Open baskets - View and restore abandoned shopping carts

Not all customers complete their purchase. In fact, around 70% of all customers abandon their shopping cart without taking action. In Shoporama, you can view all open baskets, follow up on them and automatically send reminder emails to abandoned customers.

What is an open cart?

An open cart is a shopping cart where a customer has added products but not completed the purchase. The cart is linked to the customer's browser via a cookie and a token, and is stored for up to 4 days so the customer can return and complete their purchase from the same browser.

The overview of open baskets

You can find the overview under Orders → Open baskets in the administration. Here you see a list of all active, uncompleted baskets with the following information:

• ID, the unique number of the basket
• Last updated, when the customer was last active in the basket
• Products, number and name of products in the cart, with links to the product pages
• Session, the contact details entered by the customer (name, address, email, etc.) and a direct link to the cart

The list is sorted by recent activity, so the most recent baskets are shown first. You can scroll between pages if there are many open baskets.

Link to the basket

Each open basket has a unique link that restores the customer's basket. You can copy the link and send it to the customer manually, for example via email or phone, if a customer contacts you and wants to complete a purchase they started earlier.

This is also how the customer returns to their cart if they switch devices. The link contains a token so that the basket can be opened on a different device (e.g. if the customer started on the phone and continues on the PC).

Automatic email when cart is abandoned

Shoporama can automatically send a reminder email to customers who abandon their cart. The email contains the products in the cart and a direct link so the customer can easily return and complete the purchase.

How to activate it

1. Go to Settings → Online Shop
2. Find the field "Mail on inactive cart"
3. Enter the number of hours before the email is sent. Example:
   • 24 = 1 day
   • 168 = 1 week
   • 336 = 14 days
4. Save the settings

Leave the field empty to disable the feature.

When is the email sent?

The system checks every 5 minutes for baskets that meet these criteria:

• The customer has entered an email address
• The cart contains products
• The basket is still open (not completed as an order)
• The set number of hours has passed since the last activity
• The cart is no more than 7 days old
• A reminder has not already been sent to this cart

Each cart only receives one reminder email, so the customer is not inconvenienced.

Note: A reminder for an abandoned cart can be considered marketing. Make sure your checkout flow includes consent for this type of communication to comply with marketing law and GDPR.

Customize the email

The reminder email uses the basket_mail.html template in your theme. You can customize both the subject line and content via the theme settings in the Emails section. The email automatically includes a list of the products in the basket with images, names and prices, as well as a link to restore the basket.

Statistics on abandoned baskets

To see historical data on abandoned baskets, recovery rate and the effect of your reminder emails, see Statistics → Abandoned baskets.

Typical causes of abandoned baskets

To reduce the number of abandoned baskets, it's good to know the most common causes:

• Unexpected costs, shipping, fees or VAT that only appear at checkout
• Account creation requirements, many customers prefer guest checkout
• Too long checkout, too many steps or fields in the order flow
• Lack of payment options, customer does not find their preferred payment method
• Lack of trust, absence of trustmarks, reviews or SSL certificate

Do you need help? Contact us at support@shoporama.dk.