Cart Recovery Sms

Cart Recovery SMS

Overview

SMS cart abandonment recovery consistently achieves 20–35% recovery rates — typically 3–5× higher than email — because text messages are read within 3 minutes of delivery for 90% of recipients. The key is a properly timed sequence (not spam), deep personalization using cart contents, and bulletproof TCPA/GDPR compliance. Most merchants should use a dedicated SMS app rather than building custom infrastructure.

Note: For multi-channel cart recovery (email + SMS + push), see @cart-abandonment-recovery. This skill focuses on SMS-only recovery.

When to Use This Skill

• When email-only cart recovery sequences plateau below a 10% recovery rate
• When launching SMS as a new marketing channel and cart recovery is the highest-ROI starting point
• When re-platforming to a new SMS provider and need to rebuild flows
• When A/B testing recovery channels to find the optimal message mix

Core Instructions

Step 1: Choose the right SMS platform

Step 2: Set up SMS opt-in (compliance first)

TCPA (US) requires express written consent before sending marketing SMS. Build this before any send logic.

---

Shopify

Using Postscript:

1. Install Postscript from the Shopify App Store 2. Go to Postscript → Opt-in Tools → Checkout Opt-in 3. Postscript automatically adds a compliant SMS opt-in checkbox to your Shopify checkout with the required TCPA disclosure text 4. Enable Keyword Opt-in under Opt-in Tools → Keywords — customers can text your keyword to subscribe 5. Postscript handles STOP/HELP responses, quiet hours, and consent storage automatically

Using Attentive:

1. Install Attentive from the Shopify App Store 2. Attentive's two-tap mobile opt-in (sign-up units) achieves higher opt-in rates than checkbox-only 3. Go to Attentive → Subscribers → Sign-up Units to configure placement and offer 4. Checkout integration is automatic after app install

---

WooCommerce

Using SMSBump:

1. Install SMSBump plugin from WordPress plugin directory 2. Go to SMSBump → Opt-in → Checkout Opt-in and enable the checkout checkbox with TCPA language 3. Configure quiet hours under SMSBump → Settings → Compliance — enforce 8am–9pm in recipient timezone 4. Go to SMSBump → Automations → Cart Abandonment and enable the abandonment flow

---

BigCommerce

1. Install Attentive from the BigCommerce App Marketplace 2. Configure the two-tap opt-in unit and checkout SMS opt-in through the Attentive dashboard 3. BigCommerce cart events sync automatically after installation

---

Step 3: Build the cart recovery sequence

Use your SMS platform's automation builder. The optimal 3-message sequence:

Message 1 — Reminder (20–30 minutes after abandonment)

• No discount — most recoveries happen here without one
• Include the product name and a direct checkout link
• Example: "Hi [First Name], you left [Product Name] in your cart. Complete your order: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

Message 2 — Social proof or urgency (60 minutes)

• Reference low stock or popularity
• Example: "[Product Name] is almost gone — only 3 left. Your cart is saved: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

Message 3 — Discount (24 hours)

• Only for carts above your minimum threshold (recommend $50+)
• Use a unique single-use code
• Example: "Last chance, [First Name]! Use [CODE] for 10% off before your cart expires. Checkout: [link] Reply STOP to opt out."

Configuration in Postscript: 1. Go to Postscript → Automations → New Automation → Checkout Abandoned 2. Add three messages with the timing above 3. Add a filter on each step: "Has NOT placed an order since starting" — this auto-cancels on conversion 4. For the discount message: use Postscript's built-in unique coupon generation (connects to Shopify's discount system) 5. Set a cart value filter: only send the discount step for carts over $50

Configuration in SMSBump (WooCommerce): 1. Go to SMSBump → Automations → Cart Abandonment 2. Enable the three-step sequence with the same timing 3. Add "Order Not Placed" condition to each step 4. Connect WooCommerce coupon generation for the discount step

Step 4: Configure cart value thresholds and discount strategy

1. Set a minimum cart value ($30–$50) for SMS recovery — low-value carts have negative ROI after SMS cost 2. Reserve discounts for the last message only — offering discounts too early trains customers to abandon on purpose 3. Use single-use codes — prevents sharing and controls attribution 4. Segment by customer value: new customers get 10% off; repeat customers get free shipping only; VIP customers (5+ orders) get no discount

Step 5: Measure performance

Best Practices

• Capture phone number before payment — on Shopify, Postscript captures the phone number at checkout step 1 so you can recover even if the customer never completes payment
• Enforce quiet hours — Postscript, Attentive, and SMSBump all enforce this automatically; verify it is enabled in settings (8am–9pm recipient local time)
• Keep messages under 160 characters — longer messages split into multiple SMS and increase cost
• Always include STOP opt-out — required by TCPA; all major SMS apps include this automatically
• Set a 7-day suppression after a completed sequence — if a customer abandons again right after a recovery sequence, give them space

Common Pitfalls

Related Skills

• @cart-abandonment-recovery
• @sms-marketing
• @email-marketing-automation
• @lifecycle-marketing-automation
• @win-back-reactivation

SMS Cart Recovery Sequence Scheduler

Problem/Feature Description

A fashion e-commerce brand has built out its SMS consent layer and is now ready to implement the core cart recovery engine. The operations team wants a backend service that detects when shoppers have walked away from their checkout and automatically queues a timed sequence of recovery messages. They're especially worried about two failure modes from their previous email recovery system: messages arriving in the middle of the night (which generated a wave of complaints from customers in different time zones), and the same customer receiving duplicate messages after a service restart.

The brand's head of growth has specified that only carts with meaningful order value should qualify — low-value carts don't justify the cost or the opt-out risk. The sequence should be limited in length to avoid feeling like spam, and each step should fire at a specific interval after abandonment. The engineering lead wants the scheduler to use a persistent job queue so messages survive restarts, with automatic retry on transient failures.

Output Specification

Produce the following files:

• src/jobs/detectAbandonedCarts.ts — the function that identifies newly abandoned carts and enqueues recovery sequences
• src/jobs/sendRecoverySms.ts — the function that executes a single step of the recovery sequence
• src/lib/sendWindow.ts — the quiet-hours utility that determines whether it is currently safe to send to a given phone number
• src/config/recoverySchedule.ts — the sequence configuration (steps, delays, types)
• DESIGN.md — a short document explaining: (1) the abandonment time threshold chosen, (2) the cron frequency for detection, (3) how the system avoids sending duplicate messages

All TypeScript files should be syntactically valid. No actual SMS sending or database connection is required — stubs or mock calls are fine.

SMS Marketing Opt-In System for Multi-Region E-Commerce

Problem/Feature Description

A mid-sized online retailer is expanding its SMS marketing program to customers in the United States, Canada, and the European Union. The legal team has flagged that the current approach — a simple checkbox at checkout with no audit trail — creates significant regulatory exposure. In the US, the TCPA imposes statutory damages of $500–$1,500 per unsolicited message; in the EU, GDPR violations can reach 4% of annual revenue. The company needs a compliant opt-in and opt-out system before it can proceed with any SMS campaigns.

The engineering team needs to build two things: a checkout opt-in widget and an inbound SMS handler. The opt-in widget must collect and persist consent in a way that can be produced as evidence in a compliance audit. The inbound handler must process messages customers send back (like STOP or HELP) and return the required responses. The legal team has specified that consent records must support an audit trail that would hold up in court, and the system must properly handle the special case of EU customers who gave consent a long time ago and have since gone dormant.

Output Specification

Produce the following files:

• src/components/SmsOptIn.tsx — the React opt-in widget for checkout
• src/db/schema.ts — TypeScript interface(s) defining the consent data model
• src/handlers/inboundSms.ts — the inbound SMS webhook handler
• src/lib/consentUtils.ts — utility functions for checking whether a contact's consent is still valid
• IMPLEMENTATION_NOTES.md — a brief document describing the consent retention policy (how long records are kept and what fields are captured)

All TypeScript files should be syntactically valid and importable (no runtime execution needed).

Cart Recovery Message Builder and Discount Code Generator

Problem/Feature Description

A home goods retailer has its cart recovery scheduler up and running, but the engineering team now needs to implement the message content layer. The growth team wants SMS messages that feel personal and contextual rather than generic blasts — referencing what the customer left behind, creating social urgency, and closing with an incentive for high-value holdouts. They also need a system that generates one-time-use discount codes exclusively for the final recovery attempt, so the discount isn't given away prematurely.

The team has had past problems with SMS messages being filtered by carriers (customers reported never receiving them), messages arriving as two separate texts due to length, and discount codes being applied by the wrong customer. They want the new implementation to avoid these issues and to include trackable links so the analytics team can attribute recoveries back to specific SMS messages in their dashboards.

Output Specification

Produce the following files:

• src/lib/buildMessage.ts — the function that constructs the SMS body for each step of the sequence, using cart and customer data
• src/lib/generateRecoveryLink.ts — the function that creates a trackable recovery link with a secure token
• src/lib/generateDiscount.ts — the function that creates a discount code for qualifying carts
• src/lib/messageTemplates.ts — the message templates for steps 1, 2, and 3 (may be inlined in buildMessage.ts instead if preferred)
• DESIGN.md — a brief document describing: (1) when discounts are applied in the sequence, (2) the minimum cart value to qualify for a discount, and (3) how discount code uniqueness and single-use are enforced

All TypeScript files should be syntactically valid. Actual API calls (e.g. to Shopify or a URL shortener) may be stubbed out.

Input Files

The following type definitions are provided as the data model your functions should operate on. Extract them before beginning.

=============== FILE: src/types/cart.ts =============== export interface CartItem { id: string; name: string; price: number; quantity: number; recentViewers?: number; }

export interface Customer { id: string; firstName?: string; email?: string; }

export interface AbandonedCart { sessionId: string; customerId?: string; phone: string; email?: string; cartValue: number; currency: string; items: CartItem[]; checkoutUrl: string; abandonedAt: Date; recoveryState: string; customer?: Customer; discountCode?: string; }