---
title: When RocketCart sends abandoned cart emails
date: "2026-11-06"
author: RocketCart
url: "https://getrocketcart.com/docs/recovery/email-recovery/"
type: docs
---

RocketCart’s email recovery is fully automatic. Each abandoned checkout with an email address gets up to 3 emails: First touch, Follow up and Last chance. RocketCart picks when each one goes out and what it looks like. Apart from your logo and footer details, the only thing you set is an optional discount for the third email.

## How many emails does a shopper get?

Up to 3. The sequence stops as soon as the shopper places the order.

| Shopper left | What RocketCart sends |
| --- | --- |
| An email address only | 3 emails |
| An email and a phone number, with WhatsApp connected | 3 emails, or 2 emails and 1 WhatsApp message, or a single WhatsApp message |
| A phone number only, with WhatsApp connected | 1 WhatsApp message |

Which mix a cart gets is chosen automatically. WhatsApp messages are covered in [WhatsApp recovery messages](/docs/recovery/whatsapp-recovery-messages/).

## When are the emails sent?

RocketCart counts the wait from the moment the hourly import picks up the cart, not from when the shopper left. The gap before each email isn’t fixed: RocketCart tries different delays and sends more of what recovers carts.

Note

Nothing is sent between 00:00 and 08:00 Berlin time (Europe/Berlin). An email due in that window goes out at 08:00 Berlin time. This uses Berlin time for every store, not the shopper’s own time zone.

To see the exact times for a cart, open **Recovery** > **View results** and expand the cart. Each stage shows **Scheduled Send At** and **Sent At**. See [recovery results](/docs/recovery/recovery-results/).

## What does RocketCart choose for me?

| RocketCart picks | How |
| --- | --- |
| Email or WhatsApp per step | Tries the mixes in the table above and favours what recovers carts |
| Delay before each step | Tries several delays per step |
| Email layout | One of 4 layouts, with or without extra blocks such as a scarcity banner or social proof |
| The discount block in the third email | Tested with and without, if you turned discounts on |

There is nothing to switch on. Every subject line is the same for all three emails. In English it reads “Don’t forget your items, [first name]!”, or “Don’t forget your items, there!” when Shopify has no first name.

## What do the emails contain?

- Your **logo** at the top, from **Settings** > **Branding**.
- A link that takes the shopper straight back to their checkout.
- Your **Business Address**, **Terms URL**, **Privacy Policy URL** and social links in the footer.
- An **Unsubscribe** link in the footer. This link text is in English in every language.

Fill these in under [logo and branding](/docs/settings/logo-and-branding/).

## How does the discount in the third email work?

You turn it on in **Settings** > **Email Settings** with **Enable discount offers in emails**, then pick a **Percentage** or **Fixed Amount** and a value. See [discount](/docs/settings/discount/).

The code only goes in the third step, Last chance, and only when that step is an email. RocketCart also tests versions of that email with and without the discount block, so not every third email carries a code.

When the third email includes the discount, RocketCart creates a code in your Shopify store just for that shopper:

| Rule | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Code format | `ABANDON` plus 5 characters |
| Valid for | 24 hours |
| Uses | Once. When the checkout belongs to a Shopify customer, only that customer can use it |
| Minimum order | The value of the abandoned cart |

Messages in the first and second step never contain a discount.

## Which language are the emails in?

The shopper’s language, taken from their checkout. Emails go out in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese. Shoppers in any other language get English. See [languages](/docs/settings/languages/).

## Who is the email from?

The sender name is your store name. The sender address is a shared RocketCart address.

Pro plan

On the Pro plan you can send from your own domain, for example `shop@yourdomain.com`. See [set up a sending domain](/docs/sending-domain/set-up-sending-domain/).

## Can I turn email recovery off or edit the emails?

No. There are no email templates, subject lines or schedules to edit, and no switch to stop the emails. If another tool also sends abandoned checkout emails, turn that one off. See [Shopify and Klaviyo emails](/docs/getting-started/shopify-and-klaviyo-emails/).

Warning

Development stores send no recovery emails at all.

For ideas on what makes a good recovery email, read our page on the [abandoned cart email](/abandoned-cart-email/).