Cart recovery

Abandoned Cart Recovery Sequence Generator

You generate a complete multi-channel cart abandonment recovery flow. Industry benchmark: 20-35% of abandoned carts recoverable with a disciplined multi-channel sequence. SMS-led sequences convert 25-40% (98% open rate); email-only converts 5-15%.

============================================================ === PRE-FLIGHT ===

Verify:

• Commerce platform: Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Stripe Checkout, custom.
• ESP / SMS provider: Klaviyo (most common DTC), Postscript, Attentive, Sendlane, Omnisend, Drip, Mailchimp.
• Consent compliance: confirm SMS opt-in language matches TCPA + state laws (FL, NY especially strict in 2026). Email needs CAN-SPAM unsubscribe + physical address.
• Discount strategy decided: when can you give a discount, and how much? (Brand-protection caps matter.)
• Average order value (AOV) known: drives the segmentation tiers and incentive thresholds.

Recovery:

• If SMS provider absent, generate email-only sequence and note the 2-3× recovery gap explicitly.
• If no opt-in compliance language present in current site, output the required snippet — refusing to publish without it.

============================================================ === PHASE 2: SEQUENCE TIMING ===

Default sequence (mid-tier $50-$150 cart):

Step	Channel	Delay from abandon	Purpose
1	SMS	15 min	Reminder, no incentive — intent still hot
2	Email 1	1 hour	Reminder + cart preview + reviews
3	Email 2	24 hours	Free shipping (if not already free) + urgency
4	Email 3	72 hours	Final touch, time-bound discount
(5)	Retargeting	hours 1-72	Meta + Google dynamic product ads

For low-value carts (< $50): drop SMS (cost > expected return), use Email 1 + Email 3 only, no discount.

For high-value carts (> $150): add Email 4 at 5 days, SMS 2 at 48 hr, free shipping in Email 1, full discount Email 4.

VALIDATION: Sequence config matches the user's AOV tier. Frequency cap honored (no double-send on same day).

============================================================ === PHASE 3: TEMPLATE COPY ===

Generate each touchpoint with platform-native dynamic tags.

SMS @ 15min (≤ 160 chars, single segment to control cost):

Hey {first_name}, your {top_item_name} is waiting. Grab it before it sells out: {short_url}
Reply STOP to opt out.

Email 1 @ 1hr — subject: "You left something behind 👀"

• Hook line, cart preview (image + name + price), reviews snippet under each item, primary CTA "Complete checkout", secondary "Save for later", footer with reply-to + physical address + unsubscribe.

Email 2 @ 24hr — subject: "Still thinking? Free shipping is on us"

• Different hero (lifestyle, not product), free shipping callout, customer photo from reviews, inventory urgency line only if stock < 10.

Email 3 @ 72hr — subject: "Last chance: 10% off your cart"

• Time-bound code (expires in 24 hr, single-use, tied to email), large CTA, cross-sell to similar items as fallback.

VALIDATION: Every template uses dynamic tags compatible with the chosen ESP. No hardcoded product names. Unsubscribe + opt-out present.

============================================================ === PHASE 4: WEBHOOK HANDLERS ===

Generate checkout/abandoned.handler.{ts|py} that fires on:

• Shopify: checkouts/create + checkouts/update + orders/create (to suppress sequence on purchase).
• WooCommerce: woocommerce_cart_updated action + woocommerce_thankyou.
• Stripe Checkout: webhook checkout.session.async_payment_succeeded, expired, completed.

The handler MUST:

1. Capture: cart items[], cart total, customer email/phone (if available), AOV tier, abandon time.
2. Suppress if order placed (look up Customer + Order tables for matching email/phone within 7 days).
3. Honor unsubscribe / STOP lists.
4. Push event to ESP/SMS provider via API (Klaviyo Track, Postscript Subscriber, etc.).

VALIDATION: Suppression test — if order placed during sequence, remaining steps don't fire. Test fixture covers this.

============================================================ === PHASE 5: DYNAMIC PRODUCT BLOCKS ===

Don't send "you left stuff behind" — show the actual items.

Generate a server-rendered (or ESP-templated) block per template that pulls:

• Item image (CDN-optimized, fixed aspect ratio so email renders cleanly).
• Item name + variant + price.
• Cart line subtotal.
• One-click "Restore cart" link with hashed token (HMAC-signed URL that re-hydrates the cart on landing — no login required).

VALIDATION: Email renders correctly in Litmus/Email-on-Acid for Gmail/Apple Mail/Outlook (desktop + mobile). Restore link tested.

============================================================ === PHASE 6: REVENUE ATTRIBUTION ===

Tag every recovery touchpoint with UTM + custom click ID so revenue attribution can roll up to the sequence step.

• ?utm_source=cart_recovery&utm_medium={sms|email}&utm_campaign=abandoned_v1&utm_content=step_{1|2|3}&cid={hashed_user_id}

Output an attribution reporting view that joins:

• Sends per step
• CTR per step
• Cart restores per step
• Orders per step (within 7-day attribution window)
• Revenue per step
• Recovery rate (orders / abandons)

VALIDATION: Reporting query runs against the platform's analytics DB or built-in ESP reports.

============================================================ === PHASE 7: COMPLIANCE & ANTI-DARK-PATTERNS ===

Generate compliance_checklist.md:

• SMS opt-in language explicit ("Reply YES to receive cart reminders. Msg/data rates apply. Reply STOP to opt out.")
• STOP keyword auto-suppression wired
• Email unsubscribe one-click (RFC 8058)
• Physical mailing address in every email footer (CAN-SPAM)
• No fake countdown timers
• No fake inventory urgency
• Discount code expirations are real (not extended silently)
• State-specific: CA SB 657 (subscription disclosures), FL TCPA strict liability awareness

VALIDATION: Compliance checklist is checked off per generated sequence before publishing.

============================================================ === SELF-REVIEW ===

Score 1–5:

• Complete: SMS + email sequence + webhook + attribution + compliance all delivered?
• Robust: Suppression on purchase works? Cart restore URL re-hydrates? Frequency cap honored?
• Clean: Templates render across major clients? Subject lines under spam-trigger limits?
• Lifecycle-credible: Would a Klaviyo / Postscript power-user accept this as production-ready?

Most common gap: forgetting purchase suppression → sending step 3 to someone who completed at step 2. Verify the suppression test passes.

============================================================ === LEARNINGS CAPTURE ===

Append to ~/.claude/skills/cart-recovery/LEARNINGS.md:

<YYYY-MM-DD> — <platform, ESP, AOV tier>

• What worked: <approach that produced clean output>
• What was awkward: <retry/manual fix needed>
• Suggested patch: <concrete improvement>
• Verdict: [Smooth / Minor friction / Major friction]

============================================================ === STRICT RULES ===

• Never send SMS without explicit opt-in. TCPA penalties are $500-$1,500 per text in the US.
• Never use fake urgency or fake inventory counts. FTC enforces.
• Never skip the purchase suppression. Sending "complete checkout" to a customer who paid 30 minutes ago is the fastest way to spike complaints.
• Never discount in Step 1. You'll train customers to abandon for the coupon.
• Always include unsubscribe / STOP. Compliance is non-negotiable.