limited time offer”
• “Only 3 left in stock”
• “Sale ends tomorrow”

Make it Easy

• Clear call-to-action buttons
• Direct links to cart: {recovery_url}
• Simple, clean design

Add Value

• Customer reviews
• Free shipping offers
• Related product suggestions

Mobile-Friendly Tips

• Short subject lines (under 50 characters)
• Large, clickable buttons
• Concise, scannable content
• Test on different devices

Part 7: Creating Effective Discount Strategies

Discount Types That Work

Percentage Discounts

• 10% for first-time customers
• 15% for returning customers
• 20% for high-value carts

Fixed Amount Discounts

• $5 off orders over $50
• $10 off orders over $100
• $25 off orders over $200

Free Shipping

• Very effective for low-margin products
• Great for international customers
• Combine with minimum order amounts

Buy One Get One (BOGO)

• Perfect for inventory clearance
• Increases average order value
• Creates excitement

Coupon Best Practices

Expiration Dates

• 7 days: Creates urgency
• 14 days: Gives flexibility
• 30 days: For high-consideration purchases

Usage Limits

• One per customer: Prevents abuse
• Limited quantity: Creates scarcity
• Minimum order amounts: Protects margins

Coupon Codes

• Keep them simple: SAVE10, WELCOME15
• Make them memorable: COMEBACK20
• Use auto-generation: SAVE10-{workflow_id}

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General Setup Questions

Q: Do I need any coding knowledge to set up abandoned cart recovery?
A: No! FlowMattic’s visual workflow builder makes it easy for anyone to set up cart recovery without any coding.

Q: How long does it take to set up?
A: About 10-15 minutes for a basic recovery workflow. Advanced setups with multiple emails might take 30-45 minutes.

Q: Will this work with my theme?
A: Yes! The abandoned cart functionality works with any WordPress theme that supports WooCommerce.

Q: Does this slow down my website?
A: No. FlowMattic runs in the background and doesn’t affect your site’s front-end performance.

Cart Detection Questions

Q: When exactly is a cart considered “abandoned”?
A: A cart is abandoned when a customer adds items and provides their email address but doesn’t complete the purchase within 30 minutes (default setting).

Q: What if a customer doesn’t enter their email?
A: Recovery emails can only be sent to customers who provide their email address. Encourage email collection at checkout for best results.

Q: Do abandoned carts work for guest customers?
A: Yes! As long as the customer enters their email address during checkout, the system can track and recover their cart.

Q: What happens if a customer completes their order after abandoning?
A: The system automatically updates the cart status to “completed” and you can use this status so the workflows won’t send recovery emails for that cart.

Email and Recovery Questions

Q: How many recovery emails should I send?
A: Start with 2-3 emails: one at 30 minutes, one at 24 hours, and one final attempt at 72 hours. Monitor performance and adjust.

Q: What’s the best time to send recovery emails?
A: This varies by audience, but generally 10 AM - 2 PM and 6 PM - 8 PM work well. Test different times for your specific customers and according to your timezone.

Q: Can I customize the email templates?
A: Yes! You have full control over email content, design, and timing in FlowMattic’s workflow builder and Email Template builder.

Q: Does the recovery URL expire?
A: Recovery URLs remain valid until the cart is completed or manually cleared. We recommend setting reasonable expectations (like 7-14 days).

Discount and Coupon Questions

Q: What discount percentage works best?
A: Start with 10-15% for most products. Test different percentages and monitor your profit margins to find the sweet spot.

Q: Should I offer discounts immediately or only in later emails?
A: Try both approaches! Some businesses start with a simple reminder and add discounts in follow-up emails to create escalating incentive.

Q: Can customers use multiple coupons?
A: You can control this in WooCommerce coupon settings. Generally, allowing one coupon per order prevents abuse while still being generous.

Q: What if I don’t want to offer discounts?
A: You can focus on other incentives like free shipping, limited-time availability, customer reviews, or personalized product recommendations.

Technical Questions

Q: Does this work with other plugins?
A: FlowMattic is designed to work with most WordPress plugins. Contact support if you encounter conflicts with specific plugins.

Q: What happens to old abandoned cart data?
A: The system automatically cleans up old cart data after 30 days to keep your database optimized. You can customize this time in settings as per your requirements.

Q: Is my customer data secure?
A: Yes. All data is stored securely in your WordPress database and follows WordPress security standards. Ensure your site has proper security measures in place.

Q: Can I use this with WooCommerce subscriptions?
A: Yes! The abandoned cart feature works with subscription products, variable products, and all WooCommerce product types.

Troubleshooting Questions

Q: My workflow isn’t triggering. What should I check?
A: Verify that:

• Your workflow is active
• WooCommerce is properly installed
• Customers are entering email addresses
• You’re waiting the full threshold time (30 minutes default)

Q: Emails aren’t being sent. What’s wrong?
A: Check:

• Your email settings in WordPress
• Spam folders
• Email delivery logs in your SMTP plugin or service
• WordPress email functionality (try a test email)

Q: The recovery URL doesn’t restore the cart. Why?
A: This can happen if:

• The customer’s session expired
• WooCommerce sessions are not properly configured
• Browser cookies are disabled
• The cart contents changed (out of stock, etc.)

Q: Can I test without waiting 30 minutes?
A: Yes! For testing purposes, you can temporarily change the abandonment threshold to 5 minutes in FlowMattic settings. Remember to change it back afterward.

Integration Questions

Q: Can I connect this to my email marketing platform?
A: Yes! FlowMattic integrates with popular email platforms like Mailchimp, MailerLite, and others for comprehensive marketing automation.

Q: Does this work with SMS notifications?
A: Yes! You can add SMS actions using FlowMattic’s Twilio or WhatsApp integrations for multi-channel recovery campaigns.

Q: Can I sync abandoned cart data to my CRM?
A: Yes! FlowMattic supports many CRM integrations including FluentCRM, HubSpot, and others for complete customer journey tracking.

Q: What about social media retargeting?
A: You can use FlowMattic’s webhook actions to send abandoned cart data to Facebook, Google Ads, or other platforms for retargeting campaigns.

🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue: No Abandoned Cart Emails Being Sent

Possible Causes:

• Workflow not activated
• Customer didn’t provide email address
• Not enough time passed (check threshold setting)
• Email delivery issues

Solutions:

1. Verify workflow is “Active” in FlowMattic
2. Test with a logged-in user account
3. Check FlowMattic → Task History for errors
4. Test email delivery with a simple “Send Email” in FlowMattic Abandoned Cart under WooCommerce menu
5. Check spam folders and email filters

Issue: Recovery URL Not Working

Possible Causes:

• Customer session expired
• Browser cookies disabled
• Cart contents changed (products removed/out of stock)

Solutions:

1. Test immediately after abandonment
2. Ensure customers accept cookies
3. Check product availability
4. Test with simple products first
5. Verify WooCommerce session settings

Issue: Wrong Cart Data in Emails

Possible Causes:

• Multiple browser sessions
• Cached data issues
• Product variations causing problems

Solutions:

1. Clear browser cache and cookies
2. Test in incognito/private mode
3. Use simple products for testing
4. Check cart contents in WooCommerce admin
5. Verify workflow trigger data

Issue: Duplicate Emails Being Sent

Possible Causes:

• Multiple workflows for same trigger
• Workflow running multiple times
• Cron job issues

Solutions:

1. Check for duplicate workflows
2. Add conditions to prevent re-triggering
3. Use cart status checking to avoid duplicates
4. Monitor workflow execution logs
5. Set proper email frequency limits

Issue: Low Recovery Rates

Possible Causes:

• Poor email content
• Wrong timing
• Weak incentives
• Technical delivery issues

Solutions:

1. A/B test different subject lines
2. Adjust email timing (try different hours)
3. Increase discount percentages
4. Improve email design and copy
5. Check email deliverability scores

📞 Getting Help and Support

FlowMattic Resources

• Documentation: Complete guides and tutorials
• Support Forum: Community help and discussions
• Video Tutorials: Step-by-step visual guides
• Template Library: Pre-built workflow templates

Best Practices for Getting Help

1. Check the FAQ first - Many questions are answered above
2. Be specific - Include workflow screenshots and error messages
3. Test thoroughly - Try the troubleshooting steps before asking for help
4. Share details - WordPress version, plugin versions, and specific issues

🎯 Congratulations! You now have everything you need to implement a successful abandoned cart recovery system. Start with the basics, test thoroughly, and gradually add advanced features as you grow more comfortable with the system.

Remember: The key to success is consistent testing, monitoring, and optimization. What works for one store might not work for another, so always test and adjust based on your specific audience and products.

Happy selling! 🚀