Tutorial: recover abandoned carts on WhatsApp

🎯 Goal

Customers who leave without paying get a friendly WhatsApp reminder with a link back to their cart, and a coupon if they still hesitate.

🧰 What you need

• A Shopify or WooCommerce store connected (Shopify / WooCommerce)
• Checkout that collects the phone number with WhatsApp consent

Step 1: create the reminder template

Templates → New template: cart_reminder, Marketing, English.

• Header (Image): a product or brand image.
• Body:

  Hi {{1}}, you left something in your cart 🛒 Your items are saved — complete your order here: {{2}}

  Examples: Ravi, https://yourshop.in/checkouts/abc123.
• Button Visit website Visit store → https://yourshop.in (static).
• Footer: Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

Submit it and wait for approval. Create a second one, cart_reminder_coupon, with a Copy offer code button (COMEBACK10).

Step 2: switch on the reminder in Integrations

1. Integrations → your store → Abandoned cart reminder: switch it on and pick cart_reminder.
2. Send after: 60 minutes.
3. Map {{1}} → the customer’s first name and {{2}} → the checkout’s recovery link (Shopify: abandoned_checkout_url; WooCommerce: payment_url).
4. Test with your number.

Shopify sends checkout events. MeAPI waits 60 minutes and sends the reminder only if the order still wasn’t completed (WooCommerce: still pending). Each cart is reminded once.

Step 3: add a second reminder with a coupon (flow)

1. Automation → New rule, name Cart reminder 2 (rules run alongside other flows). Click the Trigger card → New order → Store Shopify (or WooCommerce), Event: Abandoned checkout.
2. Click + and add Delay 24 hours.
3. Click + and add a Template message: cart_reminder_coupon, with variables mapped as above.
4. Check, then Publish.

Caution

Keep it to two reminders at most. More reminders feel pushy, and blocks lower your quality rating.

SSharma Sweets✓

Hi Ravi, you left something in your cart 🛒 Your items are saved — complete your order here: yourshop.in/checkouts/abc123Reply STOP to unsubscribe

↗ Visit store

Message

The first reminder, one hour after leaving checkout.

Step 4: measure

• Integrations → your store: each send and its status.
• Analytics → Campaign results and the template’s Performance (Templates list): reads and replies.
• In your store admin, compare recovered checkouts before and after.

Common mistakes

• No phone at checkout: there’s no one to message. Make phone required, with consent text.
• A Utility category for the reminder: it’s promotional, so use Marketing.
• Reminding paid orders (WooCommerce): add the Order updated webhook so MeAPI knows the order was paid and cancels the reminder.

What’s next

Tutorial: collect payments in chat →Take payment on WhatsApp itself.Catalog and orders →Sell inside WhatsApp.