[13/14] § cart-recovery-engine
Undertowcart recovery

Pulls leaving carts back to shore.

Abandoned carts,

pulled back.

Automatically.

// names the item they left. sends at T+15min, T+24hr, T+72hr.
Put a sequence on those cartsRun free audit first →
8–15%recovery rate
$0setup cost
48hrto first sequence live
5–12×typical ROI
UNDERTOW ENGINE
14:33
CART ABANDONED
CART · sarah@email.com
Premium Trail Running Shoes$142.00
Merino Wool Socks × 3$28.00
Gel Insoles$15.40
TOTAL$185.40
webhook fired · sequence arming…

The gap

7/10

carts never reach checkout
avg recovery with 1 email: 3–5%

15 min
distracted · comparison shopping · shipping surprise
72 hr
the recovery window. most stores miss it entirely.
1 email
what most stores run. generic. untimed. no offer.
“The window is 72 hours. Most stores miss it entirely.”
Calculate my cart loss →
§ I — How the sequence runs

Cart goes cold. Undertow pulls it back.

§ II — What you're actually buying

Not “an abandoned cart email.”

event trackingsession fingerprintingtransactional email infraconditional trigger logicsuppression listspurchase-detection webhookssequence orchestrationdelivery monitoringA/B variant routing

System layers, in order

01
Event & tracking layer
cart webhooksession fingerprintpurchase listenerAOV detection
02
Personalisation engine
item-aware copyvariant selectionconditional offertone matching
03
Email infra & deliverability
your domainSPF/DKIM/DMARCone-click unsubsuppression list
04
Monitoring & attribution
open ratesrecovery $sequence tuningmonthly report

System diagram

CART ABANDONEDwebhook · T+0PERSONALISATION ENGINEnames item · selects variant · sets timingSEQUENCEEMAIL 1T+15 minEMAIL 2T+24 hrEMAIL 3T+72 hr + offerRECOVERED REVENUEattributed · sequence off · report sent

Multisoftware system. Personalisation is the brain — not the whole body.
Built and tuned in-house by Surfscaler.

“Klaviyo gives you the pipes. We give you the system that's actually configured — the right message for the right item at the right hesitation point, tuned monthly against real recovery data.”

Casey Hamilton, Surfscaler

§ III — Not one script. A whole range.

Every leaving cart, pulled back its own way.

// filter by cart tier or sequence step — same engine, different play every time.

Low valueStep 1 · T+15 min
Brass hook set (qty 2)$28
Hey — you left your brass hooks in your cart. They're still there if you want them. One click and they're on their way.
Undertow · sent automatically
recovered · $28
Mid valueStep 1 · T+15 min
Linen duvet cover + pillowcase set$94
Your linen duvet set is still waiting, Emma. Your size is held for 48 hours — want me to keep it?
Undertow · sent automatically
sequence step 1
High valueStep 1 · T+15 min
Standing desk + cable management kit$439
Hi Marcus — you were close to checking out on the Altura Standing Desk. If you have questions on specs or delivery, reply and I'll get you a real answer fast.
Undertow · sent automatically
concierge offer sent
Step 2 bumpStep 2 · T+24 hr
Trail running shoes + merino socks$185
Still here, Sarah. Your Trail Shoes + Socks ($185) are set aside. In case you want them — your cart is one click away.
Undertow · sent automatically
sequence step 2
Step 3 last-callStep 3 · T+72 hr
Ceramic cookware set$212
Last nudge. Take 10% off your cookware set — code BACK10 auto-applied at checkout. Offer expires tonight at midnight.
Undertow · sent automatically
recovered · $190 (after 10%)
Item-awareStep 1 · T+15 min
Espresso machine (refurb)$165
You left a refurbished Breville Barista Express in your cart. These move fast — want us to hold yours while you decide?
Undertow · sent automatically
cart held · reply triggered
Low valueStep 2 · T+24 hr
Phone case × 3$36
Quick reminder — your phone cases are still in your cart. Three for $36, free shipping. Still want them?
Undertow · sent automatically
sequence step 2
Item-awareStep 3 · T+72 hr
Vintage-finish mirror (limited stock)$128
Last heads-up on the Venetian mirror — only 2 left in stock and your cart reservation expires in 6 hours. Grab it before it's gone.
Undertow · sent automatically
recovered · $128

Showing 8 of 8recovery types  · sample carts — not metrics from a specific store

Every leaving cart, a different pull.

§ IV — Concrete deliverables

What we build. Not promises.

⚡
We install

abandonment webhook integration on your store. One setup, permanent.

✏
We write

3–7 email variants per sequence, specific to your product categories and brand voice.

⚙
We configure

conditional discount logic, send timing, and A/B variant routing.

🛡
We suppress

emails automatically on purchase, unsubscribe, or repeat-buyer detection.

📊
We monitor

open rates, click rates, and recovery attribution weekly.

💰
We report

actual dollars recovered to your inbox monthly. Not sessions. Not opens.

§ V — Is your store a fit?

Not every store needs this.

this is right if you...

Have a real store with 500+ monthly visitors

Sell physical products with meaningful margins

Already have a sending domain and email list

Know your AOV and care about recovery rates

Want set-it-and-forget-it revenue running in background

this is NOT right if you...

Sell digital downloads or subscriptions (low abandonment)

Have under 200 monthly visitors (math doesn't work yet)

Have no email sending infrastructure at all

Need to approve every individual email before it sends

Expect results in the first week (sequences take 4–6 weeks)

§ boss — undertow recovery ledger

Every cart. Every email. What came back.

[SAMPLE DATA]
window: 7-day rolling
IDITEM LEFT IN CARTCART VALUEEMAIL STEPSTATUSRECOVERED $
UT-2290Trail Running Shoes + Socks + Insoles$185.40Email 1 (T+15m)RECOVERED$185.40
UT-2291Standing Desk — Walnut Edition$649.00Email 3 (T+72h + offer)RECOVERED$584.10
UT-2292Merino Base Layer × 2$112.00Email 2 (T+24h)RECOVERED$112.00
UT-2293Ceramic Pour-Over Kit$78.00Email 1 (T+15m)RECOVERED$78.00
UT-2294Noise-Cancelling Headphones$299.00Email 2 (T+24h)RECOVERED$299.00
UT-2295Tactical Backpack 35L$189.00—STILL LOST—
UT-2296Yoga Mat Pro + Blocks$94.50Email 3 (T+72h + offer)RECOVERED$85.05
UT-2297Cast Iron Cookware Set$234.00Email 1 (T+15m)RECOVERED$234.00
TOTALS8 carts · 7 recovered · 1 still lost$1,940.90$1,577.55
$189.00 still unrecovered — 1 cart abandoned past 72h window. Sequence suppressed.87.5% recovery rate this window
Email 1
closed 3 carts · T+15min
Email 2
closed 2 carts · T+24hr
Email 3
closed 2 carts · T+72hr + offer
87.5%
recovery rate this window

How we work together

Three ways to get started

Self-serve, partner with us, or let Casey build and manage everything. Same engine — different levels of involvement.

Most Popular

Done With You

Build it with you

Lower costSome effort · We guide you

Typical lift: 2–4% revenue recovery

  • Casey-tuned email sequences for your brand voice
  • Advanced AI personalization (purchase history, browsing)
  • A/B testing on subject lines + body copy
  • Up to 2,000 recovery emails / month
  • + 4 more

Done For You

Hand it off completely

Higher costNo effort · We handle everything

Typical lift: 3–5% revenue recovery

  • Fully bespoke recovery flows (Casey-designed)
  • Email + SMS recovery channels
  • Dynamic discount engine (rules-based offers)
  • Unlimited recoveries (fair use)
  • + 4 more

Questions worth asking

Things people actually ask before signing up

Shopify and WooCommerce natively. Any platform that fires a webhook on cart abandonment works: Magento, BigCommerce, custom builds. If it can send us an event, we can work with it.

Klaviyo gives you the pipes. We give you a system that's actually configured, written, and optimized. Most businesses set up one generic reminder and leave it. We run 3-to-7-step sequences with conditional discounts, dynamic copy, and ongoing performance tuning, all specific to your cart contents and customer history.

We send through your existing domain so emails come from your brand. Your domain reputation stays yours. We don't use shared IPs or generic platforms.

8 to 15% of abandoned carts, depending on brand recognition, discount strategy, and audience warmth. We'll give you a category-specific estimate before you commit. The low end is for cold audiences in competitive niches. The high end is for brands with strong name recognition and tight sequences.

The system detects the purchase in real time and suppresses all remaining emails immediately. No "you left something behind" messages after they've already bought.

Setup is straightforward on standard platforms. We absorb that cost and make it up on the monthly. If you have a heavily customized stack, there may be a small integration fee. We'll tell you before you commit.

// a note from casey

If you have carts, you have recoverable money.

The average store we work with recovers $4,000 to $18,000 in the first 90 days on the DFY plan. The setup is zero dollars. The sequences run without you touching them. The only question is how many carts you want to leave on the table.

Get my recovery estimateRun the free audit first