How To Create Effective Reminder Notifications

“70% of our marketing time is spent on recovering abandoned carts. On WhatsApp.” That was the single biggest takeaway from a customer call yesterday, for me. A French retailer selling bespoke fashion worldwide. Here’s what they told me: "WhatsApp messaging isn’t cheap. Everybody knows that. But we believe in the channel. We know it’s our best shot at being seen. At being heard. At carving a space right where our customers live, next to their friends and family.” So they stopped treating abandoned cart reminders like afterthoughts. Instead, they built campaigns that command attention. And I’ve never seen anything like them. 🔥 Campaign #1: The After-Dark Discount Window Instead of sending a routine cart reminder, they unlock a private discount window at 10 PM. Why? Because late-night browsing isn’t rational, it’s emotional. Customers who opt-in get an exclusive deal during this nocturnal shopping spree. 💰 Campaign #2: Shoppers Name Their Price They don’t shove a price at the customer. They hand over the pricing power. Shoppers reply with a price they’re willing to pay. If it falls within range, it’s approved. This campaign has the highest engagement numbers I’ve EVER seen on WhatsApp. 🎥 Campaign #3: Staff Wearing the Carted Item Forget static product images. They broadcast videos of staff members wearing the item, describing the fit and fabric. It kills doubts. It brings the product to life. It makes buying feel effortless. For every $1 spent on WhatsApp cart recovery, they make $30 back. Why? Because they treat every abandoned cart like a full-fledged marketing campaign. No lazy nudges. No generic messages. Every interaction, memorable. WhatsApp marketing is wildly profitable—if you refuse to take shortcuts

CLIENT: How should we time our Klaviyo Abandonment flows? ME: Here's my general rule of thumb: Generally, the more intent a customer has in buying... The quicker you should follow up with them if they don’t buy. Here's what I mean: 👉 Active on Site Abandonment Definition: Someone landed on your website, but hasn't landed your product pages. These people have low intent. They might've: – Accidentally landed on your site – Browsed through your collection pages – Checked out your blog Chances are, they might come back to check out your products again... So we don't have to follow up with them so quickly. ✅ Time to follow up = 4 hours 👉 Browse Abandonment Definition: Someone landing on your product pages, but didn't add to cart. These people have medium intent since they have: – Checked out your website – Likely gone through a collection page – Looked at a specific product they were interested in Could they come back and add it to their cart? Sure, but let's follow up with them promptly in case they're looking at competitors. ✅ Time to follow up = 3 hours 👉 Abandoned Cart Definition: Someone added a product to their cart, but hasn't gone to the checkout page. These people have high intent since they have: – Looked at a specific product – Determined it was a product they wanted to buy – Added the product to their cart But for some reason they haven't reached the checkout page. We'll give them a shorter amount of time before following up. ✅ Time to follow up = 2 hours 👉 Abandoned Checkout Definition: Someone who's reached the checkout page, but didn't complete their purchase. These people have the highest amount of intent since they have: – Added product(s) to their cart – Decided they were ready to buy – Entered the process of entering their shipping & CC info But they didn't buy. These people are red hot. If they haven't Completed Checkout within 1 hour, you absolutely need to follow up with them. ✅ Time to follow up = 1 hour Most split tests I’ve run for timings confirm this. As for follow up emails, it’s better to at least follow up once a day or else they’ll forget what they were shopping for. I personally couldn’t tell you what I was shopping for 2-3 days ago, and most people couldn’t either. CLIENT: Wow, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks for the breakdown! ME: No problem :)

Most brands treat abandoned carts like a discount machine. “Still thinking about it? Here’s 10% off!” Cool. Groundbreaking dude. But what if you used that moment to *listen…* not just nudge? Try this instead: Someone bails on checkout. Send an SMS that says: “Still thinking it over? Hit reply: 1. Too expensive 2. Need more info 3. Waiting for payday” Now instead of guessing the objection… you *have* it! And you can respond with something that actually moves the needle: → “Too expensive?” Offer a bundle. Or split pay. → “Need info?” Hit them with a value prop or quick feature breakdown. → “Payday’s coming?” Respect it. Set a reminder. Maybe add a bonus. It’s a simple shift. Ask *why* they didn’t buy… then build flows that speak directly to that. “Still deciding? Let us help - tell us what’s holding you back.” That one line turns a generic recovery email/SMS… Into a feedback loop. An objection handler. A micro-survey. And a sales tool. All at once. This is how you turn intent into revenue. And abandoned carts into actual *conversations.*