37 Best Abandoned Cart Email Subject Lines from Real Brands

Think of yourself as a business owner running an online store and as per data, on average, 70% of your potential customers add items to their carts but leave without placing an order. 

So, can you afford to lose all these opportunities without reaching out to them? Of course not. 70% is a huge number and if you want to run a successful business, you can never even think about marking them as lost deals without making efforts to win them back. 

So, how can you connect with these prospects and compel them to complete the purchase? By using abandoned cart emails. 

These emails are an excellent way to increase sales engagement and convince prospects to come back to make a payment for their carts. 

However, abandoned cart emails will only work when a recipient opens them first. For that to happen, you need a highly engaging, well-crafted subject line to grab attention and deliver clear value from the get-go. 

That being said, to inspire your next abandoned cart email campaign, I have compiled a list of the 37 best subject lines from real brands that know how to recapture lost sales. Let’s get into it!

Best abandoned cart email subject lines from actual companies

The abandoned cart emails need to have excellent subject lines to compel your audience to make a purchasing decision after reading your emails. 

With that said, let’s take a look at some of the amazing abandoned cart subject lines from top brands to give you insight into how to craft them for your own business, starting with Apple. 

Forgot Something? (Apple)

Apple is known for its simplistic marketing campaigns, and its abandoned cart emails are no exception. By using a straightforward yet effective subject line, it generated curiosity and reminded its prospects about their incomplete purchase.

Your Cart is Crying (Chubbies)

This playful and humorous subject line matches the brand image of Chubbies, an online apparel store with a sense of urgency along with a light-hearted twist.

We’ve Saved Your Cart for You (Amazon)

Amazon, one of the biggest online platforms, uses a reassuring subject line, promising its customers that its products are safe and available for them if they decide to come back to get them.

Don't Let These Deals Slip Away! (Groupon)

This abandoned cart subject line from Groupon focuses on potential savings and uses FOMO, a sales psychology technique to create a sense of urgency.

Did You Forget About Me? (Dollar Shave Club)

Dollar Shave Club, a male beauty and grooming brand, personifies the abandoned items to add a personal touch to the emails. This way, it convinces prospects to not leave their products behind and get them quickly.

You Left Some Goodies in Your Cart! (Urban Outfitters)

This casual and friendly subject line reminds the prospects of the “goodies” in their carts, making it sound more appealing to complete the purchase. 

Your Items Are Lonely (Sephora)

Sephora, a makeup and beauty brand, evokes feelings of empathy among its customers by mentioning that their items are lonely, encouraging them to take action before they are gone.

Last Chance to Get 10% Off (Wayfair)

Wayfair combines a sense of urgency by using phrases like “last chance” and incentivizing prospects to finish the checkout by offering an exclusive discount.

Hey, We Saved Your Cart for You! (Nordstrom)

Nordstrom, a luxury brand renowned for its customer service, used this courteous subject line for its abandoned cart email campaigns to remind them about their items and to sound as helpful as it could. 

You Left Something Behind… (Macy’s)

This cryptic subject line from Macy’s creates a sense of mystery, making sure the recipient clicks on the email, thereby using customer engagement to get more sales. 

Don’t Miss Out on These Items! (Target)

Target uses a time-sensitive subject line to create a sense of FOMO and prompt its prospects to take quick action.

Your Shopping Bag is Waiting (Best Buy)

This subject line from Best Buy uses a friendly tone signaling the customers that their items are waiting for them. This is to encourage them to return to the site and buy the items before it’s too late. 

Oops, Did You Forget Something? (Old Navy)

Old Navy utilized its approachable brand voice to engage prospective customers with this abandoned cart email subject line as a casual reminder. 

Your Cart’s Been Patiently Waiting (ModCloth)

ModCloth also personifies the cart by using words like “patiently waiting”, adding a playful touch to its abandoned cart campaigns.

Hurry! Your Cart is About to Expire (Zappos)

Zappos takes full advantage of the abandoned cart emails by creating a sense of urgency and implying that the items won’t be available forever.

You Forgot Something Special (Kate Spade) 

Kate Spade elevates the importance of abandoned items, making them seem more valuable and convincing customers to get them quickly.

Complete Your Purchase and Get Free Shipping! (Etsy)

Etsy approached the abandoned cart emails with a customer-centric selling method. By incentivizing customers with free shipping, Etsy increases the likelihood of winning back sales. 

Your Dream Shoes are Still in Your Cart (Steve Madden)

Steve Madden specifically mentions a product category (shoes) in its abandoned cart subject line to reignite interest among the prospects.

Almost There! Finish Your Order (Nike)

Nike stays on brand with its abandoned cart initiatives and encourages completion with an optimistic tone, encouraging customers to complete the checkout as if they were participating in a race.

Your Cart is Calling Your Name (Anthropologie)

Anthropologie uses a personalized touch by referencing the word “your name” which feels more engaging and allows its audience to relate better with the email.

We’ve Got Your Cart Ready for You (Walmart)

A simple and straightforward abandoned cart subject line to comfort the customers that their items are still waiting for them.

Your Items are Going Fast! (J.Crew)

A simple subject line to build a sense of scarcity and prompt them to take immediate action.

Complete Your Purchase and Earn Points! (Sephora)

An incentivizing subject line that combines taking action and offering loyalty program points.

Your Cart is Waiting! (ASOS)

A simple, direct subject line that is quick to read and delivers all the necessary information.

Don't Miss Out on Your Favorites (H&M)

This subject line emphasizes a value-based sales technique to increase the desirability of the abandoned items. This is a great way to get the customers to place an order.

Did You Forget to Checkout? (Gap)

A question-based subject line that gets straight to the point.

Still, Thinking It Over? (Levi’s)

A common sales technique is to acknowledge customers' indecision while gently encouraging them to make a decision.

Your Favorite Items Are Still Available (Forever 21)

A comforting subject line to reassure customers that their selected items are in stock and they can still get them if they hurry up.

Take Another Look at Your Cart (Nordstrom Rack)

A clear subject line that invites customers to check out their abandoned cart and convinces them to finish the payment process.

Your Shopping Cart is Waiting! (Banana Republic)

A friendly reminder that aligns with the brand's voice.

It’s Not Too Late! (Express)

Express’s abandoned cart subject line tells its customers that they still have time to complete their purchase, giving them the peace of mind to make the buying decision.

Don’t Leave Your Favorites Behind (Free People)

Free People uses the term "favorites" to personalize the email and make it relate to customers.

Limited Stock Alert! (Madewell)

This clear subject line works best at creating urgency by implying that the items may run out soon, a somewhat salesly approach but it can generate quick actions from the customers.

We’re Holding Your Cart for You (Abercrombie & Fitch)

A common subject line to tell customers that their selections are still available.

Don’t Miss Out on These Must-Haves (Aritzia)

This abandoned cart subject line highlights the value of the items and the trendiness of the abandoned items.

Come Back and Complete Your Order (Victoria’s Secret)

A direct call to action to complete the purchase. This is a bold subject line that should be used if it fits your brand’s image.

Almost Gone! Finish Your Purchase (Under Armour)

Another subject line that utilizes the FOMO aspect by suggesting the items might sell out soon.

Drive conversions and win back lost deals with abandoned cart emails with Zixflow

Crafting an amazing subject line for your abandoned is just one part of running successful retargeting campaigns. The other part is to choose a marketing solution that allows you to send these emails at scale and at the right moment. 

So, if you're looking to elevate your abandoned cart email strategy, Zixflow is the marketing platform you need. Zixflow comes with a suite of marketing functionalities built to help you craft, send, and optimize your email campaigns with ease.

For example, Zixflow lets you create tailored emails according to each customer’s shopping habits, preferences, and behavior to increase engagement. Plus, you can leverage its AI Wizard to craft email copies within seconds. 

Also, if you want to send automated abandoned cart emails, you can set up automated email sequences that trigger based on user actions, ensuring timely and relevant communications. By using sales cadences, you can autopilot your abandoned cart email sequence.

On top of that, if you want to send abandoned cart emails at scale and encourage your prospects to make a purchasing decision, you can do so with Zixflow. For instance, you can run abandoned cart campaigns and connect with thousands of potential customers at once. 

Get started with a 7-day free trial today to experience all the powerful features that can help you recover lost sales and increase your revenue. 

Use these abandoned cart email subject lines to grow your business to the next level

Creating an effective abandoned cart email subject line is a mixture of both art and science. These examples from well-known brands demonstrate a range of strategies from creating a sense of urgency to offering incentives for convincing lost deals to come back and complete the checkout. 

The key here is to understand your audience and what motivates them to act. You can also take advantage of AI to generate relevant subject lines to help A/B test your abandoned cart campaigns to find the perfect one to improve your conversion rates. 

Once again, Zixflow allows you to generate highly tailored subject lines with its AI-powered email template builder. Just by providing relevant information about your email copy, the system can create multiple subject lines within seconds for you to choose from. 

That being said, create a free account and start leveraging the powerful functionality of Zixflow to kickstart your abandoned cart email campaigns to drive more conversions for your business.