Understanding Faire's Abandoned Cart System
Faire automatically sends abandoned cart emails to retailers who add products to their basket but don't complete checkout. This built-in system works quietly in the background, but most sellers don't understand how to supplement it with manual outreach.
Here's what happens: when a retailer abandons their cart, Faire sends an automated email highlighting the products left behind. If you have an always-on tiered discount structure, these emails will mention "up to 20% off" or whatever your highest tier offers. The system doesn't require you to configure anything, but it only works if retailers have email notifications enabled.
The limitation? Faire's automated emails are generic and don't account for your specific relationship with that retailer. That's where manual follow-up becomes critical.
Why Manual Cart Recovery Matters
Faire's built-in system handles the basics, but manual outreach through direct messages dramatically improves recovery rates. During peak selling periods like Summer Market, abandoned carts spike as retailers comparison shop across multiple brands.
Retailers abandon carts for specific reasons: they're batching orders to hit free shipping thresholds, waiting to see if better deals appear, comparing your products against competitors, or simply getting distracted. Your manual follow-up addresses these objections directly.
The timing matters enormously. During market periods, you need to recover carts before the promotional window closes. Outside market periods, you have more flexibility but less urgency to motivate checkout.
Building Your Manual DM Follow-Up Strategy
Access your abandoned cart list through Faire's CRM by filtering for retailers who added items but haven't ordered. During Summer Market or other peak periods, check this daily. During regular periods, weekly checks suffice.
Your first message should go out within 24 hours of cart abandonment during market periods, 48-72 hours during regular periods. The message needs three elements: acknowledgment of their interest, specific mention of items in their cart, and a clear reason to complete checkout now.
Here's a template that works: "Hi [Name], I noticed you added [specific products] to your cart. These are some of our bestsellers this season. Just wanted to make sure you didn't miss out on [current promotion/free shipping threshold/limited stock]. Happy to answer any questions about sizing, materials, or anything else. We'd love to have you as a customer."
Notice what this does: it's personal, references specific products, creates urgency without being pushy, and opens the door for questions. Many abandoned carts happen because retailers have unanswered questions.
Timing Your Cart Recovery Messages
The timing of your outreach directly impacts recovery rates. During Faire Summer Market, send your first follow-up within 24 hours. The market window is short, and retailers are actively shopping. Your message reminds them to complete their order before promotions expire.
Send a second follow-up 24-48 hours later if they haven't responded. This message should reference the approaching end of the market: "Hi [Name], just a friendly reminder that Summer Market ends in two days. Your cart has [products] ready to go. Don't want you to miss out on the [percentage] discount."
The final follow-up comes on the last day of the market, ideally 6-12 hours before it ends: "Hi [Name], Summer Market ends tonight at midnight. You've still got [products] in your cart at [percentage] off. This is the best pricing we offer all year."
Outside market periods, space messages further apart. First message at 48-72 hours, second at 5-7 days, final at 14 days. After 14 days, abandoned carts are cold and rarely convert.
Message Templates That Convert
For new retailers who've never ordered: "Hi [Name], saw you were checking out our [product category]. We'd love to welcome you as a new customer. These items you added are perfect for [specific use case]. First orders over [threshold] get free shipping plus [percentage] off. Any questions about our products or how we work with retailers?"
For returning customers: "Hi [Name], great to see you back! You've got [products] in your cart. Based on what sold well for you last time, these should be perfect for [season/occasion]. Your regular discount applies, plus we're running [current promotion]. Want me to add anything else that might work for your customers?"
For high-value carts: "Hi [Name], I noticed you've put together a substantial order with [products]. That qualifies for our highest tier discount at [percentage] off plus free shipping. I wanted to personally reach out to make sure you have everything you need. We can also expedite shipping if timing is tight."
For cart abandonment during low stock periods: "Hi [Name], you've got [products] in your cart, but I wanted to give you a heads up that we're running low on [specific item]. Don't want you to miss out. Happy to reserve your items if you need a day or two to finalize your order."
Abandoned Cart Recovery During Seasonal Markets
Summer Market represents the biggest cart abandonment period of the year. Retailers are shopping aggressively, comparing dozens of brands, and often adding items to multiple carts before making final decisions.
Your abandoned cart strategy during Summer Market needs daily execution. Check your abandoned cart list every morning. Send first-touch messages to carts abandoned in the last 24 hours. Send second-touch messages to carts from 2-3 days ago. Send final urgency messages on the last day of the market.
Pre-market messaging helps reduce abandonment. In July, before Summer Market starts, message your customer base about upcoming promotions and encourage them to add items to their cart early. This gives you advance notice of what they're interested in and lets you follow up during the market.
Christmas pre-orders during Summer Market deserve special attention in abandoned cart recovery. If retailers have Christmas stock in their cart but haven't checked out, emphasize that this is the best time to secure inventory: "Hi [Name], saw you were looking at our Christmas collection. Summer Market is the perfect time to lock in your holiday inventory at the best prices. These items typically sell out by October."
Segmenting Your Cart Recovery Approach
Not all abandoned carts deserve the same approach. Use Faire's CRM to segment by cart value, customer history, and products selected.
High-value carts over your average order value need personal attention. These might qualify for your highest discount tier. Message these retailers personally, mention the discount tier they're approaching, and offer to add complementary products to round out their order.
Carts from retailers who've ordered before get different messaging than new prospects. You have a relationship and purchase history to reference. Mention products that sold well for them previously and suggest the abandoned items will complement their existing inventory.
Carts containing new releases or seasonal items need urgency messaging around availability. If you're launching a new collection or have limited quantities of seasonal items, abandoned carts containing these products should hear about potential stockouts.
Carts abandoned by retailers in specific business types can receive targeted messaging. If a gift shop abandons a cart, you can reference how the products will work for their customer base. If a boutique abandons a cart, focus on the fashion angle.
Combining Automated and Manual Approaches
Faire's automated emails and your manual DM outreach work together. The automated email catches attention, your DM personalizes the message and addresses specific objections.
Your always-on tiered discount structure powers Faire's automated abandoned cart emails. When you set up three tiers (free shipping at average order value, 10% off at 2-3x AOV, 20% off for large orders), Faire's emails automatically mention these discounts.
This creates a system where Faire reminds retailers about their cart and available discounts, while you add the personal touch. Your DM might say: "Noticed you got Faire's email about your cart. You're really close to hitting the free shipping threshold at [amount]. Want me to suggest a few items that would get you there?"
Don't duplicate timing. If Faire sends an automated email within an hour of cart abandonment, wait 12-24 hours before sending your DM. You want to reinforce the message, not spam the retailer.
Tracking Your Cart Recovery Performance
Faire doesn't provide specific abandoned cart recovery metrics, so you need to track manually. Create a simple spreadsheet tracking abandoned cart outreach.
Record the date of cart abandonment, retailer name, cart value, date of your first message, whether they responded, date of second message if needed, and whether they completed the purchase. This shows which timing and messages work best.
Your recovery rate is completed purchases divided by total abandoned carts you messaged. A 15-20% recovery rate is solid during market periods. Outside markets, 10-15% is realistic.
Track response rates separately from recovery rates. Some retailers will respond but not purchase. These responses still have value as they keep the relationship warm for future orders.
Monitor which message templates perform best. Test different approaches and track results. Maybe urgency-focused messages work better during markets while product-focused messages work better during regular periods.
Common Cart Recovery Mistakes
Sending too many messages too quickly kills cart recovery. Three messages maximum during a market period, two during regular periods. More than that and you're pestering, not helping.
Generic copy-paste messages fail because retailers can tell you're bulk messaging. Even if you're using templates, customize with specific product names, their business type, or their previous orders.
Ignoring the reason for abandonment wastes effort. If a retailer abandoned because they're waiting for a product to come back in stock, telling them to checkout immediately doesn't help. Ask if they have questions or concerns.
Failing to create urgency during time-limited promotions means retailers keep procrastinating. During Summer Market, every message should reference the deadline. Outside markets, create urgency through low stock alerts or seasonal relevance.
Not offering to help closes doors. Always end messages with an offer to answer questions, suggest additional products, or provide more information. Many abandoned carts reflect uncertainty, not disinterest.
Advanced Cart Recovery Techniques
For retailers who abandon high-value carts multiple times, consider a phone call. Get their number from their business profile and call to understand their hesitation. Often there's a simple issue preventing checkout.
Offer exclusive incentives for cart completion outside your standard discount structure. If a retailer repeatedly abandons carts, offer a one-time additional 5% off or free expedited shipping to close the deal.
Bundle abandoned items with complementary products. If a retailer has three items in their cart, suggest adding two more that work well together and push them into your next discount tier.
Create urgency through limited-time offers specific to their cart. "I can hold this pricing for 48 hours" works when it's genuine. Don't manufacture fake urgency, but leverage real constraints.
Use social proof in your recovery messages. "These items you selected are bestsellers this month" or "Other boutiques in your area are stocking these products" provides validation for their initial interest.
Post-Recovery Relationship Building
When a retailer completes their order after your cart recovery outreach, send a thank you message. Acknowledge that you know they had other options and appreciate their business.
This thank you message is also your opportunity to ensure they have everything they need. Share shipping timeline, provide marketing assets they can use, and set expectations for delivery.
For first-time customers who came through cart recovery, pay extra attention to their experience. They were already hesitant, so exceed their expectations. Send a follow-up message when their order ships and another asking for feedback after they receive it.
Request reviews from customers who completed orders after cart recovery. They already engaged with your messaging, so they're more likely to respond to a review request.
Track which recovered customers become repeat buyers. Some abandoned their first cart but, once they completed an order and experienced your products, became loyal customers. These success stories justify the effort you put into cart recovery.
Integrating Cart Recovery Into Your Broader Strategy
Cart recovery shouldn't exist in isolation. It's part of your overall customer engagement strategy on Faire.
Your weekly newsletter to existing customers reduces cart abandonment by keeping your brand top of mind. If retailers receive regular updates about new products and promotions, they're less likely to abandon carts because they're already engaged.
Your segmented messaging strategy feeds into cart recovery. If you're already messaging customer segments monthly, abandoned carts from those segments get another touchpoint in your relationship.
Pre-market messaging in July before Summer Market reduces cart abandonment by building anticipation. Retailers who hear about upcoming promotions in advance are more likely to plan their purchases and complete checkout during the market.
Post-market follow-up after Summer Market or other events continues the conversation. Even if retailers abandoned carts during the market, a thank you message to those who did order and a "catch you next time" message to those who didn't keeps relationships warm.
Your always-on promotion structure makes cart recovery easier by giving you concrete value to communicate. When you can tell a retailer they're close to free shipping or a discount tier, you're solving a problem rather than just pushing for a sale.