---
title: What is an abandoned cart? Meaning & examples
description: An abandoned cart is when a shopper adds items or starts checkout
  but leaves without ordering. Learn why it happens and how a WhatsApp reminder
  wins it back.
url: https://salemag.net/glossary/abandoned-cart
language: en
published: 2026-10-21
updated: 2026-10-21
author: SaleMag Team
tags:
  - abandoned cart
  - cart recovery
  - ecommerce
---

# What is an abandoned cart? Meaning & examples

> An abandoned cart is an online shopping cart or checkout that a customer started but left without placing the order. Abandoned-cart recovery means reminding that customer, often by WhatsApp, SMS or email, within a set time so they can come back and finish the purchase.

## What is an abandoned cart?

An **abandoned cart** happens when someone on your online store adds products to the cart, or starts checkout and enters their phone number, but leaves before placing the order. The store still knows what they wanted and, if they reached checkout, how to contact them.

**Abandoned-cart recovery** uses that information to send a reminder: the product, the price and a link back to the cart, sometimes with a small incentive.

## Why does it matter for sellers in Bangladesh?

Shops that add a website or a Shopify or WooCommerce store next to their Facebook page often see many checkouts left unfinished. Typical causes are a delivery charge that appears at the last step, a long form, or a customer who wanted to ask a question first. A WhatsApp reminder works well here because it opens a conversation: the customer can ask "Outside Dhaka delivery koto din?" and finish the order in chat.

Keep it within the rules: message only customers who agreed to WhatsApp messages, and use an approved template, since the customer has not written to you.

## Example

A customer adds a perfume to the cart at 10 pm, enters her phone number and leaves at the payment step. An hour later she gets a WhatsApp message with the product photo, price and a button back to her cart. She replies with a question, gets an answer and completes the order.

In SaleMag, a checkout from a connected store that reports checkouts, such as Shopify, that does not turn into an order within the waiting time fires a cart-abandoned trigger in the [automation flow builder](https://salemag.net/features/automation-flow-builder), which can send the reminder. See [abandoned cart recovery](https://salemag.net/features/abandoned-cart-recovery).

## Related terms

[Opt-in](https://salemag.net/glossary/opt-in), marketing message, conversational commerce.

## FAQ

### Why do customers abandon carts?

Common reasons are a surprise delivery charge, a long checkout form, doubts about the product or the seller, or simply being interrupted.

### Can I send an abandoned-cart reminder on WhatsApp?

Yes, if the customer has opted in to WhatsApp messages. Outside the 24-hour window the reminder must be an approved template.

### How soon should the reminder go out?

It depends on your products. Many stores send the first reminder within a few hours, while the customer still remembers the cart. Test timings on your own store.