Abandoned cart recovery for Nigerian Shopify stores

Why Nigerian shoppers abandon checkouts

• Delivery fees and times that only appear at checkout.
• Payment friction: card declined, bank app OTP delays, or a preference for transfer or pay on delivery.
• Trust: first-time buyers unsure whether the store is real.
• Distraction: network drops, data runs out, a call comes in.
• Comparison shopping: checking prices elsewhere or asking someone first.

A recovery sequence can't fix a high delivery fee, but it can remind, reassure and make paying easier.

A three-message flow

Keep discounts for the last message, if at all, so you don't train shoppers to abandon carts on purpose.

Example email 1

Subject: Your cart at Kemi's Closet is saved "Hi Amaka, you left these in your cart: [items]. We've saved them for you, but sizes are going fast. [Complete my order]. Questions? Chat with us on WhatsApp."

Example email 2

Subject: Delivery to Abuja in 2 to 3 days "Still thinking it over? Here's what to expect: delivery to your state in 2 to 3 working days, pay by card or transfer, and easy exchanges within 7 days. [Return to checkout]."

Example SMS (plain text, one page)

"KemisCloset: your cart is still saved. Complete your order here: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out."

Shopify's built-in emails vs a marketing tool

Shopify can send its own abandoned checkout email. A marketing tool adds multi-step flows, SMS, conditions such as "didn't open", your full email design, and reporting alongside your other campaigns. Use one or the other for the first reminder so shoppers aren't messaged twice.

Setting it up with ENB

1. In Shopify admin, create a custom app with read access to orders and customers, and copy its access token.
2. In ENB, connect Shopify with the token. ENB registers Shopify's checkout and order webhooks and verifies them.
3. Choose the abandoned cart workflow from the ready-made automations, edit the messages, and turn it on.
4. A checkout is treated as abandoned after the time you set (60 minutes by default), and carts older than 7 days are ignored. Completed checkouts aren't treated as abandoned.
5. By default, only shoppers who accepted marketing at checkout become contacts.

The cart items can be shown inside your emails. Orders also trigger thank-you and review flows. See Shopify and online stores.

Measure it

Track recovered orders (checkouts completed after a reminder) and revenue per reminder sent. If the first email gets clicks but few orders, the problem is likely at checkout: delivery fees, payment options or trust signals.

Fix the causes too

• Show delivery fees and times before checkout.
• Offer the payment methods Nigerians use: card, transfer, USSD, and pay on delivery where you can.
• Add trust signals: real reviews, a phone and WhatsApp number, a physical address, a clear returns policy.

Recovery flow checklist

1. Shopify connected and test checkout abandoned and recovered successfully.
2. Only shoppers who accepted marketing are messaged.
3. First email about an hour later, with the items and a working checkout link.
4. Second email answers delivery, payment and returns questions.
5. Optional SMS only to people who didn't open, in plain text on one page.
6. No discount in the first message.
7. Shopify's own abandoned checkout email turned off if you use ENB's, so shoppers aren't messaged twice.
8. Results reviewed monthly: clicks, recovered orders and unsubscribes.

Test it yourself

Before turning it on for everyone, add an item to your own cart with an email you control, leave the checkout, and wait. Check the timing, the items shown, the links on a phone, and that completing the order stops anything that would look silly ("you left something behind" after you've paid).

Key takeaways

• Send the first reminder about an hour after the shopper leaves, with the items shown.
• Use the second message to answer delivery, payment and returns worries.
• Add SMS only for people who didn't open, and only with SMS consent.
• Keep discounts out of the first reminder, if you use them at all.
• Fix the causes too: show delivery fees early and offer the payment methods Nigerians use.